SHOTS is a global leader in design, production, and distribution of intimacy products—and that’s no exaggeration.
Originally starting out in the Netherlands as a distributor of adult videos, SHOTS (as in “shots’’ in a movie) quickly expanded its business to include an extensive range of pleasure products including sex toys, lingerie, leather goods, gadgets, lifelike dolls, sex machines, and cosmetics. With more than 40 trademark labels, SHOTS represents over 3,000 different products and introduces hundreds of new items annually to cater to diverse customer preferences. Throughout Europe, SHOTS distributes more than 15,000 different products from numerous suppliers, directly from stock.
Apart from their headquarters in the Netherlands, SHOTS has offices in Canada, China, Russia, and the United Kingdom, that specifically cater to each market. Their American branch is located in Santa Clarita, California where they have a 30,000 square-foot facility that includes a warehouse, office space and a showroom. From there, they distribute over 2,500 distinct products to North, Central, and South America, as well as Australia. As articulated by Ruben Deitz, the CEO of SHOTS America, the company’s primary mission in North America is centered on delivering exemplary customer service, introducing innovative and high-caliber products, and supporting businesses in their pursuit of broadening their adult product range to engage a wider customer demographic.
Back in 1995 when SHOTS first opened its doors, the adult market was largely shrouded, with its offerings confined to specialized XXX stores or nondescript mail orders. However, the societal biases against adult products have softened over the years, a pattern that parallels what we’ve seen in cannabis. This has prompted SHOTS’ assimilation into the conventional health and wellness spheres. To adapt to this change, they put a renewed focus on product safety, superior quality, subtle premium packaging, and exhaustive consumer education. Many of their packages are printed with “steamy facts” that explain at a glance the product features.
SHOTS America stands as one of the leading brands of adult toys, novelties, and lingerie, offering an extensive collection of over 2,500 unique products. Some of their popular in-house brands are Ouch! (fetish and bondage gear), Le Desir (lingerie), Twitch and Vive (vibrators), Realrock Ultra Skin (realistic dildos), Chrystalino (glass sex toys), and S-Line novelties.
So where do smoke shops fit in with adult products? Or rather, where do adult products fit in with smoke shops? It’s been said that people buy products to get from A to B, regardless of what A and B are for them. Just as patrons of smoke shops count on vapes and smoking devices to help them reach their desired state of bliss, connoisseurs of adult products value these tools for their dual capability of offering both an intimate escape and a dash of excitement. There’s also the curiosity factor and a growing segment of consumers seeking new ways to improve their health and wellbeing.
“If the end customer is satisfied, the retailer will carry our products,” points out Deitz, who certainly knows the adult category, having previously served as Vice-President at Pipedream Products.
For smoke shops looking to expand their product selection, Deitz notes that among the most popular products are SHOTS Ouch Furry Pleasure Handcuffs, S-Line Plushie Penis Pillows, PUMPED brand Penis Pumps, and Shots Toys Easy Rider portable masturbators. For upsells and point of purchase tantalizers, there’s anything from lubricants to naughty bachelorette and gag gifts such as penis-shaped soap bars.
“The majority of adult shops carry smoking paraphernalia. As a smoke shop, if you have enough retail space [adult products] help you diversify. It makes you more like a small department store so that you don’t have to depend only on the vapes and pipes,” Deitz says. “Adult products represent a profitable crossover category.”
