Choosing the right products for your smoke shop can be tough, and the margin for error is low. 63% of customers who have one poor experience in your store won’t complain but won’t come back, either.
One of the worst experiences a customer can have? Going to your store only to realize that you don’t stock what they need. If you don’t get your smoke shop product list right from the get-go, you might lose valuable customers to your competitors without knowing it.
Many smoke shop owners make the mistake of stocking their shelves with a random assortment of products without considering their target audience, market trends, or profit margins.
They may overload on niche items that appeal to a narrow segment of customers while neglecting the staples that consistently drive revenue. Or they may miss out on emerging product categories and brands that could give them a competitive edge.
How can you avoid these mistakes?
Welcome to the ultimate smoke shop products list! In this post, we’ll cover seven common categories of smoke shop products, giving you everything you need to build your starting inventory.
When starting a smoke shop, it’s tempting to stock the widest range of items possible. After all, the more you have, the better you’ll sell, right?
Not exactly. Without carefully considering your space, niche, and customers, you might be wasting money stocking your shelves with items nobody wants. Before we provide you with some of the bestsellers in today’s market, here’s some advice on building the perfect smoke shop products list for your store.
Creating a smoke shop product list isn’t a one-and-done process. You’ll want to continually refine your product list to avoid dead stock and to stay relevant. The more defined your brand becomes, and the more specialized your offerings, the more your store will stand out.
Not every item on this list will be the best fit for your shop. Take the time to do your research and see what’s popular (and what nearby smoke shops specialize in) before building your product list.
Here are the top six trending product types to consider when creating your smoke shop products list.
Tobacco products remain a key staple for most smoke shops, even ones that specialize in other areas. At a minimum, offer a wide selection of popular cigarette brands in various styles (e.g., regular, menthol, light) and sizes (e.g., king size, 100s) to cater to different customer preferences.
There’s also an array of specialized tobacco products to consider, including:
Start by offering a wide, but curated, selection of tobacco products. If you notice that one type of product (e.g., cigars or hookah) is selling particularly well, you can expand your selection further.
Related Read: How To Manage Tobacco Store Inventory: 7 Easy Tips
Smoking accessories are another must-have for a tobacco shop, but which accessories you specialize in will depend on what staple products (cigarettes, vapes, cigars, etc.) are most popular.
Here is a starting point:
Leverage store promotions to encourage sales of accessories. Place complementary items together to tempt customers to make an impulse purchase. You can set up buy one, get one (BOGO) discounts for complementary items to encourage upselling.
Some great examples of BOGO smoking accessory deals:
Whatever style of promotion you use, monitor their success using your POS system. That will ensure you get the best return on investment (ROI) in the future.
Vaping is quickly becoming the most popular alternative to tobacco, especially among younger consumers. Given the high profit margins for vape refills and disposable vapes, they’re a great item to stock.
If your shop carries vaping products, these are the staples you’ll need:
People can be picky about their favorite vape pens, e-liquid brands, and flavors. Keep an eye on sales data, ask customers, and constantly refresh your offerings to dial in your selection.
Related Read: How To Start a Vape Company: 8 Steps to Success
Just because you own a smoke shop doesn’t mean that smoking, vaping, and tobacco products should be the only thing on your stock list. It’s wise to diversify your product list with snacks, apparel, and other general merchandise.
Knowing which of these to stock might be the hardest to figure out after just opening a smoke shop. The more you get to know your customers and their interests, the easier stocking these fun products will be.
Pro Tip: If you’re on social media, you might know that you’re not allowed to advertise tobacco products directly. However, on most platforms, you can advertise apparel with your shop’s name and logo. Having apparel allows you to put your brand online while following tobacco advertising rules.
Over half of Americans have tried CBD, and it’s popular for its supposed calming effects and health benefits. Delta-8, a more psychoactive form of CBD, is also rising in popularity, even in many states where marijuana products are still illegal.
Regardless, CBD can be extremely profitable since it appeals to customers who don’t normally frequent smoke shops.
While hemp-based CBD products are legal in most states, Delta-8 exists in more of a gray area. Before you choose to stock CBD items, check the laws and regulations in your state.
If you’re wondering how to sell kratom, you’re not alone. Like CBD, the science is still developing on kratom and the legality varies by state. But if your customers are interested in it, stocking kratom is a great way to stand out from other smoke shops in your area.
If you’re unsure about your customers’ familiarity with kratom, start small. Offer a few varieties along with educational signage to tell them what it’s all about.
It’s vital to stock your store with the right products before cutting the ribbon on opening day. We hate to sound like a broken record but do your research as part of your smoke shop business plan — you’ll thank us in the long run.
Using this list, together with a firm understanding of your customers and area, you should be able to create a winning smoke shop products list that will keep people coming back for more.
The hard part? Keeping things fresh after you open. A robust smoke shop point of sale system will help you optimize your stock list by letting you see inventory in real time, view sales reports, and market directly to your customers.
Cigars POS is a comprehensive system built for smoke shops, including advanced inventory management, high-risk payments, and more. Schedule a customized demo today to see how Cigars POS can help you craft the perfect stock list, boost profits, and drive efficiency.