We make products for pleasure and we do it with love
EAN magazine, February 2023
For your convenience, we publish the full text of the article here.
Natalia, what led you into the world of sex toys?
I have been involved in the adult products industry almost my entire life. I started as a sales manager; later, I opened my own wholesale business. Eventually, I launched my own brand of products. I was driven by interest and curiosity. When I was just starting out, I was really eager to understand how it all worked, especially given the market was still seen as somewhat taboo.
I stuck with it and made the decision to stay in the industry, largely thanks to the people who work in this market. These are people who not only sell or produce sex toys but are also very much involved in sexual education, in making pleasure available to many people, and, crucially for me, in conveying the message that the fulfilment of sexual needs is not a privilege for the few but a basic right and opportunity for all.
And what led you to start a new brand in a very competitive market?
It was very organic. Our industry is still developing. I understood what people wanted but I couldn't always offer it because the products were either not on the market or they were unaffordable for customers.
On the other hand, I had experience working with factories, an understanding of the process of developing and manufacturing new products.
It was and still is very exciting to invest in the creation and release of something new. All the bright and joyful reviews from Lola Games users are clearly worth it!
Which ideas, philosophies, strategies, and concepts did you have when starting the brand?
Our philosophy is a constant movement towards offering the very best product out there. The more fun and the less environmental pollution, the healthier and happier our life will be. We make products for pleasure and we do it with love.
Seven years have passed since you started your brand and a lot has changed in our market. Has the focus of Lola Games always remained the same over this time? Or have trends and developments caused the brand to adapt or change? For example, when did you start addressing the issue of sustainability?
The focus of Lola Games has always been on the person who will use our product.
A large number of people buying a toy do not have much experience. And we felt responsible for the experience they would have. Everyone is individual and it is impossible to make a toy that will suit everyone but we always try to take into account as many nuances as possible, so that the product “works." A very important aspect that affects the perception and functionality of a toy is the material from which it is made. In this matter we have never made any compromises. We only use safe materials and environmentally-friendly materials.
At the same time, the brand itself is constantly evolving. We release new collections and constantly think about what we could do better.
The issue of environmental friendliness has always important for our team. As we began to offer products in ever greater volumes, we realized that we need to change the format of the packaging of our goods, since we did not want to produce tons of difficult-to-recycle waste, in particular, plastic.
So, a few years ago we began removing plastic from our products’ packaging. We are happy to see that the new packaging remains attractive and has even become more functional since we replaced disposable plastic bags with pouches.
Of course, we have room to develop in this direction. We will be happy to further mitigate our impact on the environment. So we've already started collaborating with the Tree-Nation Foundation, a non-profit organization, which plants trees all around the world to offset CO2 emissions.
What can you tell us about your products? How many, and which types of products are there to be found in the Lola Games line?
Human sexuality and requests can be very different. The Lola Games line is therefore very wide and goes in many directions: vibrators, vacuum stimulators, masturbators, anal toys, BDSM accessories, rings and much more.
Which qualities and characteristics make your sex toys stick out from the crowd of products?
I often hear this question.
"We have everything, what can you offer us that is special?”
We make toys for people.
Each of our products is designed to bring joy and pleasure. The answer lies in the details.
For example, we have made extension sleeves with bright embossing, not only on the outside but also on the inside. This way both partners can enjoy the process.
Our menstrual cups are made of soft silicone, so you won't feel them when you use them, but they have a reinforced edge so that they can easily open up inside.
Our vacuum stimulators are small and lightweight and are easy to use with a partner or solo.
Lastly, our remote-controlled vaginal balls can rotate and pulsate. It’s important for these toys to surprise and set the mood in a playful way — to elicit new emotions in the couple and to make pelvic floor muscle training enjoyable, rather than boring.
What inspires you? Where do you get the ideas for new products?
Happy people and the beauty of our planet.
How would you sum up the development process, from the initial idea to the finished product? Which hurdles did you have to overcome?
When developing a new product, we compile a questionnaire for ourselves, which helps us not to go astray.
Who will be using this product?
How?
What are the features of products in this category?
What could we add and how can we improve what’s already out there?
It is not always easy to realize our ideas.
Very soon we will launch our Сupcake collection on the market, which we started working on back in 2019. Throughout this time, we have been making changes to the design, so that the product turns out exactly as we intended it: powerful, quiet, technological, and just cute.
What are the trends and developments that determine your product development? What is especially important to you when you create new products?
We look at the development of production and constantly ask ourselves how we can use certain technologies and materials. It is important for us that the toy brings joy.
