Is It time For Vape Businesses To Become More Responsible? Starting your own business is a venture that many of us dream of. For many, this dream becomes a reality, and with it comes both rewarding and challenging moments

Starting your own business is a venture that many of us dream of. For many, this dream becomes a reality, and with it comes both rewarding and challenging moments.

Before opening your own business, it's crucial to invest time into researching your chosen industry. When it comes to the vaping market, there are several rules and regulations that you'll need to familiarise yourself with first.

Within recent years, the e-cigarette industry has had its fair share of controversies, such as fake vape devices, teen vaping, and "popcorn lung'. However, consumer confidence is beginning to return.

The vape market is continuing to make progress in safety measures, while more and more studies are praising vaping as an effective smoking cessation tool.

In terms of safety, it's crucial for vape store owners to follow the best practices. In this guide, we'll be sharing how vape businesses are becoming more responsible, and the steps that you should take in order to set up your new vape store for success!

Finding Reputable Wholesalers

As a vape retailer, you'll need to find a reliable product distributor who is aware of all the current vaping trends. This way, you'll have easy access to all of the best e-liquids and popular vape kits currently available on the market.

"Watch out for companies who offer suspiciously low wholesale prices, as their products will most likely be replicas of e-cigarettes and e-liquids." explains Jane Buxton, General Manager of the UK leading vaping distributor Vape Supplier.

"At Vape Supplier, we directly partner with reputable brands in the industry, ensuring quality and all compliance is maximised. We're also one of the few wholesalers in the industry that flavour test each e-liquid that we stock, meaning our retailers can be assured that all UK requirements have been met."

Be mindful of wholesalers selling low-quality, counterfeit vape products: a handful of negative reviews from dissatisfied customers could result in your vape store going up in smoke.

Choosing a Reliable POS System

Another vital component of a responsible yet successful e-cig store is a vape-friendly POS system. POS, or Point of Sale, is a suite of technology that retailers need to help order and manage inventory, process transactions, as well as manage customers and staff members.

Ultimately, a good POS package can help grow your business and take it in the right direction. As a vape store owner, it's your responsibility to choose a trustworthy POS system that has built-in age and quantity restrictions. Whether you're a brick and mortar vape store or an online vape retailer, it's paramount to implement age check tools.

Staying Informed of UK E-cigarette Laws and Regulations

In the UK, businesses who manufacture vape products must comply with the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations, also known as TRPR. While e-liquids do not contain the same level of harmful chemicals as cigarettes, any product containing nicotine is governed under these regulations.

Among these regulations is the 10ml rule, in which e-liquid bottles cannot contain over this amount. Similarly, tanks and pods, the components which house e-liquids, can only go up to 2ml. These laws also apply to the percentage of nicotine within e-liquids. At present, the maximum volume of nicotine allowed in e-liquids stands at 20mg.

There are also rules on packaging, such as displaying health warnings and disclosing that nicotine is an addictive substance. Each e-liquid that you stock in your store must also clearly state the product's included ingredients, as well as the nicotine delivery per dose. It's also important to research marketing regulations which cover what you can and can't claim about your vaping products.

The laws regulating vape products are constantly changing. For a full overview of e-cigarette rules and regulations, ensure to read GOV.uk's official help guide.

Prioritising Customer Education on Vaping

For some, switching from smoking to vaping can seem like a daunting or even impossible task. To help your customers feel as confident as possible while taking this step, it's essential to provide in-store educational tools on vaping.

After all, the more educated your customers are on vaping, the more inclined they will feel to return to your store! Try hanging up helpful posters, handing out informative leaflets with each purchase, or even offering vaping demonstrations from your employees where required. It's equally important to hire staff members who have a personal understanding of vaping, are vapers themselves, or have previous experience in a vape store.

If you're planning to set up an online vape store, keep your website updated with well-researched vaping guides and news articles that answer common vaping questions. To ensure that all of your customer's needs are being met, you may also want to consider implementing a live chat feature on your website.