AI Interviewer in Action:
Consumer Insights About Sex Toys

We won't be caught dead passing on a challenge. So we set out to discover what insights can be taken away from AI-moderated conversations about sexual wellness. And to find out just how open and honest consumers in Japan and Germany would be in interactions with our AI interviewer - Yasna. Let's go!

Pleasure, fun and enjoyment come to the minds of both German and Japanese respondents as first associations with sex toys. However, there is a note-worthy difference in the approaches to pleasure. German respondents express openness about using sex toys to enhance their sexual experiences, either alone or with a partner. Self-pleasure gets the spotlight with opinions like these coming up often:

In contrast, Japanese respondents commonly associate sex toys with the idea of pleasing their partners, considering the situations in which they would use sex toys. Drawing on this discovery, our AI agent provided suggestions for potential marketing strategies:

• Focus on promoting sex toys as a way to enhance partner satisfaction.
• Provide ideas for different scenarios in which sex toys could be used.

Exploration and Variety: a common theme is the use of sex toys for exploration and variety. Respondents in both countries mentioned using sex toys to try new things, to prevent monotony in their sex life, and to make their sexual experience more diverse and intense.

Emotional Benefits: respondents in both countries highlighted emotional benefits such as stress relief, feeling satisfied, feeling attractive, and feeling love.

Practical Reasons: overwhelmingly brought up by the Japanese resps, these included preventing pregnancy, using sex toys in same-sex relationships, and even crime prevention.

The majority of sex toy users in both Germany and Japan purchase these products a few times a year. However, there is a significant minority of high-frequency buyers in both countries.

Based on this information, our AI agent highlighted the opportunity to tap into a potential market segment for more frequent, perhaps subscription-based, sales.

The presence of low-frequency buyers and non-buyers is prominent in Japan and can be tied to the lower level of social approval, indicating a potential for market expansion through education and marketing efforts.

But the offline stores are holding their ground too.

Amazon, Eis.de, Amorelie and Orion.de are the most popular online platforms for purchasing sex toys in Germany. In Japan, Amazon and Rakuten are the most mentioned online platforms, with some users also purchasing from adult websites.

A significant number of users still prefer to buy sex toys offline in both countries. In Germany, respondents mentioned buying from local sex shops and stores like Rossmann. In Japan - adult goods stores, specific sex toy shops in Akihabara, and drugstores.

Drivers for Buying Offline:

Although the majority of respondents in both Germany and Japan are satisfied with the current selection of sex toys available in their respective countries, there are some areas for improvement. Most notably - the pricing.

Respondents from both countries often mentioned high prices as a reason why they chose not to buy.
It seems people are not ready to spend a lot of money on this product category.

Other areas for improvement suggested by our AI agent included: increasing the number of sex toy stores, expanding the selection, importing more interesting sex toys from abroad, improving the colour options, and introducing more unique products. In this arena, variety is the name of the game!

Besides cost-effectiveness and the ability to provide pleasure, a lot of factors come into play when choosing or purchasing a toy. Our AI agent identified the most common ones, providing a concise summary:

Don't get us wrong - we can take criticism. But this time, let us bask in a lack thereof :D

The sweeping majority of respondents from both Germany and Japan expressed comfort during the conversation. They appreciated its relaxed, open, and straightforward nature.

In fact, several respondents from the two countries indicated a preference for discussing sexual wellness and sex toys with an AI over a real person. Reasons included feeling less embarrassed, the AI's ability to provide quick and precise responses, and avoiding the drama associated with human interactions.

Tackling tricky topics is indeed our thing.