Total Unit Sales Research Articles

E-cigarette market share by nicotine claims.

Nicotine forms (salt vs. freebase) and isomers (synthetic vs. tobacco-derived) are key characteristics of e-cigarettes that manufacturers manipulate, and "tobacco-free" claims may have served to attract new consumers and increase their intention to use. This study presents a snapshot of nicotine marketing claims for e-cigarettes using Nielsen ScanTrack data from brick-and-mortar stores. Market share was calculated as the ratio of unit sales of each nicotine claim category to the total unit sales of e-cigarettes during the four weeks ending 1-20-2024. We summarized the market share for the following six nicotine form/isomer category: 1) nicotine (77%), 2) nicotine salt (10%), 3) synthetic nicotine (2%), 4) zero tobacco or tobacco-free (2%), 5) zero nicotine or nicotine-free (0.03%), and 6) no claim or CBD/hemp/cannabis (9%). The market share of products that explicitly carried nicotine salt claims (10%) or synthetic nicotine or tobacco-free claims (2% each) was notable. This study informs regulatory authorities on the recent trend of nicotine claims marketed by the e-cigarette industry, which may be contributing to the use of these products or addiction to nicotine among young people and non-users.

Penerapan Strategi Pemasaran untuk Meningkatkan Penjualan Mobil Bekas di Heaven Motor

Purpose: The aim of this research is to analyze the marketing strategies that have been implemented at Heaven Motor Company and which strategies can provide the highest sales contribution. Research methodology: This research was conducted at the Heaven Motor Showroom on Jalan Cokroaminoto 327b, Denpasar, Bali. This study is a descriptive study with a qualitative approach. Data were obtained through interviews, observations, and documentation. The analysis process in this research was divided into three stages: data reduction, data presentation, and drawing conclusions. Results: Heaven Motor chose the right strategy to market the cars they sell. The management of customer base data has a very high potential to obtain new customers. Limitations: Sales are limited to units in which the number of sales is not calculated from the amount of money obtained from total unit sales. This research focuses only on marketing strategy and does not include other factors, such as marketing mix, as a factor that influences sales. Contribution: This study contributes to showrooms that have not implemented online marketing strategies, especially following up on customers who have already come to the showroom.

E-cigarette Unit Sales by Product and Flavor Type, and Top-Selling Brands, United States, 2020-2022.

E-cigarette products, related policies, and use patterns change rapidly. In the United States, the prevalence of e-cigarette use is markedly higher among youths and young adults than it is among adults overall. In 2021, 4.5% of all adults aged ≥18 years (an estimated 11.1 million) and 11.0% of young adults aged 18-24 years (an estimated 3.1 million) currently (≥1 day during the previous 30 days) used e-cigarettes; during 2022, 14.1% of high school students (an estimated 2.14 million) currently used e-cigarettes (1,2). E-cigarettes often contain high concentrations of nicotine. Nicotine is highly addictive and can harm the adolescent brain, which continues to develop through approximately age 25 years (3). Since 2020, the availability of e-cigarette products has changed in response to multiple factors, including local and state policies to address flavored e-cigarette sales, actions undertaken by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), COVID-19-related closures, and global supply chain disruptions. To assess trends in unit sales of e-cigarettes in the United States, by product and flavor, and top-selling brands, the CDC Foundation, Truth Initiative,* and CDC analyzed retail scanner data during January 26, 2020-December 25, 2022, from Information Resources, Inc. (IRI), a U.S. data analytics and market research company. Overall, unit sales increased by 46.6% during the study period. The unit share of menthol-flavored product sales remained relatively stable during this period, whereas nonmenthol flavor unit shares changed. During January 26, 2020-December 25, 2022, unit shares of tobacco-flavored and mint-flavored products decreased (from 28.4% to 20.1% and from 10.1% to 5.9%, respectively), whereas shares of other flavor sales increased (from 29.2% to 41.3%). In addition, during January 2020-December 2022, unit shares of prefilled cartridges decreased from 75.2% to 48.0%, and disposable e-cigarette unit share increased from 24.7% to 51.8% of total unit sales. The five top-selling e-cigarette brands for the 4-week period ending December 25, 2022, were Vuse, JUUL, Elf Bar, NJOY, and Breeze Smoke. Analysis of information on e-cigarette retail sales can guide strategies to prevent youth access to and use of e-cigarettes, including restrictions on flavored tobacco products (4).

Evaluation of Statewide Restrictions on E-Cigarette Nicotine Strength- United States, 2017-2022.

