Most quitters did not achieve abstinence with their first device because it did not provide a sufficient nicotine hit to tackle cravings or did not work properly due to user error or malfunction. Therefore, it is helpful if shops are able to offer a supportive environment ensuring that quitters have a satisfying e-cigarette set-up and provide ongoing support for issues ensuring the device continues working properly.

3.3.1. Advice and Navigating Choice

Navigating product choice was an issue for many vapers who described feeling overwhelmed by the product range and, for a few, this had been a barrier to trying e-cigarettes. A couple of vapers had purposefully limited their choice by deciding to buy in supermarkets and pharmacies instead: ‘[vape shop] would be introducing the complexity that I don’t want, I want to keep it simple’ (F62b). Whilst this may make purchasing less confusing, some vapers found limiting product options prompted relapse because the device was less suited to their needs:

If you are serious about [quitting], I don’t think just buying, like I got the one from the factory shop. It was only like a tenner, it just wasn’t enough. I think you’ve probably got to get a bit of advice, cos it just didn’t work for me. (F29)

The shops had organised their devices into ‘beginner’ ‘intermediate’ and ‘advanced’ displays, in an effort to be less confusing. One shop had ‘devices on display but tied by elastic to the counter, they have adopted the mobile phone shop method of display’ (Ob2), allowing the customer to feel the devices. Verbal support appeared most useful in helping vapers navigate this potentially confusing area. Advice to customers looking to quit smoking related to nicotine hit, usability and flavour.

A satisfying physiological experience and reduction in craving was identified by vapers and shops as the fundamental reason for e-cigarette success:

[Shop assistant] actually took the time to ask me some pertinent questions like “when you smoked your cigarettes, did you breathe direct to lung or did you breathe it into your mouth and then kind of breathe it down?” I quickly found out afterwards these questions are really quite important to getting the right sort of e-cigarette, because if you get the wrong it’s not going to satisfy the need and the chance are that you’re more likely to start smoking again. (M46)

Most of the shops discussed ‘rules of thumb’ when recommending nicotine strengths. Generally those smoking up to 10 cigarettes a day were recommended 3–6 mg nicotine, 10–20 cigarettes a day were recommended 6–12 mg, and 20+ cigarettes a day were recommended 18 mg. Vapers liked this approach as it bridged the gap between their familiar smoking habit and their new vaping habit, offering them reassurance that their nicotine needs would be satisfied by switching:

I just found [shop assistant] to be incredibly helpful. She asked us more about our smoking history than actually I got asked at the smoking cessation clinic. She identified what it was we were smoking at the time, how much we were smoking, and then sort of looked at different strengths of the flavours what would suit us best. She recommended that I started on 18 mg strength nicotine liquid. (M44)

The ability of a vaper to operate the device long-term was highlighted by shops as important. Shops discussed finding out how ‘tech savvy’ customers were and would take time to explain how to operate and maintain devices: ‘ we would go through all the information about charging and coils because it can seem quite daunting and if you get one thing wrong then it can mean that it won’t work (Ob6) ’. Discussion about battery life was seen as important by vapers and shops:

[The shop] were helpful in terms of finding something useable and reliable and had a big battery in it so you don’t have to constantly charge it, which is very important actually because I forget to charge it and then I’m in trouble because I don’t have my fall back. (M39)

All shops had battery safety leaflets accompanying purchases. One shop assistant commented that: ‘they will rewrap batteries for free because they want vaping to be as safe as possible’ and ‘they always give free cases and bags for batteries’ . This concern about safety seemed to stem from a genuine desire to make vaping safe for customers, but also as an effort to protect vaping’s reputation against negative media reports: ‘the managers are very safety conscious and think that people not taking proper precautions have given vaping a bad name’ (Ob4) .

The taste of e-cigarettes was experienced by nearly all vapers as more pleasurable than tobacco and was highlighted by many as a key reason for sustained smoking abstinence. This was reiterated by the shops. For example, one shop assistant said : ‘that most customers came to enjoy the flavours and got into vaping as being different from smoking, so if relapsed, found they hated the taste of tobacco and would probably go back to the vape’ (Ob5). The shelves displayed many different flavours that people could try and a few shops had menus listing different brands. The staff were also able to make flavours seem exciting providing vivid description: ‘[shop assistant] lets customers try “Kendal mint cake” which he says “reminds me of forest marches across Dartmoor”’ (Ob4). Vapers described how shops enabled them to try different flavours which kept vaping exciting promoting continued use:

They had a whole sort of display thing and they said “here’s all the different flavours that we sell, try some”. It was a case of just going through and trying and I just didn’t like the flavour of the tobacco ones, I just preferred the fruit flavours. Obviously when you stop smoking you start to get your taste back, so you could actually taste it more and more as time went on, so you were kind of “actually this is quite nice” and then you’d start to experiment with all the different flavours. (M46)

The customer service in the shops observed was attentive and helpful. However, the vaper data showed that some had experienced poor service and advice. This mainly related to insufficient product information and shops focused on making a sale: