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Eight easy ways to increase your customers’ vape store spend

You’ve got lots of customers visiting your vape store. Result.

The next step? Getting them to spend more money when they shop with you.

If you’ve ever fantasised about diving into a pool of coins like Scrooge McDuck (and who hasn’t?), encouraging your existing customers to spend more can turn your dreams into reality.

According to Marketing Metrics, you’re 14 times more likely to get an existing customer to buy more in your shop, as opposed to a brand new customer. So once you’ve got an established target market, it pays to figure out how to increase your customers’ vape store spend.

Not sure how to get started? Don’t worry; we’ve got you.

Here are eight tried-and-tested ways to get your customers to fill their baskets and boost their average order value.

And if you’re still trying to build your brand, check out our top tips for making your vape store a success and learn how to market yourself like and absolute boss!

Implement a loyalty scheme
Pick the right salespeople
Know your customer
Review where your products are
Get cross-selling and up-selling
Audit your store décor
Manage your stock levels
Add extra value

How to sell more vape products

#1 – Implement a loyalty scheme

A loyalty scheme is when you reward a customer for their repeat business.

Think about the little coffee shop you go to where you get your card stamped in exchange for a free vanilla bean oat milk frappe (extra whipped cream and chocolate sauce on ours, please).

The truth is that customers love loyalty schemes. They’re a great incentive to encourage shoppers to spend more at your vape store.

According to KPMG, 41% of customers who signed up for a loyalty program use it to shop every week. That means you’re guaranteed lots of lovely repeat business.

There are lots of different ways you can operate a loyalty scheme. The right option for you will depend on your store’s setup.

If you have an online store, you can:

Send your customers discount codes
Set up a points scheme that rewards customers with special offers or free gifts
Offer referral rewards for introducing you to new customers
Send them exclusive early-bird promotions for new products
Organise a special prize draw
Get new followers with a social media giveaway or photo contest
Celebrate a customer’s birthday with personalised discounts or gift cards for their favourite products

Offline, you can also drum up more business from your best shoppers when you:

Give customers physical discount cards, and stamp them when they make a purchase
Repeat your referral scheme offline
Let customers earn points for in-person purchases too

#2 – Pick the right salespeople

Have you ever been in a shop where a salesperson jumps on you as soon as you cross over the threshold? It’s not an enjoyable experience.

65% of people say they prefer to interact with a salesperson. But a massive 87% feel that salespeople can’t understand their needs. So if you can find a sales team that provides a great customer experience, you can satisfy customers while also making them want to come back again and again.

Ultimately, you want staff who can provide a friendly in-store experience and talk to customers like they’re a really good friend. Do that, and you can get customers handing over those ten-pound notes like they’re going out of fashion.

Here are a few things to think about when hiring your sales team:

Do they know the products you sell? You want someone who can recommend the right products to the right people, especially if they’re new to vaping. Your salespeople don’t necessarily have to vape themselves. But they need to know their shortfills from their freebases, understand how vaping works and be familiar with your best-selling e-liquids.
Can they talk to a wide range of different people? Lots of people vape, everyone from the sweet old granny down the road to the twenty-something graduate who wants to stop smoking. Your team needs to be able to relate to anyone who walks into your store and understand how they can help.
Do they have good emotional intelligence? Emotional intelligence is when you can easily understand how the people around you feel. For example, it’s knowing that someone you’re talking to is happy, angry or sad, and being able to react accordingly. You can offer a great shopping experience by hiring emotionally intelligent salespeople who can connect with customers on a personal level and realise whether they need extra support or want to be left alone.
Are they open to new experiences? The best salespeople are the ones who are willing to learn new things and are happy to undertake training opportunities to better themselves. Pokémon are better when they evolve, and so are your sales staff.
Can they respond well under pressure? Let’s be honest, the person who said “the customer is always right” never worked in sales. Your sales team needs to have cool heads and be able to perform well in a crisis, even if they have 5 different people shouting at them at once.

If your staff are friendly, empathetic and relatable, you’re more likely to see repeat customers. After all, 93% of customers are likely to make repeat purchases if they receive excellent customer service from salespeople.

