Five Tips to Boost Your Smoke Shop Sales
The popularity of smoke shops has grown tremendously over the last few years. It indicates that there is a lot of competition in the industry and sellers have to make sure that they come out on top with regard to quality and sales of products. Here are 5 tips to help your smoke shop in US boost sales:
- Get rid of store clutter
The stereotypical image of smoke shops being dimly lit rooms filled to the brim with random psychedelic merchandise of all kinds is a thing of the past. As smoke shops are becoming more modern, they are beginning to look like any other shop – clean and organized. Organizing your store has become an important aspect of increasing sales with visual merchandising coming in to play. Remove unnecessary materials that you’ve been storing for years and organize your store into different sections like bongs, water pipes, vaporizers and so on.
Once every few months, clean up your entire store – get rid of old or broken products that aren’t selling, re-arrange shelves, change the store decor, fix any broken shelves and counters. If your store is visually appealing to the consumers then they are more likely to buy your products.
- Employee management
Most high-quality smoke shops in US these days are hiring staff that have prior experience with working in smoke shops. This is because you need to hire people that are well-versed with the latest jargon, are knowledgeable about all the products in your store and know how to handle them. Giving a live demonstration of how certain products work tells your customer that you know what you’re doing and makes them more likely to buy your products.
If you can’t hire new personnel then train your current employees to be the best like most big retailers do. Your employees shouldn’t be caught off-guard by veterans’ questions and also be able to make newbies feel comfortable. Have dedicated employees for loyal customers, who know what that particular customer usually buys and can take of their orders quickly. This will streamline certain orders, giving you more time to handle newer customers while at the same time keeping your veteran customers pleased.
Customer service must be your top priority so going a little out of your way to make your customers happy turns them from normal customers into loyal ones. So replace defective orders and make sure that all your employees are able to address customers’ issues in a respectable manner.
- Products
Your products are the main aspect of your store. Without good products, your sales will plummet and customers will move on to competitors’ stores. Keep your products up to date, but also have your best-selling classics in stock so you can please smoke shop buyers who might be looking for the latest items with the newest designs by artists and big brands. It will also help you also satisfy newer customers who are looking to buy the basics.
It is commonly known that 20 percent of your inventory accounts for about 80 percent of your sales so smoke shops that keep a ton of older products for years will face problems generating a good cash flow. Sell your older products at discount or even below wholesale rates to get rid of dead inventory. Store clutter is a result of bad inventory management so it is important to keep track of the products that are coming in and the ones you are selling precisely.
Make sure you have enough products so that you don’t run out of stock easily. Customers are more willing to buy products if they are well stocked. For example, if you go to a store and see a shirt, you’ll want to see other shirts like it instead of having a singular option, the same thing applies to smoke shops.
Have a clear idea of the products in your store and what they say about your company. Don’t falsely advertise your products as you’ll lose your customers’ trust. It is also a good idea to have a dedicated product line so customers’ don’t have to wait in long lines and find what they want easily.
- POS System
Point of Sale or POS systems are a network of computers that are managed by a main computer. They are an important aspect of increasing sales and are involved in a variety of departments be it a normal checkout or helping you design your marketing strategy. POS systems help you track your sales, usage, cost changes, when to re-order certain products and analyze your inventory.
There are many apps for iPads and Android tablets that are designed to help keep track of your store all in one place. Although most POS apps these days are aimed towards the food industry, there are some that are meant for retail oriented products. These apps act like checkout apps and smoke shops will need apps that are customizable.
- Store decor
As mentioned earlier, visual merchandising has a huge impact on sale. Depending on the area in which your shop is located, it is expected to look more like a showroom than a retail store. Design your smoke shop to suit your average customer and make sure it makes the customers comfortable and make it easier to find what they’re looking for. High-end smoke shops often have employees dedicated to help customers much like the ones you have clothing shops. They tell you where the product is and answer all your questions. They also have different counters for different products.
The design of your store is also really important and must match currently trending styles. Currently sleek, stylish and modern decor is preferred. Have a waiting area where customers can avoid long queues and instead be seated comfortably. Provide magazines or test products for your customers, so they have something to do while waiting. Your customers’ time is valuable to both you and them so you have to make them comfortable while they’re in your store.
If you have a product for shops, check out our smoke shops directory.
