Marta Kovač

I came to this beat late, and probably that’s the reason I’m the right editor for it. I spent most of my earlier career in general consumer journalism — appliance reviews, home goods, small kitchen equipment, the sort of writing where the reader is almost always a first-time buyer looking for guidance. When I joined the editorial board in 2021 as its dedicated consumer guides editor, my brief was straightforward. Write the pieces that meet readers where they actually are, which is usually a lot earlier in the buying process than the industry assumes.

Consumer coverage in adult retail suffers from a persistent problem. Most writing in the category assumes the reader already knows the vocabulary, already knows the product landscape, already has a rough sense of what they want. In practice a huge share of readers are complete beginners. They’ve never bought an adult product before. They’ve never walked into a specialty shop. They don’t know which questions to ask. They’re often working through embarrassment or uncertainty they haven’t voiced to anyone.

I write for those readers. My guides tend to be long, slow-paced, and unhurried. They explain the vocabulary. They anticipate the questions readers are too shy to ask. They give practical, unpatronising guidance on the things that actually matter — discretion, safety, hygiene, storage, what to do if a product doesn’t work out, how to shop online without leaving a trail if that’s what you want.

I try to write without moralising in either direction. I don’t think anyone should feel guilty about buying an adult product. I also don’t think anyone needs to be persuaded that they should. My readers know what they want. My job is to help them get it with a minimum of confusion and a maximum of dignity.

I live in Split with my husband and I still write occasional pieces for a Croatian home-goods magazine on the side. My least glamorous professional skill is a genuinely encyclopaedic knowledge of dishwasher failure modes.