U.S. Vaping & e-cigs market consumer perception

The main goal of this research is to investigate, through our platform tools, opinions and market trends, not only highlighting the main conversations about vaping and e-cigs, with particular regard to the U.S. market and its key players, but also providing valuable market business intelligence.

In recent years, there has been a growing presence in the market for alternative products to cigarettes, characterized by modern design and a captivating promise: to help people reduce, if not completely stop smoking “traditional” cigarettes, without forgoing the pleasures of fumes. However, it is recent news that both the FDA in the United States and the European Commission are deciding on the future of all those alternative products to cigarettes and tobacco, here classified as E-cigs and Vaping.

Last June JULL, the market leader in the U.S. with a sales share of 63%, agreed to a $40 million settlement in North Carolina teen marketing lawsuit, for the surging popularity of e-cigarettes among teens in recent years. In addition to lawsuits with 13 states, the company is also facing 2600 lawsuits with associations and private citizens.

On the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, In its report of 20 May, the EU Commission (chapter 8.1.) underlined how electronic cigarettes and similar products, being promoted as tools for quitting smoking and not simple consumer products, should be subjected to the stringent regulations of the pharmaceutical industry..

According to the Vapor Technology Association, the U.S. vapor industry generated 24,45 USD billion in 2019 and is expected to reach USD 40,25 billion by 2028. In our research we also analyzed the key players of the market, including companies such as Jull, Vaporesso, Vuse, Blu, Njoy and Iqos.

Alternative options for smoking have seen huge growth in both choice and popularity in recent years, as demonstrated by the number of web and social posts and the engagement rate on social media found in our analysis: more than 34k posts and 22k users only in the past 4 weeks.

During the last 30 days the discussion about vaping has focused on two key events:

1)A violent confrontation in Ocean City (Maryland) due to a vaping violation;

2)E-cigarette maker Juul has agreed to settle a lawsuit with the state of North Carolina that accused the firm of marketing its products to young people.

The overall sentiment is negative (72%), between people criticizing the vaping industry and those who feel the Administration is somehow imposing limitations to their right to smoke.

On the other hand, with regard to the most used topics and hashtags, we see how users find vaping as noxious as standard cigarettes or as an alternative that could help them reduce their nicotine consumption. According to our algorithm, mango pods are a relevant sub-topic in the discussion.

The data shows that Men are primarily involved in the conversation about vaping and e-cigs (64%). Age range 25-34 is the most engaged, followed by 18-24 (24,8%) and 35-44 (19,1%).

Over 58% of the conversation is geolocalized in the Eastearn Coast / Midwest

This is just a preview of the report done by KPI6. With a focus on the current conversation about vaping and e-cigarettes trends, this research is packed with insights about consumer behavior; it also provides data about what consumers follow and what they expect from both the industry and the Administration. If you want to find more about KPI6 and our tools our experts will be happy to discuss your business needs and give a hands-on demo of our platform.