Sexual wellness and self-care got a whole new meaning during the Covid-19 pandemic. That’s when the sales of sex toys skyrocketed significantly.
Statistics suggest that the sale of sex toys went up to nearly 150 percent in some cases over the course of the lockdown period. So, what has happened ever since? How has the sex toy market continued evolving in a post-pandemic world? Here’s what the latest trends and numbers suggest.
The Way Sex Toy Habits Changed During the Pandemic
Before examining the latest developments, it’s important to take a look at the lasting changes that the lockdown period provoked.
Has our sex toy use been modified due to the lockdowns? Research suggests that the answer is positive.
Interestingly, people demonstrated particular interest in certain kinds of sex toys. Quiet sex toys, for example, grew massively in popularity. Many families had to bundle together over the course of lockdowns. The quietest toys on the market ensuredprivacy and an intimate experience that wouldn’t be disturbed by anyone.
Experts also believe that the pandemic has triggered a shift in the way masturbation is perceived.
People have started masturbating for various reasons. For some, masturbation is a good way to overcome stress and anxiety. Others perceive it as a nice option to handle boredom or even loneliness. Hence, self-love isn’t any longer just about sexual desire. It can be used to fulfil various other needs.
Masturbation also enables opportunities for creative exploration. Hence, people have started looking into a diverse range of sex toys – from high-quality strap-ons like the ones available in HotCherry’s store to niche items like automatic masturbators and thrusting sex machines.
Sex Toys in the Post-Pandemic World
The Covid-19 pandemic worked as the catalyst that triggered a change in how we perceive masturbation and how much we desire sex toys.
Has something changed ever since?
By 2024, sex toy markets have upped their game. They jumped on the Covid-19 bandwagon to offer buyers more variety and an array of high-tech items bound to satisfy every sexual taste and preference.
Sex toys today offer interactive, even augmented reality experiences. They can be connected online, allowing two people in remote locations to interact with each other in the most erotic way. Furthermore, sex toys have started enabling personalization. Users can come up with their own settings and patterns. They are now in complete charge of the experience, getting it to match their highly specific sexual wellness needs.
This is why experts predict the global sex toy market will reach a volume of 80.7 billion US dollars by 2030. That number represents a CAGR rate of six percent over the forecast period.In comparison, the size of the global sex toy market was only 10.07 billion dollars in 2016 and 33.7 billion dollars in 2020.
The US sex toy market alone will grow at a compound annual rate of 8.5 percent in the period from 2023 to 2030. Improved standards of living and curiosity about novelty products are the two primary triggers anticipated to fuel the positive change. Two other very important factors playing a role in the trend are the growing social acceptance of the LGBTQ+ community and the increased interest that women have demonstrated in sexual wellness exploration.
Continuous Innovation Will Lead the Way
Some of the best-known sex toy brands have been investing heavily in innovation. Their work is going to power the growth of the market in the years to come.
The sextech industry is bound to be worth about 120 billion dollars by 2030. Technological advances, evolving social attitudes, and an increaser consumer demand for the development of more innovative products will continue fuelling the sextech boom.
By 2030, that industry is anticipated to be worth more than crypto. It doesn’t make headlines often today but investors are jumping on the opportunity because the growth will continue. Sextech is a field that expands beyond the scope of traditional sex toys. It also includes sexual health apps, sexuality research, the creation of immersive erotic experiences, and personal care items among others.
At the time, some startups and innovators are dealing with significant fundraising barriers. While the topic of sex is being normalized, there are still some taboos that we need to address for large-scale investors to start embracing the sector more openly.
Things are moving in the right direction. The sector is more dynamic than it has ever been and some of the hurdles are being eliminated.
One interesting phenomenon that could fuel even more profound change in the future is the career interest shift that women are going through. Statistics suggest that more women will be graduating from tech schools with engineering degrees. Some of these women will take an interest in sextech, diversifying the field that’s still heavily male-dominated. That diversification is bound to promote at least a part of the change that will potentially contribute to even bigger shakeups in the years and decades to come.
