Page 16 - AVN Intimate Spring 2019

with more common triple-A batteries, the vibe had to be
re-engineered. “We went back to the drawing board, and
a year later we came out with all of them with triple-A
instead of the six LR 44 batteries. … We’re happy to listen
and implement and even change a winner.”
Green admits, “We’ve come out with some lines that
have not been winners. In the same vein, I’m willing to take
a shot—nothing is life or death.”
Asked about which successful line has surprised him
the most, he mentions Zolo. “We’ve taken Zolo from a
disposable line, with the Pool Balls and the Cups and
things that wholesale for three and five dollars, to things
that wholesale from sixty to seventy dollars in a matter of a
year. …
“That’s my biggest surprise overall: how well the men’s
category is doing in the industry. It’s not unique to me. It’s
a tribute to our retailers, too, who have been able to pivot
and see this trend coming along and not being afraid to buy
into it.”
When asked about his biggest surprise on the flip side
of the success scale, Green mentions his attempt to add a
teddy to Xgen’s successful Secrets line of vibrating panties.
“Probably one of my biggest losers in all my ten years.
I thought it would be really unique because no one has
it,” he said. And then there was the short-lived Pothead
Panties—an attempt to leverage a popular marijuana
Shows Must Go On Andy Green and Chris Lerner work the booth at ANME 2019. Below, a Rabbit Company stand at an earlier ANME.
leaf pasties design to underwear. “A lot of stores were not ready to take that leap of
faith into marijuana-related stuff even though some carry glass and obviously what
we’re selling is 100 percent legal. … But again, small line, wasn’t a huge hit. Nothing
ventured, nothing gained. At the end of the 10 years I’ve been surprised more on the
positive side than the negative side.”
Green is absolutely adamant about one more thing regarding his company. “I’m not
a religious man, but I’m blessed. The staff I have—I know everyone says they have
‘That’s my biggest surprise overall: how well the men’s category is doing. …. It’s a tribute to our retailers, too, who have been able to pivot and see this trend coming.’
the best, and I think so too. When we’re all together at a show, other vendors say, ‘You
have such great camaraderie.’ And on the flip side, I don’t have to babysit anybody so
we can divide and conquer. I am fully confident in any of their decisions.”
“I could talk for hours about the staff,” he asserts. “Everybody’s young and
aggressive and they all get it.”
In addition to his four in-house sales folks, a manufacturers’ rep, a warehouse
manager and “a great admin who handles all of our stuff so we can focus on the
bigger picture,” Green also added another team member who spends 80 percent of his
time visiting clients. By adding this new position, Green can keep tabs on whether a
store needs some special service, whether it’s signage, fresh testers, catalogues. “Can
we design a window with a store? Can we do something in the community with a
store? … That’s a big investment on our part, but I felt it was necessary to get through
the maze out there and get through all the noise. A lot of these stores don’t get to go to
a trade show—they can’t leave. So we try to get the trade show to them.”
As a longtime industry vet, he knows what it’s like to work in the trenches for both
sales reps and retailers. It’s a war zone out there, especially in the Age of Amazon.
He tries to keep an eye out for anything on Amazon that claims to be one of Xgen’s
brands. “I only want to support our stores. I don’t want to be in competition with
them. … We fight the fight all the time with MAP pricing.
Admitting that it’s virtually “impossible,” he says Xgen tries its best. “We do not
have any Amazon stores. If you see a Bodywand being sold on Amazon, it’s not us,”
he promises. “I just want to help preserve the amount of stores that we have left.”
16 | INTIMATE | SPRING 2019