Who’s the target audience for Lola games? What expectations does this audience have towards your brand and your products?
Our audience is people who are interested in sex, regardless of gender, age and experience.
That's why our range is so diverse. To give everyone the opportunity to express themselves.
We pay maximum attention to detail and quality when launching each product, making full use of feedback from our focus group to justify our customers' trust.
In your opinion, what makes a product a success? Which criteria are vital? Design? Functionality? Materials? Design? Technology?
The feelings and emotions the products bring.
What channels of distribution do you use to market your products?
Entering the European market, we began to cooperate with the company Intimate Distribution. And we highly appreciate our cooperation with them and are grateful for the attention and care that they pay to our brand, bringing it to the shelves of many stores.
Another area of work is cooperation with retail stores. This is also an important channel, as we can receive feedback from end customers.
As for our plans for the future, we are looking at other markets, such as North America, Israel and elsewhere.
What do retailers, distributors and/or wholesaler have to bring to the table for you to work with them?
We value our cooperation with Intimate Distribution and we are not looking for other distributors or wholesalers in Europe.
At the same time, we are open to stores which do not yet know our products or have not yet worked with our brand.
The size of the business is not important to us. We are ready to pay attention and hear the needs of all, both large chains and small stores.
What type of support can your retailers and/or distribution partners expect from you? What tools and materials do you provide to ensure that your products can be successfully promoted and marketed?
We are grateful to our customers for their trust and we are always ready to support them, to help maximise sales.
We believe that it is very important to present the product to the end customers, to give them the opportunity to assess the quality and functionality of the product. To do this, we provide free testers.
We are also happy to support the marketing campaigns of our customers. We are happy to provide gifts and individual promotional materials tailored to the customer's wishes and needs.
How should bricks & mortar stores and e-commerce shops present your products to generate as much turnover with Lola Games as possible?
For brick-and-mortar shops, visual merchandising is very important. Often there are similar products in the same collection, each with its own special feature. When a range is well presented to the customer they can choose what suits them best.
To help with the visual design of shops, both on- and offline, we provide many videos and art photos.
The main thing is to give the customer as much information about the product as possible, to help them make the right choice.
And a satisfied customer is sure to come back again!
What are your plans for the future? Do you want to expand your product line?
Sure!
We are at the very beginning of our journey and take great pleasure in what we do.
Natalia, what led you into the world of sex toys?
I have been involved in the adult products industry almost my entire life. I started as a sales manager; later, I opened my own wholesale business. Eventually, I launched my own brand of products. I was driven by interest and curiosity. When I was just starting out, I was really eager to understand how it all worked, especially given the market was still seen as somewhat taboo.
I stuck with it and made the decision to stay in the industry, largely thanks to the people who work in this market. These are people who not only sell or produce sex toys but are also very much involved in sexual education, in making pleasure available to many people, and, crucially for me, in conveying the message that the fulfilment of sexual needs is not a privilege for the few but a basic right and opportunity for all.
And what led you to start a new brand in a very competitive market?
It was very organic. Our industry is still developing. I understood what people wanted but I couldn't always offer it because the products were either not on the market or they were unaffordable for customers.
On the other hand, I had experience working with factories, an understanding of the process of developing and manufacturing new products.
It was and still is very exciting to invest in the creation and release of something new. All the bright and joyful reviews from Lola Games users are clearly worth it!
Which ideas, philosophies, strategies, and concepts did you have when starting the brand?
Our philosophy is a constant movement towards offering the very best product out there. The more fun and the less environmental pollution, the healthier and happier our life will be. We make products for pleasure and we do it with love.
Seven years have passed since you started your brand and a lot has changed in our market. Has the focus of Lola Games always remained the same over this time? Or have trends and developments caused the brand to adapt or change? For example, when did you start addressing the issue of sustainability?
The focus of Lola Games has always been on the person who will use our product.
A large number of people buying a toy do not have much experience. And we felt responsible for the experience they would have. Everyone is individual and it is impossible to make a toy that will suit everyone but we always try to take into account as many nuances as possible, so that the product “works." A very important aspect that affects the perception and functionality of a toy is the material from which it is made. In this matter we have never made any compromises. We only use safe materials and environmentally-friendly materials.
At the same time, the brand itself is constantly evolving. We release new collections and constantly think about what we could do better.
The issue of environmental friendliness has always important for our team. As we began to offer products in ever greater volumes, we realized that we need to change the format of the packaging of our goods, since we did not want to produce tons of difficult-to-recycle waste, in particular, plastic.
