When it comes to the brands we use every day – like washing up liquid in the kitchen; cleaning supplies; toothpaste and beauty-related products, like skincare – humans are creatures of habit. We tend to gravitate towards the very same brands every time we go to the shops and oftentimes, these are habits we’ve picked up watching others do their weekly shops. It could be a habit learnt from a parent or perhaps you had a conversation with a lovely old lady in the baking aisle once and you discovered a new brand of flour thanks to her advice. The same goes with clothing: often, we are attracted to stores at which we usually shop out of either brand loyalty, or the fact that we like that style of clothing, which keeps us coming back for more. Another habit that involves people usually sticking to the same brand is cigarette smoking; smokers tend to be loyal to one brand. Another everyday habit is vaping; an action that people do on a regular basis, therefore, are likely to have brand favourites. Again, creatures of habit…
GoSmokeFree.co.uk conducted a survey of 900 people to determine customer loyalty when it comes to vaping brands. The survey discovered that more than half (57%) of people who vape said they are loyal to their favourite brand and are not likely to experiment with other brands. Considering this is a habit so many people partake in multiple times per day, it’s unsurprising that people tend to lean toward their go-to brand. It may be difficult to break out of this habit and experiment with different brands, especially if it’s not to the person’s taste. There may be various factors affecting individuals’ decisions including cost of products, longevity, flavour range, taste, ease of availability (considering how regular people’s habits can be) and even style factor.
It seems people are so set on their favourite brands that 40% of people who vape said they consider themselves advocated for vaping and a smoke-free lifestyle. This includes things like promoting the enjoyment of different flavours or the health benefits of vaping over smoking. Of course, when people develop a favourite brand over time, they are more likely to recommend it to friends, family, or even random shoppers at the supermarket! Therefore, the fact that this alternative method has so many advocates means more people to help influence cigarette smokers towards a different, healthier lifestyle by quitting.
Considering people are influenced by a variety of factors when deciding on brands to purchase, the survey broke down the most influential of these factors in terms: more than half (52%) of people who vape said they are most influenced by friends when it comes to what kinds of vaping products to buy. Vaping can sometimes be a social activity and fun to bond over if, for example, multiple friends have vaping devices and different flavours.
Another 1 in 3 (33%) of people who vape said they’re most influenced by online reviews, which is understandable considering how large technology is as a component to our everyday lives nowadays. One-in-ten (10%) of vapers said they’re most influenced by advertising, such as ads on social media, and 5% of people said celebrities are the factor that most influence their decision on what vape products to buy. Interestingly, although it’s not as widely discussed as celebrities who smoke cigarettes, there is a long list of celebrities who vape including: Cara Delevingne, Tom Hardy, Katy Perry, Zayn Malik, Leonardo DiCaprio, Simon Cowell, Lady Gaga and Kate Moss.
However, more than three-quarters (80%) of respondents also said they don’t think celebrities who vape do enough to promote the benefits of vaping, such as helping people quit cigarettes; saving money on the habit, and not producing toxins that cigarettes do.
Because many brands have such a wide variety of vape flavours, this perhaps decreases the likelihood of people switching brands due to lack of options. But when asked what alternative flavours they would want for e-cigarettes, the results were as follows:
- pickled mango 30%
- corn on the cob 14%
- pear and blue cheese 13%
- ghost pepper 13%
- bourbon and cornflakes 20%
- lobster 10%
For more information, see these useful links:
