Mutual pleasure is on Skore’s mind as it extends its range of toys

When it comes to pleasurable lovemaking, there are no winners; everybody comes and leaves with a grin, hopefully. Otherwise, it was never about lovemaking in the first place. This belief in mutual pleasure has fuelled sexual wellness brand Skore to extend its range of pleasure toys from the rings and lubes it launched in 2019. 

The first of a new two-ad campaign, made by Dentsu Creative Isobar, shows a couple indulging in a naughty game which soon makes way for a steamy session where one of Skore’s new toys plays its part, of course. 

“In this game of love, Skore wants both the partners to win and to do that you need tools. The condom was one of them and then we started adding more products,” remarks Vishal Vyas, CMO, consumer products division at TTK Healthcare (Skore’s parent company)

As per Allied Market Research, the Indian sexual wellness market size was valued at $1.15 million in 2020 and is estimated to reach $2.09 million by 2030

TTK Healthcare is no stranger to sexual wellness and intimacy. It introduced condoms to India in 1948 under the Durapac name, which later evolved to become Durex. The company also marketed the Kohinoor condom brand and is now known for its intimacy and protection products under its Skore and MsChief (female sexual wellness) brands. In FY24, its revenue was Rs 815 crore. 

As per a press release from the brand, the new range includes pleasure products for couples and foreplay essentials, and being mindful of the singles solo play toys too. 

So how does Skore know what’re people in the mood for? A big chunk of the credit goes to Love Depot, a direct-to-consumer (D2C) marketplace for Skore’s as well as international sexual wellness brands’ products. “We see which are the products being sold, where there is an attraction now, and from which cities…” explains Vyas.

Skore, he then remarks, is a brand for the metros where “young people are more assertive and experimentative.” The brand reaches these people through Love Depot and online marketplaces; quick-commerce is the new hot distribution method because the order comes early. 

The rise of e-comm and now q-comm is the second reason why Skore is expanding its pleasure toys line along with its belief in shared pleasure. The packaging is discrete and delivery is quick; it ensures only you know what's inside and there is little to no chance of it being opened by someone that's not you. 

However, there are other established brands like Manforce and Durex, as well as up-and-coming sexual wellness brands such as Mymuse and Boldcare and they all depend on the same distribution means. So, how does Skore differentiate? 

Time it turns out is the differentiator. “Skore has been built over the last many years. So, anything I launch under it has more attraction than a younger brand,” remarks Vyas. Also, the new campaign will only be advertised on digital and nowhere else, for now. 

Ask him which metro shops the most and he points to Bangalore followed by Mumbai and Delhi. Data also reveals there is an uptick in sales from Tier I and II towns. Disposable income isn’t restricted to only the metros, laughs the CMO. 

Are the non-metro folks shopping majorly for condoms on Love Depot? Vyas disagrees and says condoms are available at most places, and that these consumers are searching for pleasure products, especially foreign brands which are not available anywhere else. Disposable income in this context could mean someone flew abroad and may have heard of a brand, returned home, and told his or her friends about it; they searched online and landed on Love Depot.   

Vyas, as he wrapped up this conversation, rued that when it comes to condoms, many Indians still know of only the flavoured and dotted variants; a serious lack of awareness. However, he is optimistic at the same time because surveys by Skore a couple of years ago revealed that almost 45% of India is open to using pleasure products.