How retailers can arm themselves against underage tobacco sales this Black Friday.

Black Friday is one of the largest anticipated and advertised events globally, and it is no different for retailers who sell vaping products. Friday 25 November 2022 will see the advent of Black Friday for all retailers, followed by Cyber Monday on 28 November 2022.???

But do people really buy more on Black Friday???

The short answer is yes. It is also worth noting that a shopper’s hunt for a bargain is at an all-time high, which makes them more likely to purchase during this period.?

?According to a study conducted by Statista “The UK accounted for over 10 percent of all global Black Friday searches online in 2021”. People are hungry for a deal and making sure you are prepared for the rush, and what to offer, is of paramount importance.?

The in-store impact of Black Friday on vape sales?

Although Black Friday is an opportunity to increase sales, retailers should be weary of selling vape products to those under 18, or even to those who look under the age of 25. It’s during this time, especially with many out to purchase based on promotional trends, that minors or proxies will attempt tactics to enable the sale of alcohol, tobacco, and vaping products.?

One of the most fundamental challenges in the UK is the prevention of underage sales of tobacco products. Minors are also more likely to purchase tobacco products in-store than online as the required online verification processes make it more difficult to purchase tobacco products online.?

A report by ASH stated that the main source where under-18-year-olds are getting their e-cigarettes from, is shops.? Retailers should ensure that they have valid age verification processes in place, to ensure they can effectively deny the purchase of tobacco and alcohol products in-store.??

The Top disposable vapes that customers will want this Black Friday?

E-liquids are still very popular amongst vapers, although we are expecting to see a peak in the sale of disposable devices during the Black Friday period. Disposable device options from brands like Crystal, Relx’s Bubblemon, Vapes Bars, and other new TPD-compliant entries will be top of the buyer list in preference.?

The law you should know?

We all know this - selling tobacco products to minors is illegal.??This includes products such as cigarettes, vapes, shisha, and any other smoking-based products. Should you be caught selling these products to minors, you could be fined, or you could be referred to court. Retailers should know the law on selling vape products to make sure the products that they stock are TPD compliant.??

The Tobacco Directive, also known as TPD, set out a set of rules for e-cigarettes to be deemed legal in the EU. For a vape product to be placed on the market it must be fully TPD compliant. Some of the key rules of the TPD include the size of e-liquid bottles that may not exceed 10ml, vape tank sizes that may not exceed 2ml of e-liquid capacity, and the maximum allowed nicotine strength which is 20mg. Furthermore, product information should be clearly stipulated on the packaging such as a health warning, producer information, and more. As there are a lot of counterfeit disposable vapes making their way into the market it is important to make sure that your products are TPD compliant. For further information, you can read our article on TPD Compliance here.??

Vape Stop ensures all products sold through our channels are TPD compliant. This is one of the key identifiers of a Vape Stop unit – we do not allow any non-TPD-compliant products on our shelves, as we do not support the sale of non-TPD-compliant products. If for any reason there are non-compliant products on our units, we urge the public to alert us immediately. We take definite and swift steps against retailers who stock non-compliant products on our units.???

What does it mean to be a responsible retailer???

Preventing the sale of nicotine products to minors is the main aim of being a responsible retailer. This can be done by ensuring you have an established age verification policy and process in place. It is the responsibility of each retailer to ensure the rate of sale to underage vapers does not rise, which most likely will see a peak during promotional peaks such as Black Friday. As a responsible retailer, it is your responsibility to ensure your staff is trained, and to ensure every vape sale happens in a well-thought-out process.??

Training your staff on the impact of underage vape sales is crucial to ensure no underage sales are taking place in your store. This can be done by onboarding new staff members with information on the various UK laws and regulations applicable to selling vape products.???

Challenge 25?

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Challenge 25 is a retailing strategy carried out in the UK that requires anyone who looks under 25 to show a valid form of ID before they can buy alcohol, cigarettes, vaping products, or any other nicotine-related products. If a consumer appears to be under the age of 25, retailers are encouraged to ask for a valid proof of identification to confirm that the customer is in fact over 18 years of age. If the consumer does not have a valid form of identification, the sale can and should be refused.????

Retailers selling vape products should clearly communicate to their customers that they are enforcing the Challenge 25 policy with point-of-sale materials in their stores. To make access easier to Challenge 25 point of sale material, the UKVIA has made some material available for download, for free. Click here to visit their platform to download yours today. ?

?UK Best Practices for enforcing Challenge 25 in your store?

The UKVIA has set out some guidelines that will help in preventing the escalation of situations that can arise from enforcing the Challenge 25 campaign.???

1. ??Be the first and primary line of access – being the main point of access, gives you the opportunity to intervene and apply Challenge 25. Your presence might dissuade proxies from purchasing.?
2. Ensure Challenge 25 is visible and part of your policies. This way, if a customer takes asking for age verification personally, you have grounds to fall back on.??
3. Keep emotions at bay - In order to avoid a heated argument, it is important to always stay calm and professional. Explain to the customer that you will in fact be able to help them if they show you a valid piece of identification to prove they are over the age of 18.???
4. If the situation escalates and a customer becomes aggressive and you are starting to fear for your safety, removing yourself from the situation will be the right thing to do. You can either ask another staff member or management to take over, or you can call your local authorities for assistance.???

?If you need any assistance, please be sure to contact us at [email protected] or 03301242183??

Ensure you are all stocked for this Black Friday. Here's how you can place your order with Vape-Stop:?

• Express Order - use express order to add multiple in-stock products at the same time. Quick sort via brand or category. Click here and log in to access Express Order.?
• Order via phone - speak to one of our customer care consultants to place your order on the phone, via your own account on 03301242183. A payment link will be sent to your email to complete the purchase.?
• Order via email - send us a mail to [email protected], and our customer care team will process your order and send you a payment link to finalize your purchase.?
• Order via WhatsApp - click here to open up instant chat on WhatsApp and save our contact for any future orders or general queries - or save +447979100296 to your phone today. Our customer care team will send you a payment link via WhatsApp or email to complete your order.?