The UK nicotine pouch market has evolved from a marginal phenomenon into a rapidly growing and increasingly important segment of the smoke-free nicotine category. For retailers, this means a need to respond to a wholesale shift in consumer purchasing habits. Keeping up with demand is important, but for this category, simply stocking the products is not enough. The staff selling the products must also have a sound level of understanding to meet customer expectations and help them make informed purchasing decisions.
Here, Markus Lindblad, from Northerner, shares the essential guide to selling nicotine pouches and what every retailer should know.
What are customers looking for when it comes to nicotine pouches?
For UK customers, there are three key factors to consider. Price, flavour, and nicotine strength. As the market matures, we could expect to see factors such as moisture level and pouch size become more important to consumers, but at the moment, it’s the three fundamentals of price, flavours and strength that consumers are focused on.
For retailers, this means the priority is less on stocking a wide variety of different brand names, and more about having a good range of flavours and different nicotine strengths. If you can keep a good range of flavour and strength options for the customer, and keep stock up to date with innovative new products, then you’re already ahead.
Flavours and Strength – where to start?
Nicotine pouches come in an increasingly wide variety of flavours, however, the traditional core flavours remain the most popular. Mint is by far the most popular flavour in the UK, found in six out of ten cans sold (59%). Fruit flavours come in second place, making up 22% of cans sold, followed by citrus at 8%.
There is a wide range of strengths available, and we would recommend stocking everything from normal strength, which is 1.5–6 mg per pouch, up to extra strong, which ranges from 9.1–20 mg per pouch. The British Standards Institute recommends a maximum level of 20mg of nicotine per pouch, and reputable retailers should stay below this threshold.
What knowledge should staff be equipped with when it comes to talking to customers about nicotine pouches?
It’s really important that staff know how to guide customers on using the products correctly, explain to the customer how to select an appropriate strength level, and to give them some idea of what to expect from the experience. Most pouch users will be former or current smokers, so first find out about their current nicotine consumption habits, and help them to make informed choices about the strength that might work for them.
For someone trying a pouch for the first time, the experience may not be as expected, particularly if they have opted for a stronger variety. Generally, anything over 20g of nicotine is too strong for most users, and not something we would advise stocking.
How do I explain the difference between snus and nicotine pouches?
In the UK, the product is often confused with traditional Swedish snus, which contains tobacco, and ‘snus’ has become a common way of describing nicotine pouches amongst consumers. However, traditional Swedish snus is illegal in the UK. It’s important to help customers understand the distinction between tobacco-containing snus and non-tobacco containing nicotine pouches.
How should I advise customers when it comes to brand recommendations?
The UK pouch market is not yet mature, and so there is very little brand loyalty. UK consumers are open to trying different brands and formats of pouches. Just over a third (34%) stick consistently with the same product, while 66% rotate between two or more different products. For six in ten pouch users (59%), it’s actually price that is the main motivation to switch products. Value is king for the UK pouch consumer, so if you have any offers or deals, make sure to shout about this!