#3 – Know your customer

When you know the different types of people who shop in your store, you’ll know how best to approach them and which products to recommend. This is a fantastic opportunity to do some people-watching and gather some research.

Don’t know where to start when it comes to customer research? Here are some of the customers you might recognise and how to encourage them to buy. We know, it’s like we’ve visited your store already.

Deal-hunter Dave

Yep, Dave’s the one who always tries to haggle and is most interested in getting value for money. Suggesting multi-deals and slightly reduced ‘hot pick’ items will keep him coming back and ensure you still make a tidy profit.

Payday Penny

Penny comes in once a month when she gets paid to buy all her vaping gear. No time for chitchat, she knows what she wants. Make time for Penny and suggest products that fit in with her busy lifestyle.

Shiny Steve

Steve is all about his gadgetry and his souped-up vaping rig. Most of the time, he thinks he knows more than you. Let him lead the conversation and take the time to talk about the most innovative products you sell.

Simple Sophie

Sophie isn’t the most tech-savvy person, but she’s a good customer and is always happy to let you make recommendations for her. Offer Sophie lots of advice and support, whether that’s helping her change her vape coil or suggesting the latest products she might like. If she hasn’t got her own vape kit yet, a knowledgeable and helpful salesperson might also be able to help her transition from disposables.

Customer X

The unknown first-timer who’s heard that vaping is better for you than smoking but doesn’t know how to get started. The best strategy is to talk to them, make them feel comfortable and suggest products that align with what they need, not what they think they want. Get it right, and they’ll be sure to come back again and again.

#4 – Review where your products are

Fed up with not being able to shift your stock? If your answer is yes, planogramming is the answer to all your vape store-related woes.

Planogramming is the science of optimising your store layout to encourage customers to buy your products.

Think about when you go to the supermarket. It’s no coincidence that certain brands are placed in your eye-line… companies pay big bucks to feature there!

Fun fact: merchandise put four to five feet from the ground gets 35% more attention from shoppers! There are dozens, if not hundreds, of planogramming tips and tricks you can use to increase your customers’ vape store spend.

We could talk about planogramming all day at Ohm Brew. But you’ve got stuff to do. So we’ve put together a short guide to planogramming 101 to help you brush up on the basics and get the insight you need to get started!

#5 – Get cross-selling and up-selling

Have you ever nodded and drooled when a fast-food employee asked if you wanted to supersize your meal deal? Gosh, you didn’t realise you were that hungry, but now they’ve mentioned it you can’t imagine having it any other way!

That’s the power of up-selling for you.

Cross-selling and up-selling are often talked about interchangeably, but they’re actually two separate things. Let’s look at the key differences between them:

Cross-selling is when you ask your customers if they want to buy a related product. For example, if they come into your store to buy a vape pen, ask them if they would like to purchase some well-balanced 50:50 VGPG e-liquids to use alongside their new hardware.
Up-selling is when you ask your customers if they want to buy a better (that is, more expensive) product than the one they originally planned to buy. For example, if they come into your store to buy a basic vape pen, ask them if they want to buy the next model up.

Both strategies work well as you’ve already got an interested shopper on your hands, and they’re highly likely to take your suggestions on board. Cross-selling can increase sales by 20% and profits by 30% when done right. Upselling can increase revenue by 10-30% on average.

The key to good cross-selling and up-selling is to know your products inside-out. That way, you can suggest the perfect product to suit the exact needs of your customer. Personalisation for the win.

#6 – Audit your store décor

If you’re finding that customers are exiting your store pretty sharpish, your décor might be to blame.

We’ve already taken a look at product placement, but creating a pleasant store environment that shoppers want to spend time in will also have a major impact on your sales.

Here are a few things to consider to make your vape store more welcoming to customers.

Lighting

Ambient lighting can relax customers and encourage them to browse for longer, while brighter lighting can encourage them to impulse buy.

And if you want your customers to go home, we find turning the lights off and on repeatedly does the job!

Music

Check your Spotify playlist to see if you’re putting out the right vibes. For example, classical music can inspire customers to buy more expensive items, while ‘pleasant’ music encourages impulse buys.

