One-third of adult-aged smokers have recently switched from traditional smoking tobacco to e-cigarettes. As more people turn to vaping as an alternative to traditional tobacco products, the demand for a diverse range of vaping products soars.
For small business owners in the vape industry, success isn't just about keeping pace with trends — it's about staying ahead of them. It's about understanding what products resonate with customers, driving foot traffic, and ultimately, maximizing revenue. That's where stocking the right vaping products becomes crucial.
This article explores seven trending vaping products and why you should consider adding them to your vape shop shelves. We'll also discuss the significance of offering high-quality options and factors to consider when selecting products for your store.
Trending Vapes: Before You Sell
If you want your store to keep drawing in customers, you need to keep up with the latest vaping products. What vapes will most likely resonate with your customers now and in the future? How can you be sure you’re selecting the right product mix for your shelves?
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There are several key factors to consider when selecting vapes to sell:
- Quality: Invest in high-quality, durable vaping devices from reputable brands. This is essential for providing a positive customer experience and protecting your business' reputation. Prioritize well-constructed products made from premium materials.
- Reliability: Choose vapes with a track record of consistent performance and minimal defects. Read customer reviews and feedback to identify reliable models less likely to malfunction or disappoint.
- Popularity: Research bestselling and trending vape models gaining traction among enthusiasts and everyday consumers alike. Catering to customer demand is crucial to your store’s success.
- Price Point: Offer vapes at varied prices to appeal to customers with different budgets. Include affordable basic options and premium devices for seasoned hobbyists to maximize your profit margins.
- Customer Reviews: Pay close attention to customer reviews on sites like Google to identify top-rated vapes that satisfy real-world users and minimize critical feedback.
- Market Trends: Stay on top of trends by following vaping publications, influencers, and communities. This practice will provide insight into rising stars and fading fads to inform purchasing decisions.
When it comes to reviewing specific products, details like brand, model, specifications, features, pros and cons, and user feedback should be highlighted to showcase what makes each vape worth stocking. Be sure to identify unique attributes that distinguish sought-after models from competitors and alternatives.
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However, it's also critical for retailers to follow all legal and safety obligations associated with selling vapes, including age restrictions, compliance with regulations, and best practices for ensuring product safety. Bearing this in mind, let’s examine seven options for types of vapes you need to stock in your store this year.
1. Pod Systems
The first trending vape product you may choose to stock this year is the pod system.
Pod systems have become an incredibly popular category of vaping devices due to their ease of use, portability, and discreet design. This simplicity makes them appealing to both beginner and experienced vapers. Pod systems are ideal for customers who prioritize convenience and portability when vaping.
A pod system uses prefilled or refillable pods that snap into place on the device. These pods hold the e-liquid and contain the coil needed to heat it. When the user takes a draw, sensors automatically activate the heating process to produce vapor. This draw-activated mechanism eliminates the need for pushing buttons or adjusting complicated settings.
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Early on in the vaping game, the market flooded with lookalike legacy e-cigarettes, but things are shifting toward pod systems in the modern market. These reliable systems produce consistent, thick vapor for users, making them a popular alternative to classic e-cigarettes. For smoke shop owners, stocking a diversified selection of pod systems opens opportunities to cater to vapor explorers.
2. Disposable Vapes
Another option you may consider stocking is disposable vapes. These vapes are ready to use right out of the box; no maintenance or filling is required. What customer profiles are drawn to disposable vapes? Let’s examine a few.
First, disposables nicely cater to newcomers just exploring vaping. With everything self-contained and prefilled, first-timers don’t need to navigate devices or e-liquids to enjoy the experience of vaping.
Additionally, seasoned vapers appreciate disposables as a lightweight and hassle-free backup for occasions when their advanced setup isn’t convenient. Going out for the evening or traveling? Tossing a slim disposable vape in your pocket beats hauling around mods and bottles of juice.
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Between appealing to vaping newcomers and complementing traditional setups for seasoned vapers, disposable vapes occupy a unique position in the market. They deliver temporary experiences rather than devices demanding long-term commitment. By offering this flexibility, smoke shops open the door to several new niches of customers while increasing basket sizes for their regular shoppers.
3. CBD Vapes
CBD vapes represent an intriguing intersection between the exploding CBD wellness market and ongoing vape trends. As CBD product accessibility spreads, smoke shops that offer CBD vapes stand to win big.
What are CBD vapes? These solutions offer CBD-infused vape juices that allow for faster absorption than edibles or tinctures. These products may appeal to shoppers wanting near-instant effects for on-the-go relief rather than waiting for their CBD to metabolize. It also provides a handy consumption format for active CBD enthusiasts.