To evaluate statewide policies restricting e-cigarette nicotine strength. A difference-in-difference regression analysis was used to compare e-cigarette sales in states that restrict nicotine strength with states with no restrictions. Since flavor restrictions might affect sales and nicotine strength, states with flavor restrictions were also assessed. United States e-cigarette retail sales data during January 2017-March 2022 were licensed from Information Resources Incorporated. States with restrictions included Massachusetts (restricted maximum nicotine strength to 3.5% and non-tobacco flavored e-cigarette sales in December 2019); Utah (restricted nicotine strength to 3.6% in September 2021); and Rhode Island, New York, and Washington (restricted non-tobacco flavor sales in October 2019, May 2020, and October 2019-January 2020 respectively). These were compared with data from 34 states with no e-cigarette nicotine strength or flavor restrictions MEASUREMENTS: Weighted mean nicotine strength and total unit sales. Total unit sales per 1,000 state population were summed into 4-week periods by state. Models controlled for emergency responses, state demographics, tobacco control policies, time, and state fixed effects. Restricting both nicotine strength and flavors in Massachusetts was associated with a 2.04 percentage point (pp) reduction in mean nicotine strength and 86.76-unit reduction in monthly unit sales per 1,000 persons compared with states with no restrictions (all p<0.01). Restricting nicotine strength only in Utah was associated with a 1.77 pp (p<0.01) reduction in mean nicotine strength; however, there was no impact on unit sales. Restricting non-tobacco flavor sales only in Rhode Island, New York, and Washington slightly reduced mean nicotine strength (0.21, 0.62, and 0.19 pp, respectively) and sales (36.66, 34.51, and 16.37 units, respectively) (all p<0.01). US statewide policies restricting e-cigarette nicotine strength appear to be associated with reductions in average nicotine strength in sales within that state; however, there appears to be no impact on unit sales. When these policies are implemented along with flavor restrictions; reductions in average nicotine strength occur in addition to reduced unit sales.

Trends in US E-cigarette Sales and Prices by Nicotine Strength, Overall and by Product and Flavor Type, 2017-2022.

The e-cigarette market has expanded considerably in recent years, resulting in changes in availability and use of e-cigarettes with varying characteristics. This study assessed trends in sales and prices of e-cigarettes by nicotine strength level, including by product type and flavor, during January 2017-March 2022. US e-cigarette retail sales data were licensed from IRI company. Nicotine strength was categorized as: <1%; 1% to <2%; 2% to <3%; 3% to <4%; 4% to <5%; ≥5%. E-cigarette flavors were categorized as tobacco, menthol, mint, or other flavors. Product type was categorized as prefilled cartridge devices, disposable devices, or e-liquid bottles. Trend analyses were performed using Joinpoint Regression. During January 2017-March 2022, the unit share of products containing ≥5% nicotine strength increased by 1486.3%, while the dollar share increased by 1345.5%. By March 2022, 80.9% of total unit sales were composed of products containing ≥5% nicotine strength. By flavor, the percentage of units sold with ≥5% nicotine strength was 61.3% of tobacco-flavor sales, 79.3% of menthol sales, 87.4% of mint sales, and 96.1% of other flavor sales. By product type, the percentage of units sold with ≥5% nicotine strength was 90.6% of disposable e-cigarette sales and 74.2% of prefilled cartridge sales. During January 2017-March 2022, the price of low-nicotine strength e-cigarettes increased, while the price of high-nicotine products either decreased or did not change. Sales of high nicotine-strength e-cigarettes have dominated the US e-cigarette market. Limiting the nicotine strength of e-cigarettes could be considered as part of a comprehensive tobacco control strategy to reduce youth access to and use of these products. The findings from this study indicate that previously reported increases in e-cigarette nicotine strength during 2013-2018 have continued through 2022. The US e-cigarette market sales continue to be dominated by relatively high-nicotine products. Strategies to address factors that make these products, particularly appealing to youth, including flavors and product innovations, are critical. Such strategies are important-as part of a comprehensive approach alongside other evidence-based population-level actions-to address youth e-cigarette use. Importantly, actions to reduce e-cigarette use among youth are not mutually exclusive from actions to maximize the potential benefits of e-cigarettes for increasing smoking cessation among adults.

Expanding local sales restrictions on flavoured tobacco products to include menthol: retail sales changes in two Minnesota cities

BackgroundIn 2018, Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, expanded existing local sales restrictions on flavoured (non-menthol/mint/wintergreen) tobacco products (‘flavour policies’) to include menthol/mint/wintergreen-flavoured tobacco products (‘menthol policies’). All policies included exemptions...

