Ann Summers is in the business of pleasure and, in 2022, you’ll be hard-pressed to find someone who hasn’t heard of the award-winning lingerie and sex toy brand.

Having launched in 1970, Ann Summers has grown massively from its humble beginnings.

The brand’s most popular sex toy, the Rampant Rabbit vibrator, was created in the mid 1990s and was popularised by its appearance in a 1998 episode of Sex and the City (Miranda introduces Charlotte to the toy and she then becomes a recluse due to how good it is – something many of us can relate to). 

More than two million units of the iconic toy are now sold every single year, and Ann Summers have every version of the toy that you can imagine – from swivelling, g-spot stroking and thrusting, to an extra quiet version so that you can keep your self-loving to yourself.

But with such success surrounding one toy, how do they keep the good vibrations coming over 50 years later? Surely after this long in the business, coming up with new ways to make us achieve the big O are dwindling, right?

Wrong. With Ann Summers having just introduced ‘cradling’ sex toy The U and a whole new range, MyViv, we spoke to the team about how they’re continuing to create brand new sex toys that promise to give their users types of orgasms they’ve never experienced before.

According to the sex toy design team at Ann Summers, work on concepts for a toy can start up to a year in advance, but some ideas can take much longer to develop. 

‘A great example of this was The U, which has a unique patent pending design that’s shaped to cradle rather than penetrate, and unique technology to layer pleasure and build an intense orgasm experience,’ a representative of Ann Summers tells Metro.co.uk. 

‘There are customers who prefer non penetrative toys, and the innovation of The U will really change the offering for those customers.’

While most of us will be aware of clitoris stimulating toys such as bullets and penetrative toys like the Rampant Rabbit, Ann Summers’ The U doesn’t focus on either classic design aspect. 

Instead, the toy is pressed against the entire vulva area with arms that sit along the inside of it and a ‘clitoral cushion’. The new device offers up a ‘layered orgasm’, which according to its description in The U ‘explorer manual’ is ‘not rushed’ and can be much more intense and satisfying by letting the sensations slowly build.

‘When it comes to creating a new type of sex toy, we’re looking at trends, innovation, texture, usability and ultimately how it delivers on sexual pleasure,’ the team explains.

‘We take design direction and ideas from all sorts of sources, from inspirational shopping, trend forecasting, previous sales data, and input from our supplier base, especially from the internal/motor aspect.’ 

In a bid to further the impact its toys have (orgasmically speaking), Ann Summers has also been working with gynaecologists on its latest range – one which is also raising funds for charity.

‘We began working with Breast Cancer Now in 2019, and we are incredibly proud of our MyViv range, a specialist range of toys and sexual wellness products, which are designed to support women improve their sexual wellness, wherever they are on their cancer journey,’ the Ann Summers spokesperson told us.

The MyViv range features toys that work with more pleasure receptors than the traditional vibrator to help achieve orgasm – the MyViv Ultimate Pleasure Vibrator features three arms designed to stimulate the clitoris and vulva for powerful sensations.

If, like us, you’re looking at it going ‘which way up and where do I put that?’, it’s very much up to what feels good for you – and for Ann Summers, the way a toy feels is a major part of the design process.

And before you ask – yes, Ann Summers does have a community of ‘sex toy testers’… and you can sign up too.

The company’s representative explains: ‘We have a fantastic, highly engaged loyalty programme called Fann Summers and we use feedback from them, as well as exclusive user testing and data to gain a clear consumer picture to launch for the market.  

‘Fann Summers members can sign up to test new launches, which really helps us to gain credible feedback and reviews that will help customers when choosing a toy for themselves.’

It’s clear that even after 50 years, Ann Summers have no intention of relying on the classics to get by… and will keep finding new ways to get you off. 

Fancy giving The U a go?

Buy The U Self Love Stimulator for £100 at Ann Summers.

This article contains affiliate links. We will earn a small commission on purchases made through one of these links but this never influences our experts’ opinions. Products are tested and reviewed independently of commercial initiatives.

This article contains affiliate links. We will earn a small commission on purchases made through one of these links but this never influences our experts’ opinions. Products are tested and reviewed independently of commercial initiatives.

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