Boulder Shows Its Strength During the Industry E-liquid Shortage: Amber 3.5ml Large Capacity, Kate 2

The e-cigarette industry, which is currently booming, never lacks topics. For example, last week, the domestic leading e-cigarette brand Boulder was criticized by the media for collaborating with the Dunhuang Museum, which was deemed inappropriate, and it trended in the top ten on Weibo. This week, the industry faced an "oil shortage," drawing public attention once again.

Due to the impact of the pandemic, Shenzhen's e-cigarette factories are facing severe shortages of raw material inventories. Coupled with the current surge in raw material prices and a lack of chips, the factories are unable to bear the costs at the original prices. Some upstream suppliers have sought assistance from e-cigarette brands, requesting a 20% price increase. This is particularly evident in e-liquids, with many e-cigarette delivery times extended by 20 days. E-liquid manufacturers, in order to ensure supply for existing customers, have had to refuse new orders.

To reduce "oil consumption," some e-cigarette brands have slightly adjusted the actual amount of e-liquid used, and some have compressed the profits of intermediaries to cope with this raw material crisis. Regardless of the method, it will ultimately harm the interests of partners and consumers to some extent.

Boulder, embodying the spirit of a "hardworking ox" in the e-cigarette industry, has begun to stand out during this time. As an industry veteran that entered the e-cigarette market in 2013, Boulder did not follow the path of most brands by seeking OEM production and focusing solely on marketing without developing internal capabilities. Instead, it took five years to build its own production line and establish laboratories in China and the U.S., honing its internal capabilities.

The earliest achievement was discovering a more efficient nicotine delivery method, known as left-handed nicotine or Fischer oil, during the submission of PMTA tests. Subsequently, Fischer oil became one of the key tools for Boulder to expand its market. Boulder’s six e-liquids and three hardware products entered the secondary review process at least four years faster than other brands that had just established their laboratories.

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Today’s "oil shortage" in the industry has almost become an opportunity for Boulder to further expand offline. With its self-controlled technology and production line, Boulder is not constrained by others in terms of production capacity. Even when facing rising raw material prices, it can seek optimal solutions from the perspective of the supply chain. Without harming the interests of intermediaries and consumers, Boulder’s leading gross profit margin allows for multiple operational strategies.

This advantage is fully reflected in the product's record-breaking large capacity. While the industry generally standardizes e-liquid volumes at 2ml, the Amber can reach an astonishing 3.5ml. The Kate pod's vaporization structure has been upgraded, increasing the e-liquid capacity from 2.0ml to 2.6ml, yet the price has not changed. This move quickly garnered consumer favor and praise. At the Shanghai Vapor Culture Week, Boulder even revealed that it has the capacity to develop new products, with many new items set to be launched.

This may explain why Boulder achieved the remarkable feat of reaching 2,000 exclusive stores in the first quarter, and then rapidly growing to 3,600 stores by May 16, with an increase of 1,600 stores in just a month and a half. The e-cigarette industry is indeed an emerging technology sector, and all competition will ultimately converge on the product.

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On May 19, Boulder CEO Wang Zeqi announced in a social media post that, based on cross-validation from the market and supply chain, Boulder’s domestic market sales are expected to rise to the second position in the industry in June and July, with this outcome being virtually certain. Boulder will announce the data in the coming weeks.