Do we have a chance?

[Alex]

@KZOR, as many people have already mentioned, there are obviously relationships that have developed over the course of the last couple of years. This industry has moved forward at speeds reminiscent of the PC industry in the 90's. I believe the local juice makers have excelled to world standards.

Speaking for myself, I tend to stick with a specific juice that I know, rather than experiment with something new. Buying 100ml bottles of something I know will not go to waste is how I roll.

From friends of mine in the industry, I know that taking the time to do proper market research is essential in developing a new flavour. Coming up with one new flavour can sometimes take a year of refining and tweaking. I also believe that catering to higher nicotine users is something that you could look at.

Competitive pricing is very important.

Lastly, you mentioned having a problem getting people to visit your sub-forum. Look for interesting vape related content to post there. It doesn't have to be about your business directly, but it will drive people to your forum.

 

[Raindance]

Hope I am not considered to be one of those less friendly vapers, if so, please accept my apology. Not intended as such.

 

[SAVaper]

I have mixed feeling about this and I am going to add my unconsidered opinion here.

Feelings and perceptions are real however inaccurate.
As a matter of principle I do not think any of the admin should be promoting a specific product. Reviewing is a different story. Other peeps may give their opinions at random.
Oom @Rob Fisher (only as an example) you do mention XXX a lot. Could it create a perception of promoting or would it be seen as normal conversation? Just a question.
On the other hand I am fully aware of all the wonderful things these very vendors do on this forum and for this community. Is it really unfair that they benefit a little from this forum? Some of them contribute a lot of useful information like in the DIY thread. Most give generously to marketing, vape meets and competitions and in general do a lot for the vaping industry. Is a little exposure and marketing too much to ask?

This off coarse makes it more difficult for a new guy to enter without laying out some (maybe a lot) of money in giveaways and samples. But maybe this is part of the coarse in business.

Like I said, this is unconsidered opinion and in no way meant to accuse/question either the admin or any vendor (big or small). I wish all of them equal success.

One thing I definitely agree with is that vendors may only promote their products in their sub forum. Otherwise this will turn into a facebook group where everyone markets their product and one would have to browse hundreds of posts to find something useful. I am not interested.

 

[Imperator]

I'd be interested in seeing statistics relating to correlation and causation between sales and ECIGSSA membership and the supposed punting by admins of certain products. Obviously this won't happen due to logistical issues but, and I think this is important to note despite the obvious value of this forum and the daily contribution made by its members, a large majority of vapers don't rely on this forum.

There is a massive market that exists independent of the forum. I'm sure most Twisp and Vapemob users don't check up on our reviews or they'd see the massive independent juice market that is emerging. Plus, you obviously get a large amount of people that purchase from Cock 'n Bull and other such stores.

I set up a company with a colleague of mine around a year ago in CPT and, while we are still small-time, have thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and enjoyed a certain amount of success to boot. We haven't set up an account on here (and have been remiss not to do so) but I'm not all to certain that it has had a negative result on our sales. It certainly hasn't had an impact on the willingness of distributors to stock our product (or to not). I'm sorry that you've had a rough time of it so far, it really can be a tough and I wish you the best of luck in the future.

 

[Ashley A]

I have mixed feeling about this and I am going to add my unconsidered opinion here.

Feelings and perceptions are real however inaccurate.
As a matter of principle I do not think any of the admin should be promoting a specific product. Reviewing is a different story. Other peeps may give their opinions at random.
Oom @Rob Fisher (only as an example) you do mention XXX a lot. Could it create a perception of promoting or would it be seen as normal conversation? Just a question.
On the other hand I am fully aware of all the wonderful things these very vendors do on this forum and for this community. Is it really unfair that they benefit a little from this forum? Some of them contribute a lot of useful information like in the DIY thread. Most give generously to marketing, vape meets and competitions and in general do a lot for the vaping industry. Is a little exposure and marketing too much to ask?

This off coarse makes it more difficult for a new guy to enter without laying out some (maybe a lot) of money in giveaways and samples. But maybe this is part of the coarse in business.

Like I said, this is unconsidered opinion and in no way meant to accuse/question either the admin or any vendor (big or small). I wish all of them equal success.

One thing I definitely agree with is that vendors may only promote their products in their sub forum. Otherwise this will turn into a facebook group where everyone markets their product and one would have to browse hundreds of posts to find something useful. I am not interested.

Mods are people too and they're entitled to their opinion. I think we need to learn about the people on this forum as so much is subjective and a preference.

Rob does indeed mention XXX a lot and so do I. That is because it is a superb juice and why it won at Vapecon. He also mentions Tropical Ice a lot and single coil builds on the cyclone but I hate menthol and prefer dual coil on my Nuppin so I understand that he has a different preference in general and don't rush to use those. XXX on the other hand is mentioned by many and was the winner so I gave it a shot and happened to be the only menthol/mint type flavour I actually like.

Hopefully @KZOR will enter the next comp and win and everyone will be raving about his juice and I and many others will be tempted to try it. The proof will be in the pudding and if it is as good as it sounds, then we'll be ordering liters of it