Brick and Mortar Stores vs. Online Vape Stores [Which One to Own & Where to Shop]

Contrary to popular belief brick and mortar vape stores are still a driving force behind industry sales.

Although the numbers are not entirely accurate, some sources say that brick-and-mortar vape store sales are at least 10x bigger than those of online vape store retailers.

An ample array of reasons may cause this. But it's a similar phenomenon to what happens in other industries where people go online to do their research on products but prefer to purchase from brick and mortar stores to review the item in person and take it home immediately.

However, this might be slightly different with vape stores because you can't try vape devices before purchasing them.

Vape devices increasingly apply advanced technology to their designs, which can drive the retail price of items up to the point that customers would feel much more comfortable purchasing the product in person.

Online vape stores have to offer clear advantages to entice consumers into purchasing through them to bypass these obstacles. A few of these 'clear advantages' are not going outside during the pandemic and offering exclusive discounts to online shoppers.

But these are not the only methods or benefits for each option.

On top of it all, owning a brick-and-mortar vape shop will be very different from owning an online retailer. We'll explore these differences in the following article.

Table Of Contents

1. Online vs. In-Person Shopping
2. Owning a Brick and Mortar Store vs. Online Vape Store

Online vs. In-Person Shopping

Online shopping is getting more popular by the day. Part of this has been due to the Covid 19 pandemic, but the other part can be explained by the clear advantages that shopping online offers to customers.

Not to say that in-person shopping doesn’t offer its own list of pros and cons.

Benefits of Online Shopping

• Product Variety: Customers can find a greater variety of products when shopping online. Not only because online stores are sometimes able to offer a broader range of products, but because they’re able to visit different online retailers with varying lineups of products.
• Product Comparisons: Customers can also find a pro because online vape stores offer plenty of room to compare options and pricing between different retailers. While this could be a disadvantage for the store because they have to compete with pricing way more than they would with brick-and-mortar stores, it’s advantageous for customers who can take their time to find the best deal available from a broad list of stores.
• Detailed Reviews: When shopping online, customers are almost guaranteed to find detailed reviews. While they do have to be wary of not taking the advice of inexperienced reviewers, the chances are that they’ll be able to find all the information they need for a purchase. This is also possible in brick and mortar stores that employ industry experts. Still, there is a higher risk of encountering inexperienced employees who are new to the industry and cannot give detailed advice.

 Benefits of Shopping Local

• No Shipping Costs: Shipping costs are among the most common reasons for cart abandonment in online shopping. Shopping local means that you are completely spared of online shipping costs. With international purchases, online shipping costs can reach up to 50% of the value of your item.
• Taking the Product Home Immediately: When shopping online, there’s always a time frame from when you order your product to the time you receive the package. While shipping can be as fast as one or two days, it can also take up to 15 days or more. It depends on what you’re purchasing and who you’re purchasing it from. This might be worth it if you’re saving a ton of money, but if you’re not, then taking the product home immediately from the store could sound like the more appealing option to most customers.
• Reviewing Product In Person: Shopping for vape devices online can be challenging if you don’t find detailed reviews, especially if you’re not familiar wih vaping already. Even if you find detailed information, sometimes it’s just nicer to get a feel for the quality of the product in person.
• Speaking Directly to Industry Experts: Suppose you have the opportunity to do your vape product shopping at a vape store that has experienced industry experts working. In that case, you’ll be able to solve all your questions and problems immediately. It can take a little longer to get your questions answered or any issues with your device solved with online shopping. Which also makes your returns & exchanges processes faster.
• Returns & Exchanges Are Easier: Not only are returns and exchanges a lot faster in person, but they’re also more straightforward. You can explain what the issue with your product is directly and why you need to return or exchange it, which sounds a lot better than having to go back and forth on emails and chats that never get answered.

Owning a Brick and Mortar Store vs. Online Vape Store

Like shopping in both systems has its own pros and cons, so does owning a store that operates in either environment.

Like shopping in both systems has its own pros and cons, so does owning a store that operates in either environment.

Benefits of Brick and Mortar Vape Stores

• More Manageable Customer Service: As a small business owner, it will be way easier to train employees in customer service in person. This way, you’re present when they’re talking to clients, and they’re able to get instant feedback from you or your vape store manager.
• Employee Expertise: The same pro applies to in-store shopping, but it can go both ways. As a brick-and-mortar vape store owner, your employees will need to have a veritable experience that SELLS. You can guarantee that this expertise gets communicated to the customer appropriately. Not only will you be able to hire experts, but you’ll also be able to train employees and MAKE them experts.
• In-Person Experience Combined With Online Experience: Owning a brick-and-mortar store doesn’t mean that you can only have exposure through it. You can also create a company website with your inventory and product line up available to the public. This way, your customers can order their products online for in-store pick-up or local delivery. They can even take a look at what you have before they make the trip out to your store.
• No Vape Mail Ban Restrictions & Less Risk of Underage Sales: Online vape stores also have a few obstacles to overcome that retailers in other industries don’t have; the vape mail bans and regulations regarding underage sales. Having a physical location that carries most of their sales in person is advantageous because you don’t have to worry about the vape mail ban, and it’s a lot easier to identify underage clients.

Benefits of Online Vape Stores

The benefits of online vape stores are much more straightforward and don’t require as much explanation as that of brick and mortar operations:

• No Rent, Infrastructure Investment, or Utilities: This doesn’t mean that you won’t have to pay for rent and utilities at all. If you’re ordering products from factories, then you’re likely paying for warehousing somewhere. However, warehousing can be cheaper than a storefront, and in many cases, you could even adapt a part of your home to work as a warehouse.
• Advertising Is On You: Storefronts may be simpler to do advertising for, but online vape shops are even more straightforward. Although there are many regulations around vape store advertising, you can also learn to do it quickly. If you’re re-selling products, this might be all you need to do to get the first pilot version of your new business started.
• Avoid Much Of the Covid-19 Uncertainty: True, you have the vape mail ban on dealing with, but you also have the advantage of not having to close down your store or deal with the uncertainty caused by the current pandemic.