Vape Retail -8 characteristics of vape brands you should stock

When it comes to choosing which brands to stock, one of the biggest challenges for vape retailers is wading through the giant list of vape brands and products to determine which may be a good fit for your customers. Sure retailers can get an idea about products and brands by conducting their due diligence by watching YouTube product reviews and content made by social influencers but keep in mind that these people are often paid a fee for their content creation. 

So how do you choose which vape brands and products to stock? When choosing which vape brands to sell there are a number of things that you should consider in order to ensure that you are working with a reputable and reliable brand that consumers know and trust.

Here are nine things to consider when choosing which vape brands to stock:

Quality

It is important to choose a vape brand that produces high-quality products. This can help to ensure that the products you sell are safe, durable, and manufactured to industry standards. Good quality reliable products will be well-received by your customers which often translates to repeat business and new customer referrals.

Product range

Consider the range of products that the brand offers. Questions to consider when looking at the range include things like, Do they produce the types of products that you are interested in selling? What does their product release schedule look like? Who are they already selling to? Do they have a range of products that will appeal to your target market?

Manufacturing capabilities

Look for vape brands that not only have the capacity to meet your store's needs, but also the appropriate IS09001 Quality Systems and legal requirements to be able to sell as stipulated by your country's health authority. For example, FDMA approval in the USA. It is important to work with a brand that you and your customers can trust to be safe. For retailers, you also want to ensure that your manufacturer has a consistent supply of products and can meet the demand of your customers.

Pricing

Consider the retailer pricing of the vape brands products and the margin for you after the retail markup. Are they competitively priced compared to similar products on the market? Are they within your budget and do they offer MOQs that fit with your sales volumes, whether they be big or small? 

Delivery times

Look for vape brands that can deliver products in a timely manner. Does the brand you are interested in stocking have a distribution center in your region or country? Is there a local representative of the brand in your country so you can access fast restocking, product, and sales enablement support? All of these things are important to ensure that you have a consistent supply of products and can meet the demand of your customers.

Reputation

Research the reputation of the vape brand online. This is easy to do. You can watch youtube product reviews, check out their social media following and read the comments, search google reviews, and visit the brands about us page. Do they have a good reputation in the industry? Have they received any awards or recognition for their products? Knowing about the reputation of the brands you stock and communicating it to your customers is a great way to build consumer trust and sell more.

Customer service

Consider the level of retailer customer service provided by the vape brand... Do they offer support and assistance when needed? Do they have a helpful and responsive retailer customer service team that can assist you with store promotion, POS resources, and marketing and sales support? Finding vape brands that offer this type of support can save you hours of time and lots of money. 

Quality control

Look for a vape brand that has robust quality control processes in place. Reputable manufacturers are more than happy to display ISO and health safety certifications on their websites. Also, check that the brand has a comprehensive warranty system in place to ensure that the products you receive are of high quality and meet your standards.

Quality branding

When it comes to consumer purchasing behavior, many consumers look to purchase from brands who actively promote their brand and that they know and trust. As a retailer check to see if the brands, you are considering stocking offer any marketing and promotional materials support as this can save you hours of labor and $1000’s. Strong, reputable brands like Wotofo offer other partners access to retailers' portals where they can download and use premade marketing materials including, social media posts, product videos, and pre-written product launch email campaigns. 

Overall, there are many things to consider when choosing which vape brands to stock. By taking the time to research and compare different brands, you can find reliable and reputable suppliers that will help you bring high-quality products to your consumers at a reasonable price.