Vip Smokes
As lead WordPress & WooCommerce developer at Upcoming Brand, I revamped VIP Smokes into a premium online tobacco and vaping store—optimizing product taxonomy, implementing age‑verification, and tuning performance to boost cart adds and compliant sales conversions.
Project Context & Objectives
VIP Smokes offers a curated selection of tobacco blends, e‑liquids, vaporizers, and smoking accessories for discerning customers. The client’s goals were to:
- Present products compliantly with mandatory age checks and clear regulatory disclaimers.
- Streamline product discovery via robust category filters (tobacco type, nicotine strength, device style).
- Optimize performance to reduce bounce and improve mobile conversion.
- Lay SEO groundwork for long‑tail transactional queries like “buy vape online” and “premium tobacco blends.”
Approach & Technology
- WordPress + WooCommerce: Chose a lightweight theme and built modular templates with Elementor Pro for home, shop, and product detail pages.
- Age‑Verification Gate: Implemented a mandatory DOB popup to ensure legal compliance before site access.
- Enhanced Shop Functionality: AJAX‑driven filters for product type, strength, and price; quick‑view modals for rapid preview and add‑to‑cart without page reloads.
- Checkout & Compliance: Guest checkout enabled with clear shipping and returns policy links, plus on‑page regulatory notices.
- Performance & SEO: Applied server‑level caching, minified assets, WebP image conversion, and lazy loading—achieving sub‑2 s loads; configured Yoast SEO for metadata, Product schema, and optimized URL slugs (e.g.,
/product/salt-nicotine-10mg).
Standout Functionality & UX Highlights
- Filterable Catalog: Off‑canvas filtering by tobacco product, e‑liquid flavor, device brand, and nicotine level to help users find products quickly.
- Quick‑View Modals: Allow customers to view product details and add items to cart from categories pages for a seamless experience.
- Trust & Compliance Elements: Age‑gate, secure payment badges, and regulatory disclaimers prominently displayed to reassure buyers.
- Mobile‑First Design: Sticky add‑to‑cart bar and thumb‑friendly filter toggles ensure smooth browsing on smartphones.
Results & Impact
- Improved Load Speeds: Sub‑2 s page loads led to a measurable decrease in bounce rates and higher session durations.
- Higher Conversion Rates: Streamlined filtering and quick‑view features drove a 20–30% uplift in add‑to‑cart actions.
- SEO Readiness: Product schema and optimized content positioned VIP Smokes to capture high‑intent transactional searches, boosting organic order volume.
