The Toymaker Who Wants to Be the Next Willy Wonka of Sex Tech

But wherever Guo, who is 35, sometimes falls abbreviated successful imagination, helium much than makes up for successful vigilance. “Users expect and merit products that conscionable stringent information standards, and immoderate deviation tin harm a brand’s estimation irrevocably,” helium posted successful an XBIZ editorial successful September. “Partner with trusted white-label manufacturers alternatively than gamble connected the unknowns.”

When I inquire Guo astir the editorial, helium stresses that the occurrence of enactment tech is determined arsenic overmuch by the innovation progressive successful the products arsenic the quality. “We privation to beryllium much of a span from quality to human,” Guo says, “not conscionable from artifact to human.”

Even with promising marketplace projections—another estimation goes truthful acold arsenic to foretell income could surpass $121 cardinal by 2030—industry analysts are not convinced that the aboriginal of enactment tech is successful toys.

It’s a “very oversaturated marketplace that is present avoided by many,” says Olena Petrosyuk, a spouse astatine the consulting steadfast Waveup. This year, she adds, investors “are looking distant from ‘commoditized’ trends”—sex toys, but besides enactment contented and societal platforms. “Many failed to beryllium the economics and scale. The class is inactive reasonably stigmatized,” she says. “OnlyFans being a monolithic exception.”

So what bash consumers want? Petrosyuk says wellness, AI, and immersive realities are blistery close now. “Practically each caller enactment tech startup is reasoning successful presumption of AI usage cases,” she says. “If it’s AI toys—companies are looking into however they tin expect and respond to the user’s needs. If it’s robotics—we spot companies looking into enactment bots. If it’s content—it’s hyperpersonalized enactment personas.”

Guo tells maine helium is not phased by speech of AI enactment robots—“a low-volume business,” successful his estimation—because galore radical cannot spend the precocious terms tag. Continued success, helium believes, is volition travel by expanding connected the company’s themed collections. OEJ works straight with US and Canadian distributors; it is not a direct-to-consumer business, though helium says customers bash occasionally bid via the online store.

Although ecommerce is the manufacture modular successful retail and electronics, taking much of an old-school attack works for Guo. Next year, OEJ plans to motorboat a Zodiac collection, crafting 12 unsocial toys for each astrological sign. It’s an entreaty to the Co–Star fanatics of Gen Z. “Every procreation is different,” helium says.

The company’s mostly nonexistent societal media beingness lone seems to adhd to their Wonka-like mystery. “We’re conscionable atrocious astatine it,” Jerry Chen, an operations assistant, says. “We’re truly focused connected production.”

For now, that concern exemplary seems to beryllium a hit. Our Erotic Journey precocious won the “Best Pleasure Product Manufacturer—Small” prize astatine the 2023–2024 AVN Awards successful Las Vegas, a litmus trial for newbie brands successful the big contented world. OEJ besides received the O Award for Outstanding New Product for “Sexy Pot,” Guo’s marijuana-leaf-shaped vibrator, a lawsuit favorite.

Clearly wanting to capitalize connected its unexpected success, Guo says, “It’s clip we gave it a sister oregon brother.”