Sex toy sales surge 64% in India amid lockdown

Guwahati: No one can ever question the fact that with the onset of the lockdown, we all have had a lot more time on our hands for ourselves. The lockdown, when it came on March 25, left 1.3 billion Indians locked indoors and many could not meet their partners. These lovelorn romantics, as well as single people, have decided to take matters into their own hands -- quite literally. Amid the lockdown, the sales of sex toys have surged dramatically -- by 64%.

Numbers and statistics point to the fact that the sex toy market has witnessed a huge boom in sales amid the lockdown, and is, in fact, one of the few industries that has not been impacted by the downward slump of the economy.

A report by ThatsPersonal, called India Uncovered on the Insightful Analysis of Sex Products Trends, proved that the lockdown has been rather advantageous for the sex product market and the toys have flown off the racks amid the nationwide crisis.

Mumbai, hit hardest by the coronavirus pandemic, is also at the apex position when it comes to the sale of sex toys. The Maharashtra capital is followed by Bengaluru, New Delhi, Pune, and Chennai. Among tier-III cities, Pondicherry was found to have the most number of re-orders.

Although males still account for a vast majority (64%) of those purchasing sex toys, women too are not far behind. In fact, in cities like Panipat, Shillong, Imphal, Bhatinda, Haridwar, Panaji, Puducherry, Tezpur, and Rourkela, women purchased more sex toys than men.

The boost in the sale of sex toys can largely be attributed to the representation of female pleasure in movies and TV shows. 'Lust Stories', for instance, is said to have boosted the sales of sex toys by a whopping 54%!

With nowhere left to go and nothing left to do, it is quite clear that desi Indians are using the time on their hands to pursue different sorts of pleasures. It might also be construed that the country's men and women are taking the Prime Minister's message of 'atma nirbhar bharat' (or self-reliant India) rather too seriously.

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