Every business has a customer base, whether it be large, small, varied or highly niche. Knowing these markets inside out can help you to promote the right products to the right people at the right time. The result? More sales and a better reputation within the vaping space. In this article we are going to tell you how to:

• Segment your market
• Reach these customer segments 
• Keep these customers coming back

Your Market Is Varied

Your vape shop, whether it's online or offline, won’t have just one type of customer, but many. A huge number of people are vaping, and they come from all walks of life. But here is what the research says about vaping demographics to help you target the right people.

1. Nearly two thirds of current vapers are ex-smokers (64.6%)
2. Fewer than 1% of never smokers are current vapers (amounting to 4.9% of vapers)
3. The peak ages for current e-cigarette use in 2021 are among 35-44 year olds (10.1%)
4. The lowest vaping rates by age are 5% for young adults aged 18-24
5. Slightly more men vape than women

Based on this research alone, here are some markets to look at:

Ex Smokers

People who are trying to cut down or quit smoking altogether will inevitably be your primary market, although there are several ways to address them. 

Some people like to use vaping as a way to eliminate cigarettes, but are happy to continue vaping up to 20mg of nicotine using a vape pen. Long-term nicotine vapers might be interested in the following products:

20mg E-liquids: People who use refillable vape tanks / pens will need a healthy supply of their favourite e-liquids at a decent nicotine strength (20mg is the limit). Offer a nice variety, including traditional tastes like cream tobacco and menthol. 

Pod Vape Systems: Pod vapes are a fairly new product in the world of vaping. They are smaller and more compact than other vaping devices, making them easily transportable, convenient to use and easy to refill. 

Advanced Vape Kits: Perfect for those who have long term goals to keep vaping and wish to customise the experience. 

Other ex smokers will wish to have a finite vaping experience and view vape kits as a way of quitting smoking. The end goal is to ditch the vape as soon as they’ve kicked the nicotine habit. People in this market might prefer access to lower dose nicotine products such as 10mg. Here’s some products they might like:

Disposables: Available in 20mg, 15mg, 10mg and 0mg, disposables are affordable and convenient, especially for short term  use. You can begin on a higher dose of nicotine and then slowly wean yourself down to a lower dose, before ending on 0mg and eventually stopping altogether. 

Millennials

As the research shows, most vapers fit into the age 35-44 range. At the time of writing, this group is known as ‘millennials’. Millennials are renowned for having a number of common traits, including innovativeness (remember, this group invented social media!), a thirst for knowledge and education, creativity / free thought, and instant gratification / impatience. 

With this in mind, we think your millennial market will be particularly interested in the following:

DIY and Mixing: Given their creativity and innovativeness, millennial vapers might enjoy creating their own e-liquids. This is entirely possible if you stock the right ingredients for them to use, including great flavouring, high quality PG and VG, and a range of nicotine salts. 

CBD Disposables: CBD is a new and interesting trend that shows no signs of slowing, and the millennial market are one of the largest consumers of CBD. Disposables are also easy to use, with no setup or hassle, and can be thrown away as easily as they can be set up and vaped. A quick and convenient health hit for a busy millennial worker!

Plus, given that this group love being educated and informed, we think it’s good to supply each customer with a wealth of information about vaping safety, vaping facts and the latest research. You can put one of our posters into your shop to help aid this education. 

The Natural Health Market

Vaping and using CBD has now become extremely popular due to its health benefits. You will find a huge market within the vaping community who exclusively vape CBD over nicotine. 

Unlike nicotine, CBD does no harm to the body and is not addictive. It is used to medicate various ailments including pain, migraines and sleep disorders. Here are some market statistics on CBD to help you target these customers:

1. Between 8 and 11% of the adult population in the UK have consumed a CBD product in the last year.
2. 15% of 25-29-year-olds having used a CBD product in the last 12 months
3. Women are more likely to use CBD
4. 50% of millennials would prefer to use CBD oil over antidepressants

Here are some products this market might be interested in:

CBD Oil: Available in a range of blends, strengths and sizes, CBD oil is a good allrounder when it comes to promoting health (including mental health)

CBD e-liquids: For those who prefer to vape CBD, it is possible to buy a range of CBD e-liquids spanning many strengths and flavours. 

You will also find that CBD users are interested in nootropics. Nootropics are safe, reliable and powerful herbal medicines that work in alignment with your body and brain to boost health. 

Marketing Tips

Ensure that you are clear on who your demographic are, what they are interested in achieving out of vaping or CBD use, and the types of products they might be keen on. Your shop layout, branding and messaging should be consistent with this market and speak to them on a personal level. 

If you are dropshipping with us, we can help you to design a website that suits your desired demographic and convert more sales. Check out our dropshipping page for more information. 

Got questions? Get in touch with us today and we will happily help.