You’ve hand-picked a fantastic selection of tobacco products and created a top-notch shopping experience — but your smoke shop’s sales are at a standstill.
What’s missing?
The answer is an effective marketing strategy. In this quick guide, we’ll explore the basics of smoke shop marketing and share seven promotions to spark bigger sales and higher customer satisfaction.
Let’s get started!
Marketing is a critical ingredient for small business success, but there’s a haze of rules and regulations that make it especially tough for smoke shops.
For example, the federal government prohibits you from sponsoring community events, selling or giving away tobacco-branded merchandise like t-shirts, or handing out free samples of your products. Individual states and cities can have even stricter regulations on how your smoke shop is allowed to advertise.
Social media companies like Facebook also restrict how you can post and advertise on their platforms.
Above all, the goal of these regulations is to prevent you from selling or advertising tobacco products to individuals under the age of 21.
To recap, before launching a promotion for your smoke shop, make sure it follows federal guidelines, your state and local government’s regulations, and the rules of the social media platform or publication.
Ready to launch an effective marketing plan for your smoke shop? First, let’s make sure you have the right tools.
Our top tip is to invest in an all-in-one point of sale (POS) system with built-in marketing features like:
Having these marketing tools right at your fingertips makes it easy to launch regular promotions and see their impact on your smoke shop’s bottom line.
Now that we’ve covered the basics, you’re ready to craft the perfect marketing approach for your smoke shop. Here are seven proven promotions to inspire your next marketing move.
Walking into a smoke shop for the first time can be overwhelming for customers. Fortunately, there’s a way to make these first-timers feel welcome while increasing your sales: a cigar beginner’s kit.
With this strategy, you’ll curate a selection of must-haves for new cigar smokers, including a few smooth, mild cigars, a cutter, and a lighter for a single attractive price.
Your POS system’s promotion features should make it easy to create kits, letting your cashiers ring up new shoppers with just a few simple clicks.
Buy one, get one deals (BOGO) are a win-win for you and your customers.
This approach seems like it would lower your revenue, but it can help you solve cash flow and storage issues by increasing inventory turnover. Launch a BOGO deal on your underperforming cigars — and they’ll fly off the shelves.
To implement this smoke shop marketing strategy, simply choose one of your least popular cigars, promote a BOGO free or discounted deal, and set up the promotion in your POS system. If a customer buys two or more of the discounted cigars, your system will automatically apply the deal at the register.
Customer loyalty programs are a staple of successful smoke shop marketing plans — and for good reason. They increase customer satisfaction, retention, and average spending per visit.
When shoppers sign up for your loyalty program, they earn points every time they shop with you. The more they spend, the more points they earn.
Once they’ve accumulated enough points, they can exchange them for discounts and special offers, like a 20% storewide discount or a BOGO deal on their favorite cigar.
Want to take your smoke shop’s loyalty program to the next level? Promote it as an exclusive club for tobacco aficionados.
Instead of simply letting members accumulate rewards points and unlock discounts, you can offer special perks — like first dibs on new products, access to limited quantities of luxury cigars, or entrance into your shop’s cigar lounge.
Launching a unique loyalty program will provide customers with a unique shopping experience and a sense of community with their fellow cigar enthusiasts, giving them a reason to choose your smoke shop over the competition every time.
Planning community events is a great way to bring new shoppers through your door and create buzz for your smoke shop.
Here are a few examples of smoke shop events to consider hosting:
This is an especially smart strategy if you have a cigar lounge. These events give customers a reason to stay awhile and enjoy your excellent selection of cigars.
Related Read: 5 Smoke Shop Event Ideas To Bring Customers to Your Store
Do your customers constantly reach for the same cigars? Encourage them to branch out and find a new favorite by highlighting a “Cigar of the Month.”
Each month, choose a cigar to promote, offer an enticing discount, and create an eye-catching display that explains its flavor notes. The discount and display will encourage customers to give it a try — helping you earn their trust and make more sales.
Wondering which cigar to spotlight? Check your POS system’s sales reports to uncover your least popular cigars. Giving them the spotlight could turn them into your bestsellers.
You can offer the best discounts in the neighborhood — but none of it matters if customers don’t know about them.
That’s why our final smoke shop marketing tip is to keep your shoppers informed by launching a newsletter. Use your POS system’s email and SMS marketing features to send regular updates about everything happening in your store, including current and upcoming promotions and events.
When customers see these messages in their inbox, they’ll have a reason to stop by your smoke shop and stock up on their favorite tobacco products.
Managing and marketing your smoke shop without the right tools is a tough job — which is why we created Cigars POS.
Cigars POS is an all-in-one POS solution specifically designed for smoke shops, and it includes all the tools you need to stay compliant with tobacco industry regulations, track cigar inventory, spot sales trends, and build strong customer relationships.
Plus, our team of smoke shop industry experts is available 24/7 to help you put these tools to work.
Ready to grow your smoke shop? Schedule your live, personalized demo of Cigars POS today.