The cigar industry is one that evolves slowly. With the rise of technology, it has become necessary for the industry to keep pace. In a bid to offer seamless service to brands, shops, and consumers, a new app has launched to revolutionize the cigar industry. Whether you are new to the hobby or a seasoned passionado, Cigar Social is sure to provide users a more efficient experience.
Cigar Social ushers in a new era of convenience for cigar lovers worldwide. It provides a new level of efficiency to the cigar-smoking experience, delivering unparalleled access to information in one convenient location, as well as a platform to connect all levels of the cigar industry simultaneously.
“Our goal was to create a platform that services all levels of the industry, from consumers to shops to brands,” explains CEO and founder, Michael Moses. “To the general public, the app may seem like a place to post cigar photos, create a profile, save your favorite sticks or browse brand portfolios, but there is so much more going on behind the scenes for shops and brands.”
For the past two years, Moses and his team have been building Cigar Social so that brand owners and shop owners can subscribe to their platform relatively turn-key. “We have loaded in entire brand libraries, spent countless hours to try to minimize the brand administrators’ legwork.”
There are three different profile types on Cigar Social: personal pages (consumers), shop pages, and brand pages.
Cigar Social for Brands and Shops
Brands have full control over their library of cigars, such as editing wrapper/binder/filler, adding a new release, etc. Once a brand is live on Cigar Social, their first step is to upload their accounts (shops). If both parties are subscribed to Cigar Social, the business-to-business features are then unlocked. By linking the two parties, brands and shops are able to streamline their business operations, ultimately giving end consumers up-to-date and accurate information straight from the source.
Brands and shops are paid subscribers while consumers have full access free of charge. “All brands have their cigars listed on the platform for no charge so users can tag their photos and browse their portfolio,” Moses said. “The same goes for shops, they can be listed on our map without a paid subscription. The business-to-business features are for paid subscribers only.”
In addition to having control over their portfolio, examples of these brand-x-shop features include collaborative shop events, quality control reporting, new order requests, brand-to-shop press releases, post templates, find our cigars, and more. These features will be released throughout the calendar year.
Cigar Social for Consumers
For consumers, Cigar Social brings users an entirely new level of convenience, enabling them to tag the exact cigar within their posted photo. Once posted, followers are able to simply click on the tag which then takes them to the cigar’s very own library page showcasing the exact details such as wrapper, binder, filler, length, ring, etc.
Users can quickly view a list of common connections who have also liked that cigar. “That was a very important feature for us to develop,” explains Moses. “It’s hard for everyday cigar smokers to relate to a rating from a magazine or a true cigar aficionado. But it’s a lot easier for them to ask one of their friends, ‘Hey, you’ve had this, what did you think of it?”
Unique Features
In addition to the social component, other handy features include: the ability to save cigars to a favorites section or wish list, an educational section by Tobacconist University, and a compare tool which allows users to view any two cigars side-by-side, to scale.
With over 8,000 cigars and more than 130 brands loaded into the platform, Cigar Social offers a comprehensive catalog of both domestic and Cuban cigars, ensuring that all cigar aficionados can browse the best that the industry has to offer.
The app’s map feature is a must-see. Users can view cigar lounges or shops around their location and tailor the search to their preferences. Map filters allow users to narrow down cigar lounges based on whether or not they serve food, alcohol, offer BYOB, outdoor/indoor seating, live music, and more. This reduces the time and effort required to find the perfect cigar lounge or store.
Early Reviews and Praise
The app has already been downloaded by thousands of cigar enthusiasts worldwide, with overwhelmingly positive feedback. Many users have praised the app’s user-friendly design, comprehensive catalog, and unique features that offer a new level of engagement and customization.
“It’s every cigar lover’s dream come true,” said one user. “The app has completely changed how I walk through a foreign humidor while traveling. I just take out my phone, search for whatever cigar I’m looking at in the library, and get more info. It’s helped a ton and I’ve found a lot more cigars that I love.”
Summary and Takeaways
• For everyday users (consumers), Cigar Social provides useful features in a clean, userfriendly platform. Both seasoned aficionados and those who are new to cigars benefit from this technology.
• For cigar brands, the app provides business-to-business features by linking your existing accounts (shops). This will save both time and operating expenses. By being in control of your brand’s cigar portfolio, your data and information shared across the Cigar Social platform is accurate.
• For shop owners, access accurate information straight from the brands and share to your page. Communicate with brands through your own admin page, interact with existing customers, and engage with potential new customers with advertising.
• Advertising or “boosting” posts is legal because Cigar Social is a web-based, and therefore not affiliated with the Apple App Store or Facebook. This applies to both shops and brands.
• Both a desktop version and mobile version are available. The mobile app is the fastest, cleanest cigar app available to date.
Cigar Social is now available for download on their website only (cigarsocial.com). Tutorial videos are posted for users to see how to morph the website to a mobile application on both Apple and Android devices.
Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced smoker, this app is set to revolutionize your cigar smoking experience going forward.
For more information and pricing inquiries, please visit the company’s website or contact our customer support team.
Website: cigarsocial.com
Email: [email protected]
Shop Page inquiries: [email protected]
Brand Page inquiries: [email protected]
Originally posted on May 15, 2023 @ 2:17 am