“Jessie” and her boyfriend, “James,” despite being computer-simulated software, are otherwise average in every way. She’s the amalgamation of more than 400 female body types; James represents the average man in height, weight, and, perhaps most important, in this particular situation, penis size. Together they’ll be e-trying the newest model of the We-Vibe, said to be the world’s first couple’s vibrator.

Should Jessie’s and James’s 3-D forms fit, the product will move to prototype, then to a team of 50 women experts—including gynecologists, pelvic-floor physiotherapists, and sexologists—for testing and feedback before We-Vibe designers make final tweaks and move into production. Since 2008, when the original We-Vibe was invented by a Canadian engineer and his wife, We-Vibe has sold nearly 4 million units globally, according to We-Vibe ambassador Tristan Weedmark. “That is a lot,” says Weedmark, “especially for this industry that doesn’t often sell in volume.”

Except when it does. Experts estimate global sex-toy sales to be $15 billion dollars annually, the most recent billion-dollar boost attributed to Fifty Shades of Grey. Studies show a full half of American women have used a vibrator (compare that to Shere Hite’s findings in the 1970s, when it was reported that just 1 percent of women had tried a toy). But since the category is as broad as its customers are subtle, hard numbers are notoriously elusive. Even the Hitachi Magic Wand, a.k.a. “The Cadillac” and possibly the country’s best-selling sex toy of all time, is technically a back massager.

Busting into the mainstream takes a perfect storm. In 1998, Sex and the City featured “The Rabbit” from Japan (where vibrator manufacturing is prohibited; hence the smiling rabbit and pastel hue Charlotte York calls “pink, for girls!”). In one moment, the conception of the lady-toy lover shifted from single spinster to modern, empowered women. By fluke, the pop-cultural push coincided with the advent of online shopping. When Ann Summers went online the next year, the retailer reported 1 million Rabbits sold within a year.

In the 16 years since, the S.A.T.C. generation grew up. Many moved into committed relationships with similarly open-minded men, and they brought their toys with them. The result is an unforeseen market shift in base demographics. According to the Swedish “intimate lifestyle company” Lelo, 70 percent of their customers are in committed relationships. Married women are actually more likely to own vibrators than their single counterparts. At the same time, products are increasingly sleek, chic, and safe; they’re made now of medical-grade silicone, they charge wirelessly and sync to your iPhone. Timing and technology has made the market for a couples’ vibrator ripe to explode, and, for the right product in the right time and place, sales will be lucrative.

Courtesy of We-Vibe.

If they’re lucky, the We-Vibe could be that product. “We haven’t had our Rabbit moment, yet, but we do have a cult-like following growing,” says Weedmark. Ample feedback from consumers makes some grand, “saved my marriage!” claims, including one heartwarming story from an elderly couple: “He said it was the first time, after 65 years of marriage, that he watched his wife orgasm,” she writes.

Moreover, unlike some newer competitive toys popping up in the market, We-Vibe believes they’ve earned it. “We created the couples’-vibrator category,” says Weedmark. “We faced a lot of challenges when introducing a product that no one had seen before and wasn’t entirely intuitive. The early reaction was, ‘You want me to put what where when I’m doing what?’”

The short answer is they want women to insert the toy and wear it during intercourse, making penetration and vibrational clitoral stimulation simultaneous. Here’s how it works: the silicone We-Vibe is a C-shaped, hands-free, double-motor toy worn by the woman during intercourse. The innovative design features one internal arm inserted into the woman that fits up against the G-spot; another external arm curves along her body to the clitoris. Each arm has its own vibrating motor, and the whole thing’s operated via cordless remote.