Road to Recovery: Retail Industry Execs Reflect on COVID-19 Pandemic (XBIZ)

XBIZ talks to pleasure product manufacturers, retailers and buyers about the changes in their work amidst the covid-19 pandemic. How to move forward, what will change, what will remain the same?

~~~

The new decade started off with promising new opportunities for the pleasure products industry. January saw its annual gatherings of executives and buyers, with exciting new product debuts at trade shows, and many retailers looking forward to the upcoming Valentine’s Day shopping season.

As the news coverage of COVID-19’s devastating impact on Wuhan, China increased, it wasn’t until March that it turned everybody’s world upside down. For the pleasure products industry, the pandemic’s impact was suddenly felt when the American attendees of Shots’ trade event in Ibiza had to quickly get home before the borders closed.

As soon as stay-at-home orders were issued across the U.S. and abroad, adult retailers and their suppliers had to adapt their businesses to navigate through the global pandemic’s trying waves of uncertainty. With physical stores shut down and companies’ esteemed crop of “road warriors” confined to their homes, just about everyone in the industry (like the world in general) has turned to technology to keep business intact. 

Read the full article by Ariana Rodriguez at XBIZ.com