Vaping on the Left, Cigarette Vending on the Right: MuKe iMK Opens a New Retail Era for Vaping

In the past two years, there is no doubt that the e-cigarette industry has been the hottest.

Yes, from the explosive popularity of overseas brands like IQOS and JUUL to the emergence of local brands like mushrooms after rain, the wave of e-cigarettes has finally rolled into China, riding the wind.

Especially in 2019, internet tycoons and self-media celebrities crossed into the industry, and capital poured in, making this seemingly low-threshold industry usher in an unprecedented boom.

Imported e-cigarettes have adapted to the local market, with significant improvements in form, style, and convenience. Disposable and pod-style devices became the battleground of the industry in 2019, corresponding to fierce competition.

Most brands focused on the pod market, battling on design, concepts, and traffic... But a low-key company took a different approach, not directly targeting the C-end market, but attempting to achieve a shortcut through channels, scenarios, models, and product nature.

This company is Yingsoft Technology from Hangzhou, which has a technical team led by PhDs from Zhejiang University and a supply chain team led by a former quality director of a military unit and frontline process engineers from Foxconn. Previously known for its smart hardware, software, and system development, it entered the e-cigarette industry at the end of 2018.

In early 2019, with the product concept of providing smokers with an immersive replacement experience of "like a gentle breeze, fully enjoying this vapor," Yingsoft Technology established the "MuKe iMK" e-cigarette brand and launched its first product, the MuKe Classic Kit (a pod-style device), entering the new retail platform USmile Kunlun Haoke under China National Petroleum Corporation in March.

In late April, they established their factory in Shenzhen, and by mid to late May, they passed EU CE and RoHS certifications, while also opening up channels in nightclubs, internet cafes, cinemas, and retail stores.

After a period of market exploration and channel adjustment, MuKe iMK has been focusing on new retail scenarios, continuously developing different features (currently six series) and flavors (currently six flavors) of e-cigarettes using different processes for different needs, and matching self-service vending machines and product display racks for unattended and attended retail scenarios, which can be said to be quite impressive.

It is worth mentioning that the MuKe self-service vending machine is a small shared cabinet independently developed by the Yingsoft team, supporting online payments via Alipay and WeChat, and equipped with a self-developed SaaS system that synchronizes purchase information in real-time to the operator, who can even manage inventory through this system. In the future, various marketing functions like coupons will be gradually introduced.

It is reported that the first generation of MuKe self-service vending machines has six compartments, capable of holding about 100 MuKe iMK e-cigarettes, and is already in operation. According to Yingsoft Technology CEO Wu Zhen, the second and third generations of self-service vending machines have also been developed and are about to enter mass production.

The second generation has redesigned the appearance and structure based on the first generation, increasing the capacity to hold 120 e-cigarettes; the third generation of MuKe self-service vending machines is mini-sized, capable of holding 12 e-cigarettes, supports voice control, requires no power, and is compact and stylish, perfectly fitting various tabletop scenarios like booths and private rooms.

It is worth noting that the self-service vending machines commonly found on the market are basically similar to ordinary vending machines with springs, while the second and third generations of MuKe self-service vending machines have been designed and developed entirely based on the characteristics of e-cigarettes and the pain points of retail operators, solving issues like theft, unstable signals, complicated back-end processes, and long withdrawal cycles (ordinary vending machines require seven working days for settlement, while MuKe self-service vending machines allow instant withdrawals).

Latest model of MuKe iMK e-cigarette

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(Not the final version rendering)

When discussing the new product plans for pod devices, Wu Zhen stated: The latest model of MuKe iMK e-cigarette is also under development and will be launched simultaneously with the second and third generations of MuKe self-service vending machines.

In addition to adopting a completely new appearance, the e-cigarette's capacity, flavors, and craftsmanship have also been upgraded: the existing six flavors will increase to twelve, the capacity will rise from 1.1ml to 1.5ml, and the design will replace the cotton with an oil cup for the first time, using two-color injection molding and colorful lights to enhance the texture of the device. The design of colorful lights is particularly suitable for night scenes.

It is reported that Yingsoft Technology will hold a product tasting event in Hangzhou on August 30, where the latest MuKe iMK e-cigarette—MuKe Twelve Hours and the third generation of self-service vending machines will also be showcased, and cooperation channels will be opened.

Wu Zhen revealed that the MuKe iMK self-service vending machines will be offered at the industry's lowest price, and some vending machines will even be provided for free. Yingsoft Technology will also offer two profit-sharing cooperation models, namely joint operation and agency, with different profit-sharing ratios for each.

For agents, Yingsoft Technology will fully introduce various channel resources that have been opened to help them quickly enter the market; the MuKe iMK brand plan will also be launched as scheduled, with significant resources invested in branding, packaging, and promotion to help agents penetrate the market more easily.