New research published in the Journal of Sex Research by Kent anthropologist, Dr Sarah Johns, provides insight on what characteristics customers look for, and why, when choosing sex toys. The paper was also recently presented at the Annual Conference of the European Human Behaviour and Evolution Association (EHBEA), and has been chosen as an “Editor’s Choice” article in March 2023, as highlighted by the Taylor and Francis Medicine & Healthcare division.
Dr Sarah Johns and Nerys Bushnell have compiled data from the world’s largest online sexual wellness retailer, Lovehoney, to examine what factors contribute to the popularity of phallic-shaped sex toys. Toy preference requires investigation given their social and historical significance, and widespread use, particularly by women.
Their dataset contains information on the length and girth, material, price, colour and life-like features of 265 products listed in the ‘Dildo’ section of Lovehoney’s UK website, as well as the corresponding customer engagement, star rating and popularity.
By statistically analysing the data, the researchers have been able to compare the popularity of each product and gain insight into what customers value the most when making and assessing a purchase. Most notably, they found that customers do not prefer products with more life-like morphological features, and are more likely to choose products based on them having a lower price and a slightly reduced circumference.
To explain these findings, the paper draws on a range of studies from evolutionary anthropology to gender studies to gynaecology that have explored female sexual preferences, the changing “sex-tech” market, sexual health, and the stigma and taboo around the use of sex toys. This expert perspective could prove highly valuable to future product design and marketing within the sexual wellness industry, and more generally, to understanding women’s sexual health behaviours.
Dr Johns says “Research into sexual technologies is truly fascinating. “Sex tech” is a huge (and growing) commercial sector, but many of the legal, anatomical, and psychological aspects remain unexplored. Women are the largest category of sex toy users, and I hope that our research further highlights a topic that is often ignored, or viewed as taboo, because it primarily involves female masturbation and sexual pleasure.”
Dr Sarah Johns is a Reader in Evolutionary Anthropology in the School of with broad research interests in reproductive and sexual health, and how evolutionary theory is a useful explanatory framework in this area. If you are interested in working with Sarah to explore this area of research further, please email our business and innovation team at businessrelationships@kent.ac.uk.