Merchandising your humidor effectively is one of the most underrated ways to influence customer experience, maximize sales, and build brand equity inside your store. While there’s plenty of nuance to doing it well, we’ve learned that the best results often come from keeping it simple, intentional, and consistent.
At Renegade, we’ve refined our merchandising approach over the years—not just based on aesthetics, but also on what drives results. Here are a few of our top strategies and best practices that other retailers can easily adapt to their own environments:
Start With Easy Wins:
- Lighted Shelves: Lighting does more than improve visibility—it sets a tone. Well-lit shelves elevate the perceived value of the product, help customers browse more comfortably, and create a modern, high-end feel. If you’re investing in anything, this should be a top priority.
- “Box” Your Brands: Avoid scattering facings from a single brand throughout the humidor. Instead, group boxes together in consistent sizes when possible. This “billboard” effect reinforces brand identity and creates a cleaner, more digestible shopping experience for the customer.
- Marquee Product on Display: If you’ve got product that’s rare, allocated, or highly soughtafter, don’t hide it behind the counter. Merchandise it like a centerpiece. You don’t have to put everywhere —just make sure it’s visible. Even if its not what they are in to purchase, customers want to feel like they’re somewhere special and has relationships with good brands, and your rare product selection reinforces that.
- High-Dollar and High-Margin at Eye Level: It’s a classic retail strategy for a reason. Eye-level shelves are prime real estate. Place your best-performing, higher-margin products here to drive velocity and profitability.
- Clean Sight Lines: A humidor with strong visual clarity looks more upscale and deters theft. Keep displays neat, eliminate visual clutter, and resist the urge to overstock the shelves. More isn’t always better.
- Price Tags on Everything: Make sure every cigar, box, or bundle is clearly priced. Customers should never feel unsure about the cost—it creates friction and hesitation in the buying process. If you offer a box discount, showcase that on the price tag!
More Nuanced Tactics (That Work for Us):
- New Releases at the Front: Positioning a section new products near the entrance to the humidor creates excitement and gives returning customers a reason to explore what’s new. It also gives your staff an easy opening for a conversation or recommendation.
- Use Trays Sparingly: Trays have their place—but limit their use to lower-dollar product or bundles. Full boxes look more premium and sell the brand story better. When trays are necessary, keep them organized and consistent.
- Showcase Your Back Stock: Customers often assume what’s on the shelf is all that’s available. We’ve had success displaying back stock to let people know we’ve got the inventory and encourage box buys.
- Value Product Sections: Not every product needs to be in the spotlight. Reserve the lower shelves for value-conscious cigars. Give them higher price point options around them place them strategically – the milk is in the back of the grocery store for a reason. That audience will seek them out, while premium buyers focus higher up.
Ultimately, a well-merchandised humidor should tell a story and invite exploration without overwhelming the customer. Whether you’re just getting started or looking to refine your layout, focusing on these fundamentals can dramatically improve the customer experience—and your bottom line.
– This article first appeared in the 2025 edition of the PCA Almanac. Article contributed by Brandon Hayes, owner of Renegade Cigars. Learn more about his store at https://renegadecigars.com.