So, a few years ago we began removing plastic from our products’ packaging. We are happy to see that the new packaging remains attractive and has even become more functional since we replaced disposable plastic bags with pouches.
Of course, we have room to develop in this direction. We will be happy to further mitigate our impact on the environment. So we've already started collaborating with the Tree-Nation Foundation, a non-profit organization, which plants trees all around the world to offset CO2 emissions.
What can you tell us about your products? How many, and which types of products are there to be found in the Lola Games line?
Human sexuality and requests can be very different. The Lola Games line is therefore very wide and goes in many directions: vibrators, vacuum stimulators, masturbators, anal toys, BDSM accessories, rings and much more.
Which qualities and characteristics make your sex toys stick out from the crowd of products?
I often hear this question.
"We have everything, what can you offer us that is special?”
We make toys for people.
Each of our products is designed to bring joy and pleasure. The answer lies in the details.
For example, we have made extension sleeves with bright embossing, not only on the outside but also on the inside. This way both partners can enjoy the process.
Our menstrual cups are made of soft silicone, so you won't feel them when you use them, but they have a reinforced edge so that they can easily open up inside.
Our vacuum stimulators are small and lightweight and are easy to use with a partner or solo.
Lastly, our remote-controlled vaginal balls can rotate and pulsate. It’s important for these toys to surprise and set the mood in a playful way — to elicit new emotions in the couple and to make pelvic floor muscle training enjoyable, rather than boring.
What inspires you? Where do you get the ideas for new products?
Happy people and the beauty of our planet.
How would you sum up the development process, from the initial idea to the finished product? Which hurdles did you have to overcome?
When developing a new product, we compile a questionnaire for ourselves, which helps us not to go astray.
Who will be using this product?
How?
What are the features of products in this category?
What could we add and how can we improve what’s already out there?
It is not always easy to realize our ideas.
Very soon we will launch our Сupcake collection on the market, which we started working on back in 2019. Throughout this time, we have been making changes to the design, so that the product turns out exactly as we intended it: powerful, quiet, technological, and just cute.
What are the trends and developments that determine your product development? What is especially important to you when you create new products?
We look at the development of production and constantly ask ourselves how we can use certain technologies and materials. It is important for us that the toy brings joy.
Who’s the target audience for Lola games? What expectations does this audience have towards your brand and your products?
Our audience is people who are interested in sex, regardless of gender, age and experience.
That's why our range is so diverse. To give everyone the opportunity to express themselves.
We pay maximum attention to detail and quality when launching each product, making full use of feedback from our focus group to justify our customers' trust.
In your opinion, what makes a product a success? Which criteria are vital? Design? Functionality? Materials? Design? Technology?
The feelings and emotions the products bring.
What channels of distribution do you use to market your products?
Entering the European market, we began to cooperate with the company Intimate Distribution. And we highly appreciate our cooperation with them and are grateful for the attention and care that they pay to our brand, bringing it to the shelves of many stores.
Another area of work is cooperation with retail stores. This is also an important channel, as we can receive feedback from end customers.
As for our plans for the future, we are looking at other markets, such as North America, Israel and elsewhere.
What do retailers, distributors and/or wholesaler have to bring to the table for you to work with them?
We value our cooperation with Intimate Distribution and we are not looking for other distributors or wholesalers in Europe.
At the same time, we are open to stores which do not yet know our products or have not yet worked with our brand.
The size of the business is not important to us. We are ready to pay attention and hear the needs of all, both large chains and small stores.
What type of support can your retailers and/or distribution partners expect from you? What tools and materials do you provide to ensure that your products can be successfully promoted and marketed?
We are grateful to our customers for their trust and we are always ready to support them, to help maximise sales.
We believe that it is very important to present the product to the end customers, to give them the opportunity to assess the quality and functionality of the product. To do this, we provide free testers.
We are also happy to support the marketing campaigns of our customers. We are happy to provide gifts and individual promotional materials tailored to the customer's wishes and needs.
How should bricks & mortar stores and e-commerce shops present your products to generate as much turnover with Lola Games as possible?
For brick-and-mortar shops, visual merchandising is very important. Often there are similar products in the same collection, each with its own special feature. When a range is well presented to the customer they can choose what suits them best.
To help with the visual design of shops, both on- and offline, we provide many videos and art photos.
The main thing is to give the customer as much information about the product as possible, to help them make the right choice.
And a satisfied customer is sure to come back again!
What are your plans for the future? Do you want to expand your product line?
Sure!
We are at the very beginning of our journey and take great pleasure in what we do.