The Impacts of Additional Automotive Tax to Selected Car Manufacturers in Metro Manila

The implementation of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion Law (TRAIN) caused several adjustments across various industries including the automobile business. This study was conducted to determine the total unit sales of automobiles of selected car manufacturers in Metro Manila a year before and after implementing the TRAIN law; identify the effect of change in retail price on the total sales; and determine the impact of competition to the total sales The study employed a descriptive research design. A total of twenty-five purposively chosen key respondents were included in the study. Five high-ranking management members from each brand with local manufacturing operations in the Philippines namely, Toyota, Mitsubishi, Foton, Honda, and Nissan were the respondents. The data was collected through the use of online survey questionnaires and were analyzed using descriptive statistics (mean, standard deviation, etc.), frequencies, and percentage. There was a significant effect on the automotive industry in the Philippines brought by the implementation of the TRAIN law. It was found out that the total unit sales of the five selected car manufacturers have decreased during the year of implementation of the additional automotive tax compared to their sales prior to the year of its actual implementation. These car manufacturers have also adjusted their retail price necessitated by the TRAIN law, which also affected their total sales. Competition between the leading car manufacturers in the country was also taken into account. It was found out that there was a high level of competition among car companies.

Examining Market Trends in Smokeless Tobacco Sales in the United States: 2011-2019.

The smokeless tobacco (SLT) industry in the U.S. continues to transform with novel products amid an evolving regulatory environment. We report SLT sales trends in the U.S. by analyzing retail market scanner data from 2011 through 2019. National SLT sales data were obtained from Nielsen's Convenience Track System for January 2011 to December 2019. UPC codes were used to classify products by attributes including type, parent company, brand, form, and flavor. Market share was calculated as percentage of total unit sales. Detailed product analysis was presented for moist snuff, snus, and tobacco-free nicotine products. SLT sales increased by 5.8% between 2011 and 2016 but declined by 3.9% from 2016 to 2019. Moist snuff sales increased by 8.1% between 2011 and 2016 and then declined 7.4% from 2016 to 2019 but still accounted for roughly 90% of the overall market annually. Between 2011 and 2019, snus sales consistently increased while sales of chew, dry snuff, and dissolvables decreased. Tobacco-free nicotine products emerged in 2016 and captured 4.0% of the market by 2019. Portion pouch packaging and flavors showed consistent growth although their popularity varied by the type of smokeless product. This study extends our previous work on U.S. SLT market trends through 2019. Overall sales increased between 2011 and 2016 but there were signs of leveling off including declining sales of moist snuff. Newer products continue to gain market share. Continued monitoring of SLT sales is needed, particularly given the new modified risk status of several products. This study analyzed the last 9 years of smokeless tobacco market data (2011-2019) to describe recent trends in sales. Overall, the smokeless product category is quite resilient although signs suggest downward trends among some product categories and features. New types of smokeless tobacco products (eg, snus and tobacco-free nicotine pouches) account for a growing share of the market.

Investigating the impact of the HSE Healthier Vending Policy on unit sales of snack items

AbstractVending machines provide quick and easy access to snacks and, in general, provide few healthy options to consumers. Given this high availability of unhealthy foods in vending machines, consumers are likely to purchase and consume a less healthy option. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of a Healthier Vending policy in all Health Service Executive (HSE) premises across the Republic of Ireland on unit sales of vending machine snacks. Under the policy, the contents of vending machines were altered so that healthier, Better Choice (BC), snacks would constitute a majority of the vending machine stock (minimum 60%) in comparison to the less healthy, Other Choice (OC), snacks. Snacks were defined as BC if they contained: ≤ 150kcals/packet, ≤ 20g/100 g total fat, ≤ 5g/100 g saturated fat, ≤ 15g/100 g sugar, and ≤ 1.5g/100 g salt/sodium. Products stocked as OC should be ≤ 250kcals/packet. BC snacks were placed in prime slots and at eye-level in order to prompt the consumer towards buying a BC snack, with OC snacks being placed to incentivise the choice of BC snacks. Consumers were also incentivised to purchase BC snacks through written cues that appear on the vending machines. Sales data was provided by vending companies for 2015 (baseline) and 2016 (year 1). Unit sales of all snack types increased between the two time points, with the exception of dried fruit and nuts. The proportion of OC products purchased relative to total unit sales decreased following the intervention, as did the proportion of gum and mints and dried fruit and nuts sales. While the proportion of BC crisps purchased relative to total unit sales increased post-intervention, an increase in the proportion of OC bars purchased relative to total unit sales was also seen. Sales of both BC and OC dried fruit/nuts relative to total unit sales decreased. Our results indicate that policies aiming to improve the nutrition environment in health care settings, through increasing the availability of healthy products in vending machines and promoting their purchase, could be an effective method of reducing the amount of unhealthy products purchased overall. These policies can alter consumers’ purchasing patterns and prompt consumers towards purchasing a healthier/unhealthier version of the same product, as seen with crisps and bars in this study.

