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out a progression for customers,” he
continues. “In general, customers don’t
understand how to progress in the
category or how to mix and match the
various components of products. We
want to change that.”
MOVING BEYOND TRIAL
That also means moving beyond the
baby steps of a starter section.For many
retailers, e-cigs/vapor products are still
in trial mode and are greatly lacking in
“category fundamentals,” according to
Chris Mitchell, vice president, CMO
of iSmoke. “This is a very fast-moving
category with new innovations
seemingly every day.” Rather than
a myriad of manufacturer displays,
which is confusing for customers to
navigate, Mitchell strongly suggests
that non-vape-shop retailers truly
treat vapor like a category.
“This means providing dedicated
space and placing like products
together, regardless of brand,” he says.
“There should be an e-cig sectionwhere
the e-cigs go—clearly identifiable
between disposables, starter kits and
refills; an area dedicated for e-juice—
clearly identifiable between flavors
and strengths; and a section for vapor
devices. Pricing should be prominent
as there is a significant pricing
advantage over vape shops.”
ROLLING WITH THE
INNOVATION PIPELINE
Retailers should be looking to
their manufacturers to help them
understand the innovation pipeline and
looking for suppliers who understand
the dynamics of an electronics product
lifecycle. After all, “that is what this
category is, not a tobacco category,”
Mitchell asserts.
He recommends that retail
assortments be evaluated regularly,
ideally every three months, but at
a minimum of every six months.
This will ensure that retailers, says
Mitchell, “are not missing out on the
new hot items or formats. Just like in
other categories, retailers need to call
attention to the new items.”
Innovation needs to be evaluated
across the breadth of the category,
meaning e-cigs, e-cigars, e-hookahs,
disposables, rechargeables, refillable
liquid systems and more, according
to Will Squier, vice president of
marketing for Tryst Group. He
believes that within a set there needs to
be more variety in breadth of product
types and less overlap of like items.
“What we see is when a retailer has a
dedicated vapor set that is very defined
and clean, sales increase significantly.”
The goal is to take the confusion out
of the mix for the consumer, he says.
ALL ABOARD TRAINING
Can every sales associate answer
the question “What is an electronic
cigarette?”They should be able to, and
it starts with retailers taking the time
to train them, according to Miguel
Martin, president of Logic. He tells
TBI
that all sales associates should
also know one or two differences
between the e-cig products sold in the
store, which takes continually updated
training efforts, even something as
simple as an in-store newsletter to
employees.
Breathe Ecig Corporation is also a
big proponent of retail sales associate
training. According to Josh Kimmel,
founder and CEO, helping retailers to
truly educate the consumer is now part
of the core strategy of Breathe in print,
media and POP at retail.
MOTIONING FOR PROMOTION
Last but not least, retailers should
always have a promotion on e-cigs at
any given time, according to Martin.
“Almost half of adult smokers have
still not tried an e-cig in the last six
months,” he reports.
TBI
electric
ALLEY
“There should be an e-cig section where the e-cigs
go—clearly identifiable between disposables, starter
kits and refills; an area dedicated for e-juice—clearly
identifiable between flavors and strengths; and a
section for vapor devices.”