Vaping is a growing presence in the modern marketplace. As the hobby spreads, various retailers and other businesses spring up to service it. This creates opportunities for those already in the world of vaping as a user to move into the business space. Starting any business is risky and difficult but can also be rewarding. Below are some specific tips for how to approach the vaping market.
Understand Your Market
Image via Flickr by Delton Childs
Before spending a single dime on your enterprise, be sure that you understand what kind of businesses you are starting. There are significant differences between different types of stores. For example, most vaping supply stores find their business moving toward non-tobacco flavors. They do less business in disposables. If your interest and expertise in vaping begins and ends in a tobacco flavored e-cigarette pack, consider getting into the convenience store business instead.
Study Your Products
Most vaping stores carry an assortment of vaping devices and e-liquid mixes. In order to pick the best assortment for your shop, you’ll need to test out a variety. You could try just stocking gear without trying it yourself, but you’ll likely find yourself at a loss when a customer has questions about flavor or strength. Find major online vaping hubs like Vape Magazine so you can follow the latest in vaping trends, and consider traveling to other vaping outlets in your area to get some idea of what sells on the local scene.
Inventive Combinations
One way to succeed in the vapor market, or indeed any market, is to innovate by combining existing ideas. The Vaporcade Jupiter is a prime example. It combines a vaping setup, designed for maximum taste and enjoyment, with the power of an Android smart phone. This makes it a real convenience, saving valuable pocket space and ensuring a user always has a vaporizer on hand. As an Android device, the Vaporcade Jupiter has access to the variety of apps and accessories already in existence for the operating system, making it instantly useful.
Use Grassroots Promotions
Online marketing can be the greatest friend and most insidious foe of small businesses. This is because online and social marketing is low-cost, but it can also be difficult to use. One of the biggest mistakes that people make is not taking it seriously enough. Be sure to find someone with the knowledge to run a campaign, whether in terms of hiring a firm or just talking to your friend with the most Twitter followers. Work together to brainstorm a strategy that will help make your brand distinct and memorable, thinking about the campaign both in terms of content and target locations.
Many great businesses start with the transition between a hobby and an enterprise. In fact, if you were to go to other vaping outlets in your area and ask, odds are good most store owners would confess to having started their establishments as an outgrowth of their own interest in vapor. Though the dream of owning a business may seem remote, the fact is, it is certainly an attainable goal. Stay the course, make a solid plan, and be ready to work hard, and you’ll find your place in the vaping ecosystem.