Eric Idema presents EDC‘s private brand EasyToys

By now, a great number of European wholesalers have started selling their own brands, the main argument being that this way, they can better set themselves apart from competitors. That’s also how Eric Idema feels. In October, his company secured a bigger warehouse and launched their first own collection of products under the EasyToys brand. EAN interviewed Eric to learn more about the reasons for this decision, about the characteristics of the products, and about the future of this private brand.

EDC now have their own brand. Which products have you presented to the market so far?
Eric Idema: At eroFame, we launched our new EasyToys collection. We now have a range of 150 products in our collection. In total, there are nine different collections, which include vibrators, mini vibrators, an anal collection, a dong collection, and a fetish collection. We want to add even more products to our brand, and many of them are already in production.

Why have you decided to launch a private brand? Or, put differently: Can a wholesaler survive in today’s market without having at least some products of his own?
We want to be unique and different so we can set ourselves apart from our competitors. That includes having good prices and a wide array of products. I also have my own ideas about packaging. I like clean, neutral, and modern packaging, suitable for multiple target groups. It is great that we can sell these products to our B2B customers.

The portfolio you now present is rather comprehensive. Why did you choose to release so many products at once time instead of developing the range over time?
I have an uncompromising view when it comes to business. It’s all or nothing for me. I can see the opportunities and I feel that, when you start a collection, you have to do it as well as possible. That includes being comprehensive so as to serve our customers to the best of our abilities.

In which price range can your products be placed?
All our prices are customer-friendly, and we offer an exquisite margin for retailers.

How do you make sure that the products meet your quality requirements?
We have excellent quality controls, both at our manufacturer’s factories and at our company in the Netherlands.

What kind of support will you provide to retailers on one side and to consumers on the other side?
We offer our retailers promotional materials which can be downloaded at www.easytoys.com. If a customer encounters a problem, we will actively try to resolve the issue.

Private brands invariably represent competition for the brand products in your wholesale range. Do you see this as a problem?
One thing you shouldn’t do is pulling off stunts involving low prices. Just be open and honest about your method and your attitude. There is enough room for a wide range of products and you should have your own unique products.

Will you sell your new products only to retailers or are you hoping to place them with other distributors as well?
We want to sell our products to retailers as well as distributors. We have measures in place to make this possible.

Is this a first step in letting EDC become a manufacturer of sex toys rather than a wholesaler?
Several changes will certainly be made in the future of our company, as the market is constantly changing.

Do you already have plans to increase the range of available products? What can we expect from EDC’s private brand in the future?
At this moment, our collection consists of 150 products. In the coming years, we will add many more! By the way: We just bought a new warehouse (about eight times the size of our current one), so we will have plenty more space to store our products!