Welcome!
Welcome to this e-commerce business success story! In this profile, we interviewed Edward Swain, the managing director the Vape Superstore. Our hope is that you find this interview to be enlightening and inspiring as you seek to start and grow your very own online brand!
Interview with Edward Swain
Thank you for joining us for this e-commerce business success story! We’d like to start by getting an understanding of your backstory. How did you come to own your business?
Back in 2014, our four founding shareholders, including myself, began vaping as a way to quit smoking. With a growing passion for the products alongside backgrounds in Digital Marketing and Ecommerce, we saw an opportunity to make an impact on a relatively new industry that had huge potential.
In 2015, we opened the doors to our first store as well as launching the website. Originally created to be a specialist vape shop bringing legitimate product options and higher quality to vapers, we’ve since expanded to offer the most comprehensive range of products in the UK. Our goal in trading online and on the high street was to be an accessible resource for people who like to try before they buy as well as catering to those too far to visit a shop. Since then, Vape Superstore has grown considerably.
Terrific! Now, this article is about profiling successful e-commerce businesses. So – can you share your top 3 keys to running a successful online brand?
- Be persistent – our company did not become successful overnight. We faced numerous challenges while working in a regulated industry and selling a tobacco classified product. We were able to build a successful business that is still growing by being persistent, consistent, and focused on our goals.
- Don’t cut corners – as an ecommerce brand, we had to give our online store the same level of attention and care as we did our brick-and-mortar stores. A lot of time, effort, and money goes into attracting visitors to your store; so when they do arrive, you must make an immediate, positive impression in order for those visitors to feel confident shopping with you. Customer retention is essential for success, so make sure your journey leaves a favourable and long-lasting impression.
- Don’t get left behind – keep a close eye on your competitors, and understand what they bring to the table to assist you in remaining competitive. This will also help you improve your strategies and gain a competitive advantage.
It goes without saying that if your customers find your offers to be more competitive and valuable, they will naturally prefer your brand over others.
Excellent. Now, I’m sure it hasn’t always been that easy. Can you tell a story about one challenge, setback, or mistake that you’ve had to overcome on the road to success? How can others learn from your mistakes?
Originally developing our store on Magento we took the business decision to replatform on Shopify in 2019. The migration from Magento to Shopify coincided unintentionally with a Google core algorithm update, which resulted in a significant drop in our organic visibility. While you can never plan or predict such events, if you are going to replatform, make sure you have every single development box checked. Planning is key and as stated in my previous response, do not cut corners.
On the web you will find many migration success stories, but deep amongst those there are a greater number that were not successful. Conduct research and learn from the mistakes of others.
Thanks for that. Now – we want to know what’s next! What new initiatives are you rolling out at your business and what results are you hoping to see?
We’re always looking for ways to improve, and we recently relaunched our website on Shopify V2. We’ve focused more on the customer journey to make it as smooth as possible. We are able to provide more personalised results and increase the speed of results through our integration of a new AI-powered search and discovery platform.
Sounds exciting! Any final words of advice for our readers?
Good luck! Maintain a positive attitude and be patient, but be proactive rather than reactive. There will be challenges in whatever industry you choose, some more than others. Be aware of those before you dive straight in.
Brilliant! We want to thank you for participating in today’s interview. Hopefully our readers agree that there is a lot to be learned from your brand’s story. What links can our readers use to follow along with your journey?
To find out more about us or if you’re looking for the best vaping supplies in the UK visit us at https://www.vapesuperstore.co.uk
