Author: alfalabsltd

This weekend was the Vaper Expo and what an expo it was. Unfortunately a combination of events impacted on the turnout. Storm Dennis, trees hitting trains and coronavirus scares meant only the determined and faithful came to the vape show. 

One positive that did come from the low turnout was the ability to have more in depth conversations with the end consumer about which flavours they liked, what they were hoping to see in the future and which flavours weren’t hitting the mark. Everyone’s taste buds and flavour preferences are different but it’s easy to see a trend when the majority of people are saying the same things.  As you know it can be hard to get good feedback from customers so we found these conversations very enlightening and encouraging. 

The three ranges on display were Absolution, Planet Slush and Rock Salts. 

The list of flavours for Absolution were a winner. There wasn’t a single customer that wasn’t impressed with the sheer size of the range (20 flavours in all) and the imaginative but familiar flavours. Jam Donut, Lemon Cheesecake and Berry Crumble caught everyone’s eye and they weren’t disappointed when they tried them out with Jam Donut being many peoples favourite. Once intrigued by the range we introduced them to another wave other flavours. Fizzy Blue Bottles was a real time machine, taking everyone back to their youth. Salted Caramel was another one that people loved. 

“The lemon is just perfect and the cakey after taste is the best I’ve tried” 

Another favourite from the Absolution range was Pink Lemonade. Even if the customer initially said they preferred fruity or cakey flavours this particular juice was usually added to the purchase list. There was no particular feedback other than they really liked it and hadn’t found a lemonade flavour they’ actually liked before. The positive reception of the drink flavour allowed us introduce other juicy flavours like Ruby Mango, Sour Apple, Cherry Cola, Tropical Crush and Black Currant Bina. Ruby Mango and Tropical had a mixed reception but Cherry Cola and especially Black Currant Bina were a real surprise to many customers and comments like 

“This could be may regular vape! I could drink this alll day!”  

The pierce de la resistance was always the Red and Blue Slush which widened everyone’s eyes. It was impossible for them to hide their enjoyment, calling for their pals to try out this new slush flavour that had blown their taste buds to kingdom come. It was a conscious decision to end the Absolution tour on the Slush Twins as 1. Always finish on high note 2. A great segway to the Planet Slush Range. 

The 6 flavour range was simply a hit with everyone. The branding was eye catching and people commented on the styling straight away. As a personal favourite (and as the weekend progressed it proved to be everyone’s favourite) we started with the Raspberry Slush which was 

“out of this world!”

From then on it was plane sailing. Blueberry and Mixed Berry were both enjoyed equally while many folks were pleasantly surprised by the Strawberry Slush.

“I can’t usually find a Strawberry flavour that I like but this so lush”

Peoples reception of Watermelon Slush was 50/50 with lots of customers “not keen on watermelon flavours in general” so were unwilling to trial it, while other who were surprised with the quality of the Strawberry were happy to try a flavour they wouldn’t usually go for. Those that tried it said very similar things. 

“I usually find watermelon flavours really synthetic but this is just juicy and authentic!”

There were two main types of customer. Those wanting short fill full flavour sub ohm liquids and then the Nic Salt customer. The 14 flavour Rock Salt range was enough to peek their interest and they usually knew which flavours they wanted to try. Tropical Kiss, Electric Blue Slush and Rainbow Candy seemed to be everyone’s starting points. Rainbow Candy was easily the peoples favourite with Ziggy Blue Bottles a close second with Tropical Kiss and Black Currant Sabbath joint third. This is not discounting the rest of the range as no one disliked any of the flavours and simply enjoyed some flavours more than others. People usually opted for the 20mg. 

One interesting trend we found was although the customer groups for nic salts and sub ohm were clearly defined we were able to introduce sub ohm flavours to nic salt customers quite easily, but the same could not be said for the other way around. 

Overall, although the show was quiet and the turn out could have been much better, the truth came out and Alfa Labs continues to create winning e liquids for the masses. 

If you are a store and want to stock our range of e-liquids please contact us direct at info@alfalabs.co.uk .
 

Philip Morris strikes £5m sponsored content deal to promote ecigarettes.

Tobacco giant Philip Morris International has teamed up with youth-focused Vice Media to promote vaping surprising health campaigners. 

Vice has agreed a deal with PMI (makers of Marlboro) to produce sponsored content endorsing ecigarettes, according to two people with direct knowledge of the arrangement. One said the deal would cost the tobacco group £5m and that the campaign was due to start in April.

The push comes amid a global regulatory clampdown on cigarette advertising, following decades of tobacco companies underplaying the risks of smoking and past industry practices of targeting younger consumers in an attempt to hook them at an early age.

Like other tobacco groups, the seller of Marlboro cigarettes outside the US has shifted focus to non-combustible nicotine products as traditional smoking wanes. PMI, the biggest cigarette company in the world by sales, said in an investor presentation last month that it expected “reduced-risk” products, such as its flagship IQOS device, to account for roughly 40 per cent of total revenues by 2025, up from just under 14 per cent, or $4.1bn, last year.

Read the original article at the Financial Times website

Products containing the cannabis-derived compound cannabidiol (a.k.a. CBD) are sweeping the country, and the creator of the US’ most iconic jelly beans has joined the trend.

Candy-maker David Klein, who created the world-famous Jelly Belly brand in 1976, has rolled out a line of CBD candy beans, targeting what he feels is a gap in current offerings for edibles.

Read the full article here on Forbes

Restrictions on vaping on hospital grounds should be lifted, a pro-smoking group has said.

‘More than half (55%) of NHS trusts did not allow e-cigarettes to be used outdoors last year, according to a report by the Freedom Organisation for the Right to Enjoy Smoking (Forest).’

This is despite Public Health England (PHE) advice that it should be made easier for people to vape on site, the group said.

‘Forest is also calling for greater freedom for patients, visitors and staff who want to smoke cigarettes at hospitals.’

Freedom of Information requests were made to 200 NHS trusts in England by the organisation, 170 of which provided a response.

Around 45% said they allowed e-cigarettes to be used outside in 2018 and 11% of trusts, mainly specialising in mental health, permitted vaping indoors, the research found.

However 14% said they were planning to amend their policies in 2019 to allow vaping outside buildings, in shelters or in wards.

Read the full article here.