Mixed Smoke Signals for C-Stores (discusses retailing e-cigs and OTP)

[Bill Godshall]

Mixed Smoke Signals for C-stores
Mixed Smoke Signals for C-Stores | Convenience Store Decisions

"Due to the limited space in the typical convenience store, many locations don’t have room to showcase fixtures from every brand, said Myers, and that problem is growing with the popularity of electronic cigarettes. “The toughest part of the electronic cigarette is deciding on which ones to carry,” she said. “If I carried every e-cigarette that has been presented to me, I wouldn’t have room for anything else in the store.”

When it comes to e-cigs, Hauck believes a store only has room for the top sellers. “Can a store handle 10 varieties of electronic cigarettes?” he said. “No. That’s too much to ask a retailer. I suspect the answer is closer to three or four.”

This explains why C-stores are (and will continue to be) unlikely to sell mods or e-liquid, and why the three Big tobacco companies (Lorillard, Reynolds, Altria) will benefit from FDA regulation of e-cigs (as those three companies already have behind-the-counter display contracts with several hundred thousand tobacco retailers to assure their e-cigs will be sold and given prime display space).

 

[AgentAnia]

I'm conflicted.

“When traditional cigarette customers come into the store you need to ask them ‘would you also like a pack of electronic cigarettes for those times when you can’t smoke?’ Maybe they’ll say no or maybe they’ll say yes,” Myers said. “A lot of education needs to happen out there with consumers. That’s something we’re constantly working on—training our team members about snus and electronics, so they can help our customers.”

For many (most?) vapers, this is their introduction to ecigs, a product they pick up from a convenience store. A good thing, no?

But then they need to be able to move on to a more satisfying experience. They need to know about and have access to more advanced devices and e-liquid. This is where B&Ms and internet vendors come in, and this is what worries me about whatever regulators and state and federal legislators may do. There's a place for convenience-store sales, but it shouldn't be the only place.

Not sure where I'm going with this, so I'll just stop

 

[Uma]

It's the same with gas stations... They are under contract to carry only what their sponsors allow. No competition allowed. For instance, they can sell Marlboro or camel company eCigs, but not ego, unless of course ego buys a tobacco company....

 

[Bob Chill]

What BT needs to do is develop a satisfying and affordable product. Something that first time users will actually be satisfied with over time. Right now, c-store products are either a stepping stone to more advanced equipment that is satisfying or they fail and the user goes back to smoking. THAT won't work for BT. They need customers for life.

I can't see advanced products ever being in c-stores for many reasons. Cost and product education are probably the 2 biggest. APV's are definitely not something you just grab off the shelf and read a 1 page info sheet and vape. It's impossible to expect any type of c-store to provide product knowledge and training at the counter. Unfortunately, APV's are what is required by the vast majority of ecig users to be satisfied and easily stay away from cigs.

IMO- the vast majority of folks on ECF who are successful in quitting all have some similar personality traits. We are willing to gain extensive knowledge, fiddle and work on our equipment to maintain the best vape possible, and none of us are afraid to try new things. As it stands now, it takes a certain type of person to be successful and totally satisfied with ecigs. Even though we feel like the market is ripe and wide open for everybody, in reality it really isn't. At least in my opinion.

My two best friends are lifetime smokers. One quit immediately like me. We both have all kinds of gear now and love it. I'm mixing my own juice and love that too. My other friend briefly tried it and quickly made his own decision that it was too much trouble. I honestly could only see him stick with ecigs if he can buy them off the shelf AND they are as satisfying as some of the advanced equipment today. I think he probably represents the mentality of the majority of people out there. There is no way he's going to buy a vamo and a protank. He would use it till it gets all gunked up and put it on the shelf to gather dust. I personally think that type of personality represents the majority of the smoking population. It's not an insult in any way. Everybody has their strengths and weaknesses. I love laying on the street changing the oil in my truck. I know very few folks who can say that. I'm in no way better than anyone because I do it myself. It's just part of who I am. Having traits like this are definitely part of the reason I latched on to ecigs with ease and absolutely love the hobby.

Even a simple ego/evod combo requires fiddling. Filling tanks, changing heads, cleaning, charging, etc. Cigarettes require $5-10 and a pack of matches. It's a massive step when you think about it (even though it seems simple to us) and IMO the majority of smokers simply will not make that step. They want pure convenience and satisfaction. BT needs to figure that out to protect their customers for life.

The ultimate scenario would be for c-store products to become satisfying enough for long term use. They aren't now obviously. Then boutique style stores and online stores can provide the advanced equipment for folks like us.

My wife doesn't like to tinker with mechanical stuff. She's totally creative in visual stuff, cooking, and things like that but maintaining fresh coils and clean tanks is all me (I like doing it so it's hardly a chore). I'm certain that she would not have been able to successfully quit if it wasn't for me taking care of the equipment. Disposables and cigalikes aren't there yet. They need to be. They have to be.

 

[AgentAnia]

Bob Chill, I'm going to gently disagree with you on a point or two. As I was reading your statement about the "non fiddlers" among us and how they aren't suited to adopting advanced vaping equipment, I thought of computers, cell phones, tablets, ebooks, etc. that most people own, and maintain. All sorts of "fiddling" required for these devices, to say nothing of the many household gadgets we own and use every day.

The problem lies with the relative ease of using a pack of cigarettes and some matches, vs. the relative "work" of maintenance involved with ecigs. Moving from "ease of use" to "maintenance required" may be more than some want to do, but I don't see it as unsurmountable.

For instance, I'm a dedicated vaper, but I don't own a mod, don't rebuild coils, heck, I don't even dry burn my heads. I clean out my tanks periodically and replace the heads when they get gunked up. I consider this ease of use. I do mix my own juice because I enjoy experimenting in that area, but I could be just as happy buying premixed if ease of use was paramount.

I agree with you that for some current smokers, cigalikes and disposables would be preferred for long-term use, but there's also a tremendous potential for what I'll call intermediate users, like me. I am hoping that any future regulations will allow the growth of *all* segments of the industry, so that vapers of all stripes can be satisfied.

 

[Bob Chill]

Ania, I re-read my post and realized I left out one very important item. A smoker's desire to quit. It's a powerful motivator. Especially considering how incredibly hard it can be after having the monkey on the back for a decade or more.

My friend who succeeded and myself have tried every method available and failed. My friend who never really tried failed at vaping. So I totally agree with your counterpoints. Anyone can be successful if they are truly motivated.

Motivation to make it work is probably the most important piece of the puzzle. That piece applies to anyone motivated regardless of personality traits.

With that being said, some people are naturally more able to make it work than others with current vape tech. Could you imagine an off the shelf cigalike or other cheap easy device that delivers the quality vape of a protank and vw mod? That would break the door wide open for sure. Even for people who aren't motivated to quit. It's coming not too far down the road imo.

 

[stevegmu]

A convenience store isn't going to want to deal with returns for defective eGo-style set-ups and pvs. Carrying cheaply made devices with a high DPPM rate would be a losing proposition. Walmart, on the other hand, would be able to buy large enough quantities and demand certain quality standards from vendors that no convenience store or chain of convenience stores would be able to do.

I know several people who are satisfied with BLU and another who used nJoy Kings for a while and has now quit completely- no cigarettes or e-nic.

I do see convenience stores selling bottles of e-nic in the future, though. Once vaping becomes mainstream, once the tobacco companies realize there is more potential revenue from e-nic, they will put out better pvs with re-fillable tanks and sell Marlboro Red e-liquid, or Camel e-liquid.