Talking Shop with... Jan A. Verleur, V2 Cigs

The chief executive officer of V2 Cigs says electronic cigarettes can drive repeat business if retailers position them correctly. Grocery Headquarters: Tell us about the electronic cigarette market. What are some of the factors driving sales? Jan A. Verleur: There are several factors contributing to the boom we are seeing in the electronic cigarette market. Higher tobacco cigarette prices, sweeping smoking bans, consumer awareness and heightened social stigmas have created an environment where people are searching for an alternative. Consumers are discovering that electronic cigarettes provide an easy way to switch without having to change their habits. They can still enjoy the pleasures of smoking without the tar, odor and social stigmas attached to traditional cigarettes. There is also the added bonus of being able to use electronic cigarettes in many non-smoking areas. What do retailers need to do to maximize sales from this category in terms of merchandising, education and promotion? Merchandising to promote repeat purchases is key to high sales volumes. Our highest performing retailers offer products geared toward repeat sales instead of focusing on one-time purchases. V2 Cigs has the world’s largest online customer base of electronic cigarette consumers. These customers are looking to purchase refill products in their local areas. Our most successful retailers benefit from tapping into that customer base by providing refill cartridges. Another driving force behind maximizing electronic cigarette sales is education. Misinformation is one of the largest obstacles faced by the e-cigarette industry, so the more a retailer knows about the product, the better their sales.  At V2 Cigs, we provide retailers with all the information they need to escalate their profits through increased sales and merchandising support. We pair that with the industry’s largest selection of collateral and display materials, which gives us a unique value proposition in the retail marketplace. Tell us about V2 Cigs? How are you different and unique in the marketplace? In a market place flooded with flash-in-the-pan electronic cigarette companies, V2 Cigs stands alone on many levels. We are a rapidly growing company with nearly 150 employees spread across three core locations. We are known for innovation; designing our products with in-house engineers for top performance and unparalleled quality. V2 Cigs does not outsource. From design to manufacture to distribution, we are involved in every aspect of production to ensure that only the best products reach consumers. We focus on long-term customer retention in the retail marketplace. Quality is the key to our success. This industry no longer has room for low-quality products. What merchandising tools do you offer retailers? V2 Cigs is in constant contact with its retailers to develop new and exciting merchandising tools that will improve sales and increase profitability. We offer a range of attractive choices in counter displays, shelf shipper displays, acrylic displays, signage, decals, counter mats and gas pump toppers. V2 Cigs offers everything from video presentations to custom mall kiosk displays. We also invest financially in our retailers with highly targeted advertising and merchandising campaigns designed to drive traffic into their stores. What is the future of this product? Why? To date, electronic cigarette manufacturing is largely unregulated. Because of this, we take the task of self-regulation very seriously. At V2 Cigs, we are paving the way for the entire marketplace with proven safety standards, quality control and batch testing. We see a bright future for electronic cigarettes; one where consumer safety and premium products are the universal standard.