Sex Toy Sales In Australia Up 30 Percent Since Cinema Release Of ‘Fifty Shades Of Grey’

Since the advent of Fifty Shades of Grey, be it in book or movie form, the sales of sex toys around the world have sharply increased. This is especially true in Australia, where sales are up 30 percent since the raunchy movie was released there.

Even though the whole idea of BDSM is foreign and even disturbing to some, there are definitely many people who have found themselves increasingly experimenting with it following the popularity of Fifty Shades.

Alexandra Lewis owns and operates the online sex store Andracova based in Melbourne, Australia, which specializes in female-orientated sex products to encourage and empower women. She told reporters about the increased interest.

“The ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ books and film are a good highlighter of a cultural trend, whether you think they’re brilliant or a grammatical error. It has opened the door to a female discussion on pleasure and intimacy for women, one that they haven’t finished having yet. There has definitely been an increase in the target market who are thinking about the products and it has also created a broader market of people considering trying something new for the first time.”

A company called eWAY, which powers thousands of Australian online stores, even recorded days when sales shot up 46 percent in advance of the movie’s release.

As Lewis added, “Andracova has seen a spike in sales of entry-level products and it seems like there is more openness to experimentation. Especially in terms of BDSM products, we stock light bondage items such as small whips, bondage tape and beginners handcuffs, and there has definitely been an increase in the sale of those.”

Matt Bullock from eWAY also spoke to reporters about the spike in online purchases, especially leading up to Valentine’s Day.

“Sometimes contextual events influence online sales in ways that might surprise you. There is a shift to online retailing in general in Australia anyway — we’ve seen a 35 per cent increase in overall sales in the past 12 months. But clearly with categories like this there is added appeal for shoppers to go online, as it’s a bit more discreet.”