retail profiles // sexy // snaz75

Over the past few years the sexy industry has been widening its borders. Retailers have found that the sexy shoes and lingerie that was sold mostly to exotic dancers is now entering the sights of a much broader audience.

Ryan Conklin has been running Snaz75.com, the online retail site, since 1998. In those eight years, Conklin has witnessed some major changes in his customer base.

"When we first started in 1998, our 'typical' customer was an 18 to 24-year-old girl; many were exotic dancers," Conklin said. "Over the years our products have become more mainstream. We now have many high school girls wearing our funky Demonia shoes and boots from Pleaser USA, and businesswomen wanting to add some flair to the office are wearing many of our 4- and 5-inch styles."

Additionally, Conklin has sold sexy styles from Ellie and Tony Shoes to bridal parties and performance dance teams.

Shoppers visiting Snaz75.com can browse an impressive array of products from Pleaser USA, Ellie Shoes, Body Zone, Leg Avenue, Shirley of Hollywood and Elegant Moments. The site carries up to 2,000 styles of sexy shoes and boots, about a thousand lingerie styles, and more than 100 unique dancewear outfits as well as hosiery and sexy costumes.

Of the many shoe styles available, Conklin dedicates a small portion of the lines he carries exclusively to domestic manufacturers. Snaz75.com carries a small collection from Pleaser USA called "Lucious" that is handmade in the U.S. Also, a number of Tony Shoes are manufactured domestically. However, the majority of the retailer's shoes are manufactured overseas.

"Our manufactures choose to have their products made overseas so they can offer high-quality merchandise at a competitive price," Conklin said.

Average prices for shoes range between $20 and $80 and boots between $35 and $200.

Recently, Snaz75.com has seen a rise in popularity for gothic and punk styles such as platform Mary Janes and theme-related Halloween styles. However, the hottest styles remain the Tip Jar collection and the UV collection from Pleaser USA.

"The majority of clubs have UV lighting, and our customers love to be the center of attention."