Self-described “ideas detective” Jon Millward has created an eye-opening infographic that reveals our tastes and habits in the bedroom.
Using data provided by top UK online sex toy retailer Lovehoney, he attempts to give an idea of the kinky things people get up to in private, and the findings are titillating to say the least.
Since 2004, Lovehoney has been tracking its product sales using Google Analytics. There were 850,000 orders for two million products placed in the UK in the last 12 months, which works out to an average of four products sold every minute for every day of the year.
Millward drew upon one million sex toy purchases by an estimated 300,000 different men and women from the UK and worldwide, over a five-month period in mid to late 2013.
To enrich the data with demographic information, it was completely anonymized, meaning customers were assigned genders according to their first names.
According to the infographic, men and women are evenly split on online purchases, with single men and women buying more sex toys than those in relationships.
Some surprisingly findings emerged about the psychology behind male and female buying patterns. For example, 71% of wig purchases are by men, perhaps indicating that they buy them for their female partners or to cross-dress.
Interestingly, the majority of anal sex products like butt plugs and anal dildos are bought by men as well.
The infographic also reveals the ten best-selling products, with lube and essentials, vibrators and lingerie taking the top three spots.
Another fun fact is that if all 120,000 cock rings purchased over the last 12 months were combined, they would encircle the Empire State Building 20 times.
Whether you use sex toys or not, the infographic makes for a fascinating read and sheds some light on our sexual quirks and fantasies.
Find out more illuminating tidbits in the infographic below and read Millward’s equally insightful accompanying article here.
Click to view enlarged version
Click to view enlarged version
Click to view enlarged version
Click to view enlarged version
Click to view enlarged version
[via PSFK and Nerdcore, image via Jon Millward]