For many cigar aficionados, a well-designed cigar lounge is a dream come true. It’s a place where they can relax, relish a fine cigar, and get to know their fellow smokers.
As a cigar lounge owner, it’s your job to create the perfect environment for these discerning smokers, giving them a comfortable space and a perfect selection of cigars and smoking accessories.
Wondering how to make your business the go-to spot for your neighborhood’s cigar lovers? In this blog, we’ll share our top four cigar lounge ideas to keep your customers happy and sales high.
1. Craft a Welcoming Environment
The more at home customers feel in your lounge, the longer they’ll stick around and the more they’ll spend while enjoying cigar after cigar.
Let’s take a look at a few specific cigar lounge ideas to keep your customers comfortable and willing to spend.
Offer Comfortable Seating Options
After a guest has browsed your selection and picked out a few cigars to try, their next step is to look around for an inviting place to sit down and light up.
If all your seating is taken or your options seem uncomfortable, they might leave — and they won’t return the next time they want to unwind with a cigar.
To avoid this catastrophe, make sure your cigar lounge has a variety of seating options, including luxe leather chairs for a single customer to sink into, larger sofas for groups to enjoy, or bar stools for customers who enjoy mingling and getting to know their fellow tobacco enthusiasts.
Prioritize Ventilation
A cigar lounge without adequate ventilation can create a less-than-pleasant environment for your guests and staff.
Rather than struggling with an overpowering haze of heavy smoke, you want your customers to breathe easy and savor the delicate aromas of their cigars.
To keep your cigar lounge fresh, we recommend investing in a powerful air purification system that circulates the air in your space and eliminates stray odors. Ventilation systems are rated by how many cubic feet of air they can purify in a minute and by how much smoke they can handle, so make sure to choose one that fits the unique requirements of your space.
Play the Right Music
Music is an often overlooked ingredient of the perfect cigar lounge ambiance, and it should be carefully curated to match your brand and mood.
If your cigar lounge has a vintage, speakeasy vibe, choose smooth jazz or blues to complement it. If you’re going for a more modern feel, you might opt for newer tunes or electronic music.
Pay careful attention to the volume of your music as well. It should be loud enough for customers to hear, but not so loud that it prevents conversation.
2. Lean Into a Theme
Visitors to your cigar lounge are looking for more than a place to shop and smoke; they want to be immersed in a luxurious atmosphere.
That’s where theming comes in.
Choosing a cohesive theme for your cigar lounge creates a memorable experience for your customers and makes your business stand out from the competition. Whether you’re inspired by a particular color, time period, or even the history of cigars themselves, your theme should be immediately recognizable upon walking into your lounge from your decor, wall art, and displays.
Here are a few cigar lounge theme ideas to consider:
- Travel: Decorate your lounge with maps, art, and souvenirs from around the world to complement your diverse, global selection of cigars.
- Sports: Become your neighborhood’s number-one place to watch sports and enjoy a fine cigar by investing in large TVs and collecting sports memorabilia.
- Music: Introduce your guests to new cigars and new music by playing a diverse range of music in your lounge and displaying vintage records.
Above all, choose a distinct theme that your customers will remember and talk about.
3. Show Off Your Cigar Selection
While aesthetics are critical for cigar lounge success, they’ll only take you so far. The main goal of your business’ layout and decor is to highlight your excellent selection of cigars, enticing your customers to browse your offerings, linger on your displays, and make large purchases.
Let’s explore a few cigar lounge ideas to maximize your sales.
Curate a Fine Selection of Cigars
First and foremost, you need to curate an excellent selection of products. Even if your lounge’s ambiance is perfect, you still need high-quality smokes to keep your customers coming back.
The best way to optimize your cigar lounge inventory is to rely on your point of sale (POS) system’s sales reports to learn about your customers and their preferences. For example, if you notice an uptick in your sales of Cuban cigars, you can adjust your product offering to include more Cuban tobacco imports, giving your customers new options to try and enjoy.
Make sure to offer beginner-friendly products and bundles to make customers who are new to the world of cigars feel welcome. For example, you might offer a starter pack of a few different cigars to try.
Spotlight Smoking Accessories
We also recommend carrying a wide range of smoking accessories to encourage your customers to bring the cigar lounge experience home with them.
Alongside your cigars, offer products like humidors, cigar cutters, and lighters to help customers set up an in-home cigar oasis. To boost your sales of these items, let customers try them out while they enjoy a cigar in your lounge.
4. Train Your Staff
Our final tip for maximizing your customers’ comfort in your cigar lounge is to train your staff well.
Your employees are a key aspect of your cigar lounge’s environment, so it’s critical that they understand how to engage with your customers. They should be able to maintain the delicate balance between making expert recommendations and regularly checking in on guests while giving them space to relax.
To take advantage of this cigar lounge idea, make sure your team members know the ins and outs of your cigar selection and understand the principles of excellent customer service.
The Best Cigar Lounge Idea: Upgrade to Cigars POS
With these cigar lounge ideas, your business will be the number-one choice for your neighborhood’s tobacco enthusiasts.
Is your POS system ready for the influx of new customers?
If you’re in the market for an upgrade, check out Cigars POS. Our all-in-one POS solution is designed with the tobacco industry in mind and includes unique features like cigar label printing, built-in age verification, and carton-pack inventory management.
Take Cigars POS for a spin by scheduling your personalized demo today.
