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TOBACCO BUSINESS INTERNATIONAL
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2015
W
ant to beat vape shops at
their own game? Or at least
come closer in score?
From
a
customer
education
standpoint, vape shops are very good
at what they do and are not easily
matched by a tobacco outlet or c-store
selling e-vapor. But that doesn’t mean
that the channels shouldn’t strive for
merchandising improvement, especially
since the industry is putting out
potential game-changing ideas that are
simple and affordable (in most cases,
free) to execute.
Retail-focused suppliers are eager
to help improve the vapor value
proposition and customer perception
at tobacco shops and beyond. While
“vape shops are consultative,” soaking
up product information and effectively
disseminating it, that’s not true at the
growing number of tobacco stores, and
mass-market retailers now selling vapor,
such as c-stores, according to John
Froman, CEO at Vapor4Life.
SELLING FROM THE SHELF
“Our focus as a company is to
simplify the customer user experience
and value proposition for the entire
category,” he tells
Tobacco Business
International
. Vapor4Life has been
collaborating with retailers to develop
merchandising displays and signage—
including violators and shelf talkers—
so that its WOW vapor products can
be more effectively sold directly from
shelves without the use of salespeople.
“We studied how this is done in other
categories like protein supplements
and pet food,” Froman explains. At
PetSmart, for example, shelf talkers
and other signage explain the various
nutrients dogs need for different
lifestyles. “For vapor, we want to start
by dividing the categories up and laying
Optimizing
Merchandising
Retail-focused
suppliers want
to help tobacco
outlets and c-stores
improve their vapor
value proposition
with these simple
merchandising
techniques.
By Renée Covino
electric
ALLEY