Purchase Intent and Appeal of ENDS Products among Current, Former and Never Ever Users of Tobacco Products in the U.S.

Abstract

SUMMARY Background and objectives The last decade has seen extensive research into electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) such as e-cigarettes. Although some studies assess ENDS’ potential benefits, there is a paucity of studies that provide population-level estimates of purchase intent or product appeal among various tobacco user groups, or that have examined the impact of different product characteristics on those variables. Methods Purchase intent and product appeal ratings were analyzed from six online studies for multiple sub-brands of Vuse vapor products (including different flavors, nicotine levels, and device styles). The sample in each study was weighted to represent the adult U.S. population of current established, former established, and never established cigarette smokers on five key demographics; providing population-level estimates. Results Results for purchase intent and appeal are remarkably consistent. Ratings of purchase intent and appeal are higher for current tobacco users (current established cigarette smokers, current established non-cigarette tobacco users, and current tobacco experimenters) than for former and never ever tobacco users. Conclusions and scientific significance These findings show that varying sub-brands of an e-cigarette has little or no impact on population level purchase intent and appeal ratings across tobacco user groups. Additionally, greater variability in ratings among current tobacco experimenters than other tobacco user groups is discussed as well as correlations between measures. This paper provides the first population estimates of both purchase intent and product appeal for various ENDS products among adult tobacco users and nonusers; information that is critical for evaluating the impact on public health. [Contrib. Tob. Nicotine Res. 32 (2023) 34–42]