The Intimate Care Question Retailers Keep Getting Wrong

James Miller · 2026-11-04

A customer in her 50s walks up to the counter and asks where the lubricant is. Your team explains water-based versus silicone formulas, answers her questions, and sends her home with a bottle. Good sale, good service. And honestly, that's where most retailers stop. But here's the thing — that conversation could have gone so much further. She came in with one question and left with one product. What if she'd left feeling like your store was the place she could actually talk about this stuff? ### The conversation most retailers avoid Intimate care is one of those categories that makes people squirm — staff and customers alike. The result? A quick, transactional exchange. Point to the shelf, explain the basics, ring it up. That works. It's not wrong. But it leaves a lot on the table. Think about it from her side. She's in her 50s, she's navigating changes in her body, and she walked into a store — in person — to ask a stranger about lubricant. That takes some courage. If the experience was purely functional, she probably won't come back for the next question. She'll just Google it. ### Where the real opportunity lives Retailers who treat mature intimate care as a genuine category — not an awkward afterthought — tend to see three things happen: - Customers return with follow-up questions instead of disappearing - Basket size grows because the conversation naturally covers related products - Word of mouth spreads among a demographic that's often overlooked The key is training. Your team doesn't need to be experts in gynecology. They need to be comfortable, informed, and non-judgmental. A few hours of product education goes a long way. ### Small shifts that change everything Start with language. "Lubricant" is clinical. "Personal moisturizer" or "comfort product" can feel more approachable depending on the customer. Let your staff read the room. Next, placement. If intimate care products are tucked in a corner behind a curtain, you're signaling shame. A well-lit, clearly signed section says the opposite — that this is normal, and you take it seriously. And finally, follow-through. A simple "let us know how it works out" at checkout costs nothing and opens the door for round two. > The retailers who win this category aren't the ones with the biggest selection. They're the ones where a 50-something customer feels like a person, not a transaction. ### The bottom line That single lubricant sale was fine. But the real value was in the conversation that could have happened around it. Mature customers have questions, budget, and loyalty to give — they just need a store that makes asking easy. Expand the conversation, and the sales tend to follow.