Bit of a disclaimer: We’re not 100% sure what constitutes ‘pleasant’ music – probably not Scandinavian speed metal or Coldplay.

Cleanliness

If your store looks like the campsite of a music festival on a Monday morning, it might be time for a good spring clean.

Regularly clear away boxes and rubbish, and run the vacuum cleaner around every now and again. It might also be helpful to organise a staff rota so everyone knows who’s responsible for what.

Don’t forget to clean the outside of your store as well. First impressions and all that.

A ‘photo opportunity’

A cool mural or neon sign will encourage people to come into your shop and take photos.

Not only will they stick around your store to see what’s on offer, but you’ll get free publicity on social media.

Do it for the ‘gram. You know you want to.

#7 – Manage your stock levels

There’s nothing worse than going into your favourite store only to find the product you want is out of stock. Seriously, our palms are sweating just thinking about it.

Of course, sometimes stock just runs out, and that’s usually okay. The first time this happens, 69% of customers buy something else (probably even more if you have a great sales team).

But the more often stockouts occur, the less likely customers are to buy. And by just the third time, there’s a 70% chance they’ll leave with no purchase or switch stores entirely!

This makes it important to ensure you’re well-stocked with your customer’s favourite vape products. Otherwise, they could end up going to a competitor, which is seriously bad news for your business.

Keep an eye on your product lines and be sure to re-order as far ahead as possible in case there are any supply chain issues. It’s always a good idea to have some alternative recommendations for your customers too, in case they visit on a day when your shelves are barer than Old Mother Hubbard’s pantry.

Remember that seasonal trends can affect stock levels too. For example, people typically prefer fruity, fresh flavours in the summer months.

#8 – Add extra value

Finally, be the vape shop that adds value to your customers’ lives. Because when you add extra value, customers will keep coming back again and again.

What can you do that other shops can’t? Think about what your unique selling point is compared to your competitors.

Here are some of our tried-and-tested tips:

Make your store a hangout: Many vape shops are great community hubs and meetup spots, and we’re finding more and more people who want to connect with others now the pandemic is over. You could have a ‘for sale or wanted’ noticeboard or install seating where customers can sit, chill out and catch up with each other.
Sell additional products: For example, you could offer bags, clothing, magazines and cases alongside vape hardware and e-liquids. Why not work alongside another business in a similar niche and encourage them to set up a pop-up shop in your store? That way, you can also drum up some extra cash by charging for the privilege!
Offer demonstrations: If new customers are wondering how to look after their vape pens or change the coils, you could show them how to do it. Alternatively, invite a vaping expert to give a talk.
Extend your opening hours: Give people who are working or looking after the little ones an extra chance to visit your vape store. The good news? Small shops under 280 square metres can open at any time.
Install a bike rack outside: This will encourage cyclists to visit.
Open up your Wi-Fi to customers: 62% of businesses who offer free Wi-Fi say customers spend more time in their store – and half report an increase in spending by those who use the service! Just don’t ask who’s watching the Gangnam Style video on repeat – come on, guys, 2012 was like a thousand years ago…

Not sure how to best add value? Ask your most loyal customers what they want to see in your store, whether that’s interactive experiences, personalised advice or Ohm Brew products.

Oh, come on, we had to get the product plug in somewhere, right?

Boost your sales with premium Ohm Brew e-liquids

We hope this guide has given you lots of valuable insight into increasing sales and encouraging repeat business.

In summary:

Reward existing customers for their loyalty
Hire sales staff that know what your customers want
Understand the different customers that come to your store
Use planogramming to push your products
Put together a cross-selling and up-selling strategy
Make sure your store looks nice
Keep on top of your stock levels
Think about how you can add extra value to your customers’ lives

Remember, when you work with us and become an Ohm Brew stockist, we’ll provide you with lots of useful information to help you optimise your store and make the most of your Ohm Brew range.

We’re always innovating and investing in new product development to make sure you’ve always got the best e-liquids and vape products on your shelves. We also offer full marketing support including media packs, as well as dedicated account management to help your store grow.

And you get free shipping on orders over £300. Don’t say we don’t spoil you.

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