PAX Era High Performance
How 5x Vapor Output Drove 40% Revenue Growth
PAX Era & Era Pods
When Era launched in 2016, PAX created the iPhone of vaporizers: smart, sophisticated, and solving real problems like temperature control and oil leakage. But in a short few years, the market had moved on. Competitors were winning with simple, high-voltage devices that delivered intense hits. They were harsh and hot, but they worked.
The Challenge
The 510-thread cartridge market had evolved from terrible to good enough, and "good enough" was winning. While PAX optimized for precision temperature control and app connectivity, consumers voted with their wallets for one thing: stronger hits.
Key Market Realities:
80%+ of our users never opened our app despite significant engineering investment
Competitors delivered 3-5x more vapor using brute-force voltage
Consumer preference shifted from "premium features" to "premium effects"
Average selling prices dropped 40% as the market commoditized
The cannabis oil market had become a race to the bottom.
Everyone was competing on lowest cost and highest potency, creating hot, harsh experiences that sacrificed quality for brute force. Meanwhile, PAX's premium platform was increasingly complex, with advanced features that most users ignored.
PAX faced a critical strategic need: Deliver joint-like simplicity and performance, with the convenience of an oil vape.
Working with the CEO and board, I championed a counterintuitive strategy that would require rethinking our entire product ecosystem: radically simplify while improving performance.
Simple by Design
Leading our UX research team, I directed a 3-month discovery process with both current users and competitive switchers. Together we conducted 30+ in-depth interviews and analyzed data from thousands of sessions to understand what really mattered.
Key User Insights:
The app paradox: Users loved the idea of control but wanted the simplicity of not needing it
Performance perception: Vapor production was the primary quality signal, even among connoisseurs
Premium redefined: Users associated "premium" with effects and flavor, not features
Based on these insights, I developed a strategy to refine the Era Platform in three integrated areas:
Era Go
Democratized Premium
Simplified to single temperature optimized for new pod system
Introduced anti-clog technology to eliminate primary user frustration
Enabled $20 MSRP to compete directly with disposables
High Performance Pods
High Performance, Low Cost
Achieved 5x vapor increase through ceramic atomizer innovation
Maintained low temperature to preserve terpenes and smoothness
Reduced hardware costs 50% while improving filling efficiency
100% Live Rosin
Premium Differentiation
Established 100% Live Rosin as new premium standard
Built direct relationships with craft cultivators
Created clear good-better-best product hierarchy
This required aligning four critical areas:
Engineering: Redesign ceramic atomizer architecture to deliver 5x output at lower temperatures
Supply Chain: Navigate 18-month hardware cycles while oil formulations changed seasonally
Consumables Operations: Build direct relationships with craft cultivators while reducing costs 50%
Marketing & Sales: Shift narrative from "most features" to "best effects" without losing premium position
While addressing Core Leadership Tensions:
Simplicity vs. Sophistication: Remove features that engineering loved but users ignored
Performance vs. Experience: 5x vapor output at temperatures that preserve terpenes
Cost vs. Quality: Hit $20 MSRP with products that felt like $60
Execution Complexity & Cross-Functional Leadership
Technical Innovation
These weren't three separate products. They formed one unified system where each piece made the others better. Era Go's single temperature was specifically engineered for our new pod architecture, while both were optimized for the viscosity range of live rosin. Pretty remarkable how constraints drove creativity.
Hardware, Firmware, and Formulation
The biggest challenge was coordinating components with vastly different development cycles. Hardware required 18-month lead times, firmware could iterate monthly, and oil formulations changed by harvest season. I established a modular testing protocol that let us validate each component independently while ensuring system integration.
From Commodity to Craft
Launching 100% Live Rosin required rethinking our supply chain. Working with consumables operations, I personally visited cultivation partners to establish quality standards. We weren't just buying oil; we were building a network of craft producers who shared our vision for premium, solventless products. This hands-on approach secured exclusive partnerships that competitors couldn't replicate.
Go-to-Market Strategy
I partnered with our Head of Marketing to develop messaging that matched our technical breakthrough. The "Hits Hard, Not Harsh" campaign we created spoke directly to what users wanted: maximum effects without the burnt taste. This positioning differentiated our engineering solution from competitors' brute-force approach.
Results & Impact
This platform transformation did more than drive immediate revenue. It repositioned PAX from a premium niche player to a mainstream premium brand. The simplified architecture became our innovation foundation, enabling rapid iteration on limited editions and new oil types. Most importantly, it proved that in product development, subtraction can be the most powerful form of addition.
40% pod revenue increase: Driven by both unit growth and premium mix shift, validating our strategy
50% pod hardware cost reduction: Enabling Era Go $20 MSRP while maintaining positive margins
2x filling throughput improvement: Simplified design reduced labor costs and quality issues
Market expansion success: "Hits Hard Not Harsh" campaign resonated with mainstream consumers beyond cannabis connoisseurs
Platform foundation established: New architecture supported rapid iteration on future pod & oil variants
Team transformation: Product team became company's strategic growth driver
If you're looking for product leadership that can balance user obsession with business results while building teams that ship, let's connect to explore what we could build together.