Up in smoke
Vaping is turning Big Tobacco upside down — but who’s buying?
Usage of vapes and e-cigarettes has exploded in the last decade, but consumers, brands and even legislators are still a bit foggy about their true purpose (and indeed, they are illegal in some jurisdictions).
They are, though, legal in the UK (although they can’t be sold to under-18s), so we reached out to over 1,000 smokers and former smokers among our British users—or bees — to understand who is using them, and why.
It’s not just hot air
According to our British bees, vaping is by far the most popular method for cutting down or quitting smoking.
Almost 2 in 3 (64%) of those that are trying to give up cigarettes turned to vaping, far ahead of alternative solutions like patches (27%) or gum (20%), while a similar number sees vaping as the most reliable way to quit.
However, it’s with older smokers where vaping really takes off. Among over-45s smokers, not only did 2 in 3 (66%) tell us that they vape, but this was a higher number than those who still smoke (65%).
What’s more, amongst over-45s who are actively trying to quit, almost 9 in 10 (85%) vape, while only 44% still smoke. This group vapes more than the rest as well — 56% say they do so more than 20 times a day, compared to the overall average of 40%.
More than addiction
But what is it about vaping that makes it so attractive to smokers? Well, one of the biggest obstacles for those trying to quit is habit or routine. Almost 2 in 3 (65%) cite this as the main hindrance that’s kept them from quitting in the past, more than craving (57%) or addiction (45%).
When asked what would help to overcome these obstacles, health concerns and family support were easily the top answers, cited by over half of our bees, but only 1 in 4 named stop smoking products (26%) as something that would help. A similar amount — 1 in 4 — said that wanting to smell better to others would also be a factor.
So whether it is an obstacle, driver or aid, the social aspect of smoking is clear. And this is where vaping appears to fill a gap: it allows consumers to maintain the same social routine as cigarette smokers — which patches and gums don’t offer — all without the smell.
Where there’s smoke, there’s fire
So, the driver behind vaping goes beyond having fun with fruity flavours and blowing smoke rings — consumers really are turning to it to quit smoking. And it’s older smokers who are most enthusiastic.
However, you’d never guess this from how vaping is currently marketed, or from common perceptions of the product. Presumably, vaping brands aren’t keen to shake off the youthful edge that their products have — but could they make more of an effort to appeal to the older consumers who are their keenest fans?
And could vaping be the future of smoking, not just for those who are trying to quit? With 86% of British smokers saying they believe they will quit smoking cigarettes one day, the evidence suggests the writing could well be on the wall for the tobacco industry — will Big Tobacco be forced to become Big Vapour?
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A quick word on our methodology: The figures in the article are taken from Streetbees community members in the UK, carried out in Mar 2019. All of the data was collected by mobile and web surveys, and is accurate to within 5 percentage points 19 times out of 20.
