Interview Report from a Huoqi Vaping Franchise Store

 　　The owner of the Huoqi vaping franchise store, Zhu Zhiwu, known as Xiao Wu, not only loves e-cigarettes but also enjoys gaming. The Huoqi vaping franchise store features a variety of entertainment devices, including XBOX, PS4, high-end consoles, and even Mahjong. Xiao Wu often plays with the store's members until late at night, to the point where he doesn't even notice when the store closes.

  　　People trying to quit smoking are all similar.

  　　The decorations at your store entrance are really cool. Did you make them yourself?
  　　Xiao Wu: I made them myself. My original business was a hardware store, so it was quite convenient to get these things.

  　　How did you go from being a hardware store owner to an e-cigarette store owner?
  　　Xiao Wu: Like many of my peers who became e-cigarette store owners, it was because my wife was pregnant, and my family pressured me to quit smoking, which led me to try e-cigarettes. Initially, I refused to quit smoking, but I couldn't withstand the pressure from my family. Plus, for the health of my wife and child, I started using e-cigarettes. Later, I saw an advertisement for Huoqi e-cigarettes on TV, so I went to their store to buy some e-cigarettes. I found it quite good, so I joined the franchise and opened a physical store. It's been a year now.

  　　Have you quit smoking since using e-cigarettes?
  　　Xiao Wu: Let me put it this way, I've been smoke-free for as long as my store has been open. Now, not only can I not smoke a single cigarette, but I also get really annoyed when someone smokes next to me.

  　　Men's luxury items.

  　　What type of products does your store focus on?
  　　Xiao Wu: The Huoqi vaping franchise store is quite different from most physical stores in the country. The equipment in the Huoqi vaping franchise store consists of mid-to-high-end products. We don't have those cheap sets online for dozens of dollars, nor do we have low-quality oils for twenty or thirty bucks. The cheapest set of equipment here costs 800 yuan.

  　　The cheapest set of equipment costs 800 yuan, which seems not beneficial for a physical store. Why do you position the Huoqi vaping franchise store as mid-to-high-end?
  　　Xiao Wu: I have always adhered to a philosophy in the vaping business: I don't look at profits, I look at quality. Because of this, I gradually turned the store into a physical store for mid-to-high-end products. My initial thought was that e-cigarettes are a mixed bag, so how can I ensure that my friends use good, cost-effective products?

  　　At first, I researched slowly and bought products to use myself, which led me down many wrong paths and cost me a lot of money. My first device was a genuine Gatling that cost 1480 yuan. Since then, I haven't touched any e-cigarettes under 1000 yuan, and the more I used, the more expensive it got. I am someone who pays great attention to quality of life, and I focus on every detail. I position e-cigarettes as men's luxury items.

  　　Besides high-end products, what else can we experience at the Huoqi vaping franchise store?
  　　Xiao Wu: High-end products must come with high-end services. At the Huoqi vaping franchise store, besides buying devices, oils, cotton, and wires, you just need to enjoy vaping. We help you change the cotton and wires, and if you want a specific data for the wires or suddenly think of a data and want to make a pair of wires, as long as we can do it, we will definitely make the wires you want for everyone.

  　　If my members are out drinking and their e-cigarettes run out of battery, they can call me, and I can deliver two spare batteries to them, ensuring their e-cigarettes are always usable. Here, everyone can play various gaming machines while drinking tea, coffee, or alcohol, and can play cards or Mahjong in the game room, or watch movies together.

  　　Why did you set up so many entertainment facilities in the store?
  　　Xiao Wu: I thought that if we are going to have fun, we should do it thoroughly. I hope my members won't have the thought of “it's boring, I don't know where to go.” Instead, I want them to think, “I have nothing to do now, let's go to the Huoqi vaping franchise store to have some fun.” Besides e-cigarettes, the Huoqi vaping franchise store is also a place for everyone to relax and entertain during their leisure time.

  　　E-cigarettes will not disappear.

  　　Have you participated in any e-cigarette competitions?
  　　Xiao Wu: After all these years, I haven't participated in any competitions. The only honor I have is successfully becoming an agent for Huoqi e-cigarette pure oil. This oil is one I tried at an exhibition; I had almost tried all the oils except for this one because it closely resembles the taste of real cigarettes. However, there were too many people consulting, and I thought I couldn't leave empty-handed, so I mustered the courage to approach them.

  　　Unexpectedly, their sales manager was very enthusiastic. I tried the oil and found it really good, so I discussed becoming an agent. However, I told them that I didn't want this oil to become a product with chaotic pricing in the market. I wanted it to be a high-end oil, controlling the online prices and promoting physical store purchases. Later, I learned that Huoqi e-cigarettes operate on a new model of online + offline, where only the headquarters can sell online, and the generated orders are allocated to the nearest franchisees based on geographical location. I bit the bullet and bought 3000 bottles, signing the agency contract to get this opportunity.

  　　Speaking of online stores and physical stores, we must talk about the issue of chaotic pricing. What do you think about the phenomenon of chaotic pricing?
  　　Xiao Wu: The situation of chaotic pricing varies from person to person. Some people want to make quick money, which naturally leads to chaotic pricing. This phenomenon actually occurs not only in the e-cigarette market but in all markets. To ensure that this industry develops well, not only do we need quality products, but brand owners also need to work together to maintain this market, strictly control prices, and build a trustworthy brand; otherwise, in the end, everyone will starve.

  　　How do you see the future development of e-cigarettes?
  　　Xiao Wu: As long as traditional cigarettes exist, e-cigarettes will not disappear. China has nearly 400 million smokers, with 14,000 deaths each year due to smoking. Now, people's health awareness is increasing, and the e-cigarette industry is undoubtedly a huge potential market. E-cigarette products are the most innovative technological products of the 21st century, introducing the concept of environmental health and breaking the monopoly of traditional cigarettes, which has epoch-making historical significance.

  　　E-cigarettes have evolved from a product to an industry, and then to a VAPE culture. Along the way, they have encountered many obstacles and challenges, but new things will inevitably replace old ones. Although the development of e-cigarettes is fraught with difficulties, the future is bright. As an e-cigarette practitioner, the Huoqi vaping franchise store is committed to working with contemporaries in the industry to create a bright future for the e-cigarette industry. #p#page title#e#