One of the latest trends in the tobacco industry has been a rise in the number of vaporizer and e-juice store closings. In the face of increasing consumer demand, vapor products have become mainstream, with consumers able to purchase them discreetly over the internet. The problem is that many of these businesses fail to effectively maintain a consistent store presence or attract customers through advertising and other marketing methods. In order to avoid vapor shop closures and find success in the industry, owners need to adopt smart advertising strategies to increase store traffic and fanfare.
Even though some vaporizer product sources have increased in popularity since the recent boom in e-juice products, business closures are still widespread. According to Smoke Cartel, an e-liquid distributor, “The industry seems to be booming, and vaporizers and e-juices are selling like hotcakes. But despite the hype, there are still a few vapor shop owners trying to figure out what the big deal is… What is the big difference between a vapor shop and a cigarette store? And why do people keep going to those shops instead of going to our own?” A Vapor Shop Coaching can help e-liquid store owners effectively market their products and attract customers to their shops in a similar fashion to cigarette store owners.
The recent surge in youth e-arette use coincides with the rise in young adult survey findings. While nearly one in every nine high school students have tried e-cigs, many young adults have not even been smokers yet. According to a recent Colorado Springs Press Herald article, a recent study found that only 6% of twenty-six-year-olds had ever used an electronic device. The study’s authors attributed the lack of adolescent or young adult use to a lack of information about the safety issues of e-cigs.
In response to this lack of information, local e-liquid store owners combined with local entrepreneurs to start the Vapor Shop Coaching program. The aim of the Vapor Shop Coaching program was to teach young adults about the dangers of e-cigs by teaching them to sell quality e-cigs that did not include any dangerous ingredients, like ammonia, acetone, or formaldehyde. They were also taught how to create personal vaporizer kits that allowed them to make multiple doses of their favorite e-liquid without worrying about causing health problems or having to worry about employer liability. In addition to the training they received, aspiring co-owners were also taught about some non-essential business closures. Specifically, the Vapor Shop Coaches were told to consider non-essential business closings in order to free up extra time to focus on growing their e-liquid business.
Many Vapor Shop owners are under the impression that Vapor Shops will be able to stay open forever because the FDA has approved certain formulations as safe for adult use. The truth is that the FDA has not approved any e-cigs for adult use. Therefore, you will not find any vaporizers or e-juice in a store that is over the age of eighteen. The State of California is the only state that has made public opinion mandatory. Anytime e-juices or other form of nicotine containing products are sold to consumers over the age of eighteen, they must display the warning “caution: avoid exposure to ingest”.
As an alternative to using the telephone to contact Vapor Shop owners, many were beginning to use e-mail and website to solicit business from new customers. This would allow them to continue to build contacts and eventually increase sales through cold-call techniques. Many local councils were beginning to require vendors to offer proof of delivery when dealing with city residents in the city limits. Therefore, many cities began issuing cease and desist orders to vendors who were ignoring these orders.
Currently there is no state legislation mandating the separation of non-essential businesses and vendors from state regulated retailers. However, the California State Legislature has begun studying the relationship between regulation and commerce. In June 2009, the State Legislature passed a bill that required all manufacturers and distributors to apply to the Office of the Secretary of State for pre-approval of applications. In the same year, the same bill was passed in the Senate and House, but was later failed to be sent to the state’s Governor. If the proposal were to become law, it could force all vaporizer, cigar and cigarette manufacturers to stop operating in California. There are currently no efforts underway to revive the bill.
In the meantime, vape shop, especially in urban areas are beginning to use local venues to promote events and seminars instead of traditional venues such as trade shows and conventions. Vapes distributors are also starting to advertise themselves more by creating online blogs and social media pages. Blogs are great because they allow businesses to create content without the expense of website design. They also allow them to be more hands on when marketing to potential customers. The research team for cigar and vaporizer shops should continue to do more work in finding new ways to connect with consumers and find creative new ways to make their products accessible to a larger audience.