What are the Trends that can Affect your Vape Shop?
The popularity of vaping has forced many retailers to devote more shelf space, or even open stand-alone stores, to meet the demand for this popular habit. These enterprises are proving to be quite lucrative.
But this new industry is not as steady as many retailers would like. Stocking the latest gear and pioneering new trends is vitally important, and yet requires study, sagacity, and time that many retailers don’t have.
Don’t worry, though. There are a few parts of the industry that are changing to meet consumer demand for health, convenience, and affordability, all without compromising on the smooth vaping experience everyone is after.
Six key vaping trends of 2022
Flavour: variety, sweetness, and exoticism
Vape producers recognize the explorative nature of many vape users, who love trying out a new flavour.
In particular, the latest craze is for dessert imitations, fruit flavours, and other sugary tastes. Exotic, citrus fruits are being incorporated into the vape palette, and products like “lemon tart”, “apple pie” and even herbs and spices are providing vapers with a variety of choice they’ve never experienced before.
In order to capitalise on this, vape stores ought to look out for new flavours and expand their range as much as possible. While many consumers will want their familiar flavours, there’s a real trend in the market towards experimentation and novelty.
Vape accessories: starter packs, replacement cartridges, and more
As many smokers look to vaping to quit tobacco, and vaping becomes more acceptable, the number of first-time vape users continues to rise. This has led to non-smokers enjoying the flavourful fun of vaping more frequently as well.
Therefore, vape stores and suppliers have become equipped with starter vape kits and accessories aimed at first-time vapers and easy-to-use products that cater specifically to this growing side of the market.
Meanwhile, the competition between reusable disposable vapes continues. Replacement vape pods on offer expand to entice users, aiming to offer a variety of flavours instead of just one or providing an empty vessel for users to fill with their flavour/s of choice.
Batteries for reusable vapes are refined to provide longer-lasting power and spill less heat onto the device while maintaining quality standards in line with changing regulations.
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Durability and improved devices
As vape companies get better at developing their products, users are looking to find the vape that will allow them to get more for their money. This means consumers are hunting for durability and affordability, and they’re getting better at finding the right products.
Safety precautions like cooler batteries and insulated devices that avoid overcharging and overheating are leading to more hardy vapes that are being produced more economically.
Vape pens
But it’s not just these technical elements that are improving the technology available. Vape producers are recognising consumer preferences for smaller nicotine vaping devices that provide greater convenience.
Vape pens (or electronic cigarettes) have shown that they aren’t going anywhere, especially for those switching from smoking to vaping. Users prefer these devices for the soothing familiarity the pens provide for an experience closer to tobacco smoking.
Vape pens have both this tobacco-like quality and the pocket size that brings with it the advantages of convenience, ease of use and portability that many are looking for.
Synthetic nicotine
One big change that the vape world is seeing is the rise of synthetic nicotine. Synthetic nicotine is a form nicotine grown in a laboratory instead of extracted from tobacco plants, which is how most vape nicotine is developed.
The exciting side of this news for the vaping industry isn’t only that synthetic nicotine is healthier for users, though this must surely be one of the main advantages. Synthetic nicotine can also be less odorous (something a lot of people hate about tobacco).
Vapes with synthetic nicotine are also less abrasive in the throat, improving the smoothness of the taste and experience, and can be evenly distributed creating a more consistent vape.
While nicotine salts, or nic salts, have been on the rise too, and have improved on tobacco nicotine in some ways, synthetic nicotine looks like the way forward or many. Vape stores can therefore be on the lookout to see more vaping products using this form of nicotine emerging in the future.
Vaping apps
While its influence over vape retailers may be minimal, it’s useful to know that a few vape-related software developments are now out and are influencing vape purchase decisions.
For instance, Ohm’s Law has been developed into several app-based calculators. This kind of app, which can help people calculate voltage in an electrical circuit, are used to help vapers understand how much power they need to get what they want safely.
Vape retailers can use this, and other similar apps around vape purchasing and reviewing, to boost their nicotine products and ensure they work well with the tools consumers are using to inform their decisions around e-cigarettes or vaping.
Epos Now: the best POS decision vape retailers can make
When it comes to staying ahead of the trend, retailers everywhere are switching to the most powerful POS for detailed reporting. Epos Now have incorporated as many partnerships, apps and options into a flexible retail solution that can help vape stores function in an omnichannel, fast-paced environment.
Epos Now’s specialised vape store system can provide vape outlets with:
- Easy-to-use streamlined transaction software to speed up sales and reduce errors
- Hundreds of real-time detailed reports to provide better business insights and help stay on trend
- Integrated omnichannel operations for online and in-store sales and inventory management all from one, cloud-based system
- App options for every industry to help provide more options and create bespoke setup designed to suit your business
To find out more about Epos Now solutions, submit your details below and speak with a member of our expert team.
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