The biggest sex toy survey ever: the results!

When one blogger got the chance to access data on the millions of sales at online sex shop Lovehoney, there were a few surprises. So, when it comes to dildos, vibrators, butt plugs, cock rings and more, just who's buying what? We take a look at the answers in this sex toy survey: read on, and you might be surprised!

A sex or sex toy survey isn't usually that accurate. Many people aren't willing to answer questions about their most intimate desires, and those that do might not be as honest as we'd hope. This also applies to their sex toys. So, what if you got the chance to find out what sexy goodies people really keep in their bedside cabinets? Blogger Jon Millward got this chance when he was given the opportunity to analyse a decade's worth of customer sales data from Lovehoney, the UK's biggest online sex shop.
 

Down and dirty with the sex toy survey data

Millward dug through millions of transactions, dating back to 2004, along with anonymised customer information about gender and relationship status. He knew that the sales data on their catalogue of 5,508 products would probably tell us something fascinating about our own sexuality.

And it did. When it comes to sex toys, Lovehoney sells it all: they've got everything, from catsuits, bondage hoods, gags, pony play gear and a nice selection of leather restraints, to lingerie, tacky chocolate penises and Fifty Shades of Grey-branded lube. If anything, analysing the sex toy survey of 4.5 million transactions available would show us what sexy stuff people are buying and using when no one is looking.
 

Sex toys: who buys what

Aside from breaking down Fleshlight sales by type of opening (see image below), what did Millward find?

First, there's the predictable: Nearly half of people shopping at Lovehoney buy a vibrator, most condoms are bought by men, and those buying dildos, butt plugs and vibrators are more likely to be single than coupled. Those buying restraints and lingerie, however, are more likely to be in a relationship.

Sex toy survey: The most popular Fleshlight openings. Image: via Lovehoney.co.uk

Then there's the novel: Lovehoney sells a cock ring every two minutes, men buy 71% of all wigs, women overwhelmingly prefer less-realistic dildos, and three-quarters of the sales the company's biggest butt plugs go to straight guys.

Sex toy survey: Lovehoney's 12 biggest sex toys. Image: via Lovehoney.co.uk

According to Milward's data, men overwhelmingly prefer sex toys that resemble real-life penises, butts, mouths and vaginas, while women overwhelmingly prefer those that don't. Women also buy anal toys at the same rate, regardless of whether they're single or in a relationship.

What about size?

Once we dig a little further into the data in this sex toy survey, things get much more curious. Despite our obsessions over penis size, men and women are both more than four times as likely to buy a six-inch (15cm) dildo over a nine-inch one (23cm). In fact, dildo sales peak around six inches, trailing off as the toy gets bigger. The same applies to the girth of butt plugs: according to the Lovehoney data, most people buy butt plugs that are three inches (7.5cm) wide. Add another inch of girth, and anal toy sales halve for men and drop by two-thirds for women.

This sex toy survey might surprise you! Image: via Shutterstock.com

And for the kinky?

One thing Milward does not address are trends related to buying BDSM and fetish gear, which account for about 10% of Lovehoney sales. Still, based on his breakdown of data, we can learn a lot about our own sexuality. Again, the results vary: women buy more fetish dresses, catsuits and clit clamps than men, though not by a huge margin.

Men, on the other hand, overwhelmingly buy more cock cages and cock rings as well as padlocks and ties. Slightly more women buy handcuffs and slightly more men by bondage rope and leather restraints. The Lovehoney data can shed a lot of light on what kind of sex toys we really want, much more accurately than a survey. Still, it's a limited pool: 300,000 customers for a store in the UK might not tell us as much as we'd like about our kinky desires.

Milward's analysis of this sex toy survey also still leaves a lot of questions unanswered, particularly concerning fetish gear. More importantly, it's clear that data like this would show that BDSM, kink and fetish aren't as uncommon as some might think and that a significant number of us enjoy getting tied up, strapped down, gagged and spanked occasionally. It's all in good fun!

Are you surprised by any of the results in this sex toy survey? Do you buy your sex toys online or do you prefer to go shopping in person? Share all in the Fetish.com forum.

Cover image: via Shutterstock.com