Former OPPO Retail Head Duan Fei Joins Bode

As the e-cigarette market continues to mature, offline channels have become the battleground for various brands.
 
Recently, Duan Fei, the former retail head of OPPO, joined the high-end e-cigarette brand Bode as the national retail director. Bode partner and CMO Fang Hui stated: “With Mr. Duan's addition, Bode will have more products fully rolled out in the national 3C channels in the future.”

It is reported that before joining Bode, Duan Fei was responsible for OPPO's retail business for a long time, overseeing product lines including mobile phones, accessories, and smart peripherals. He is familiar with the ecosystem of 3C digital products and supply chain services, especially in expanding retail systems, brand exposure, and in-store promotions, possessing rich experience and management capabilities. Meanwhile, Cheng Yuncai, the former national channel manager of Duowei Mobile, has also joined Bode as the national channel director. It is believed that Bode will make significant moves in the offline market with the addition of these two individuals.

In fact, the e-cigarette industry has always maintained a high level of attention towards offline channels.

As the largest e-cigarette market in the world, the vast majority of products in the United States are sold through offline channels. Taking JUUL, the largest e-cigarette brand in the U.S., as an example: 41% of users choose to purchase from e-cigarette stores, while 29% opt for convenience stores, and 9% purchase through pharmacies and newsstands.

Offline channels account for a significant share of JUUL's sales, which holds high reference value for domestic e-cigarette brands looking to expand their sales channels.

Turning our attention back to the domestic market, offline channels still hold considerable competitiveness in the consumer sector. The user demand and usage scenarios for e-cigarettes are remarkably similar to those of power banks. For instance, let’s look at Street Power, which occupies 40.5% of the shared power bank market, with a cumulative user base reaching 107 million, according to the "2019 Half-Year Research Report on China's Shared Power Bank Industry" released by iiMedia Consulting.

If a small branch like power banks can achieve such a market share, then the offline market is undoubtedly a cake that cannot be overlooked for e-cigarettes, which are expected to have a massive market share in the future.

Moreover, the introduction of national standards will have a certain impact on online sales, further strengthening major brands' efforts in offline channels. The current focus of public opinion is on the ease with which teenagers can purchase e-cigarettes online, leading to nicotine addiction. In line with the product definition of e-cigarettes as "smoking alternatives," online channels will be further tightened, while the expansion of offline channels will control teenagers' access to e-cigarettes at the consumer end, reducing the ease of purchase for minors.

Currently, the vast majority of e-cigarette brands adopt a marketing model of online brand promotion and offline agency distribution. They establish provincial and municipal agents to develop the offline market. Some smaller brands place their products alongside traditional cigarettes in private convenience stores.

On July 30, Fulu E-cigarettes announced a partnership with Alibaba Retail to layout offline in a million stores, jointly exploring the new retail market. The well-established e-cigarette brand Bode announced that its new product, New Bling, achieved over a million in offline retail sales in its first month, with retail revenue nearing 60 million yuan. Industry insiders reveal that various brands are laying out new offline marketing channels, and soon the offline market will be as vigorous as the online market.

As a fast-moving consumer product, the proximity to consumers determines the success or failure of its marketing. With the continuous efforts of various e-cigarette brands, the war in the offline e-cigarette market is slowly unfolding.