The CBD vaping experience provides customers with an accessible starting point for exploring hemp-derived products. These products also may appeal to cannabis connoisseurs hesitant to replace their traditional THC products with CBD. A CBD vape offers the familiar sensations and flavors associated with smoking cannabis, which can make the transition easier for these users.
As natural wellness continues to trend mainstream, CBD vapes offer a solution that merges alternative medicine with slick tech for mass appeal. Smoke shops carrying these products may find themselves well-positioned for the future of CBD product adoption.
4. Variable Wattage Vape Mods
Next, you may consider catering to the seasoned vaping enthusiasts in your customer base by carrying variable-wattage vape mods. These products target users searching for customization and versatility from their vapes.
Variable mods allow vapers to manually raise or lower the output wattage delivered to the atomizer. Adjusting power output enables users to optimize flavor and vapor density based on their precise preferences and the properties of specific juices or atomizers.
Explore stocking solutions that are compatible with a wide range of tanks, coils, and other system components to give your customers maximum customizability from their vape setups. Offering these solutions can help position your store as the place to shop for passionate vapers looking for peak performance.
5. Temperature Control Vape Mods
Temperature control mods are another type of customization you may stock in your shop. These mods allow vapers to customize temperature, control flavor clarity and consistency, and maximize coil longevity.
The ability to fine-tune specific temperature settings prevents overheating, while vaping allows vapers to pinpoint their personal “sweet spot” for unlocking the flavor in their vape juices. Some flavors taste best in milder settings, while others require extra heat to really pop. Users can experiment along the spectrum until they reach the taste they’re looking for.
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Temperature control opens up a world of possibilities for your most experienced — and pickiest — customers. Having access to this next-level technology shows your smoke shop’s commitment to catering to vaping connoisseurs, which can make your shop the place to be for experienced vapers in your area.
6. Nicotine-Free E-Liquids
Nicotine-free e-liquids cater to a growing demographic of vapers who enjoy vaping for the flavor, sensations, and relaxing rituals but want to avoid or cut out the addictive properties of nicotine itself. This makes nic-free juices an interesting product category for smoke shops to explore.
Offering a selection of nicotine-free e-liquids enables you to meet the needs of several shopper profiles. First, nic-free juice appeals to hobbyist vapers focused purely on unique flavor experiences and rich vapor textures alone. They want all the sensory enjoyment without physiological impacts.
Additionally, nicotine-free liquids assist individuals actively looking to give up traditional tobacco habits or reduce their nicotine intake over time through gradual steps. Still satisfying oral fixation or fidgety hands make the experience feel familiar while slowly breaking chemical dependence.
Stocking nicotine-free products can help you position your smoke shop to welcome customers, from experimental users to those on habit-breaking journeys. Having options for them all creates a more inclusive store environment and expands your customer base.
7. Organic and Natural E-Liquids
Finally, you may consider stocking organic and natural e-liquids in your store. Organic and natural e-liquids cater to environmentally conscious vapers who prioritize clean ingredients and sustainable production methods in their vaping products. As health and safety concerns make headlines, you can appeal to this growing customer segment by offering "purer" vaping alternatives.
The biggest draws of organic e-juice are reduced exposure to synthetic chemicals and more ecologically friendly farming techniques for source ingredients. These products also appeal to vape users with sensitivities, allergies, or general hesitations around long-term contact with certain artificial compounds.
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Offering certified clean, green, and allergen-friendly formulations not only responds to a distinct customer segment but also reiterates a commitment to consumer safety. This perception is especially important in the vape and tobacco market, which is often filled with negative perceptions.
Supporting Your Sales: Beyond Stocking Trending Vapes
When stocking your vape shop, trends are important, but remember to look beyond temporary trends and prioritize quality above all else. By stocking high-quality vapes from reputable brands, you’re more likely to satisfy customers and earn a reputation as a quality store with reliable products.
Consider factors like reliability, real-world popularity, and approachable price points for your clientele. You should also check out online customer reviews and examine each product for its overall market staying power. This strategy maximizes the likelihood that your vapes will resonate with your target audience and meet their needs. It also minimizes your chances of filling your shelves with “flavor-of-the-week” products that will go out of style and become dead stock.
However, remember that no matter what products you decide to stock in your shop, you need to take precautions related to safety regulations and legal requirements. You’ll need systems in place to verify customer age, maintain compliance with evolving rules, and manage regulations over time.
The right tools and technology can simplify regulatory compliance for vape shops. Cigars POS offers a specialty POS platform built to empower smoke and vape retailers with features tailored to your needs. Capabilities like integrated age verification, batch tracking by carton packs, custom label printing, and detailed reporting all help you run a compliant, profitable smoke shop.
Schedule a demo today to learn more about how Cigars POS can help you manage your vape shop.