Trends in Sales of Flavored and Menthol Tobacco Products in the United States During 2011-2015.

Flavors can mask the harshness of tobacco and make it appealing to young people. This study assessed flavored and menthol tobacco product sales at the national and state levels. Universal Product Code tobacco sales data collected by Nielsen were combined for convenience stores and all-outlets-combined during October 22, 2011-January 9, 2016. Products were characterized as flavored, menthol, or non-flavored/non-menthol. Total unit sales, and the proportion of flavored and menthol unit sales, were assessed nationally and by state for seven tobacco products. Joinpoint regression was used to assess trends in average monthly percentage change. Nationally, the proportion of flavored and menthol sales in 2015 was as follows: cigarettes (32.5% menthol), large cigars (26.1% flavored), cigarillos (47.5% flavored, 0.2% menthol), little cigars (21.8% flavored, 19.4% menthol), chewing tobacco (1.4% flavored, 0.7% menthol), moist snuff (3.0% flavored, 57.0% menthol), and snus (88.5% menthol). From 2011 to 2015, sales increased for flavored cigarillos and chewing tobacco, as well as for menthol cigarettes, little cigars, moist snuff, and snus. Sales decreased for flavored large cigars, moist snuff, and snus, and for menthol chewing tobacco. State-level variations were observed by product; for example, flavored little cigar sales ranged from 4.4% (Maine) to 69.3% (Utah) and flavored cigarillo sales ranged from 26.6% (Maine) to 63.0% (Maryland). Menthol and flavored sales have increased since 2011, particularly for the products with the highest number of units sold, and significant state variation exists. Efforts to restrict flavored tobacco product sales could reduce overall U.S. tobacco consumption. Flavors in tobacco products can mask the harshness of tobacco and make these products more appealing to young people. This is the first study to assess national and state-level trends in flavored and menthol tobacco product sales. These findings underscore the importance of population-based interventions to address flavored tobacco product use at the national, state, and local levels. Additionally, further monitoring of flavored and menthol tobacco product sales can inform potential future regulatory efforts at the national, state, and local levels.

Dynamic Model of Markets of Successive Product Generations

A dynamic microeconomic model is presented that establishes the price and unit sales evolution of heterogeneous goods consisting of successive homogenous product generations. It suggests that for a fast growing supply the mean price of the generations are governed by a logistic decline towards a floor price. It is shown that generations of a heterogeneous good are in mutual competition. Their market shares are therefore governed by a Fisher-Pry law while the total unit sales are governed by the lifecycle dynamics of the good. As a result the absolute unit sales of a generation exhibit a characteristic sales peak consisting of a rapid increase followed by a long tail. The presented approach shows that the evolution of successive product generations can be understood as an evolutionary adaptation process. The applicability of the model is confirmed by a comparison with empirical investigations on successive DRAM generations.

Dynamic Model of Markets of Successive Product Generations

A dynamic microeconomic model is presented that establishes the price and unit sales evolution of heterogeneous goods consisting of successive homogenous product generations. It suggests that for a fast growing supply the mean price of the generations are governed by a logistic decline towards a floor price. It is shown that generations of a heterogeneous good are in mutual competition. Their market shares are therefore governed by a Fisher-Pry law while the total unit sales are governed by the lifecycle dynamics of the good. As a result the absolute unit sales of a generation exhibit a characteristic sales peak consisting of a rapid increase followed by a long tail. The presented approach shows that the evolution of successive product generations can be understood as an evolutionary adaptation process. The applicability of the model is confirmed by a comparison with empirical investigations on successive DRAM generations.

Demand and supply of commercial firearms in the United States

The article establishes methods by which to estimate demand and supply in the commercial firearms market in the United States. For the first time, this includes the number of used firearms resold via federally licensed retailers. For 2010, for example, total unit sales are estimated at 9.8 million pistols, revolvers, rifles, and shotguns, about 1.5 million of which were used weapons. The total number of military and nonmilitary firearms that entered commerce between 1986 and 2010 is estimated at about 150 million units. Allowing for pre-1986 production and imports, this lends credence to the notion that the total stock of firearms in the U.S. averages about one firearm per person. The article further shows rising firearms imports. In 2010, these amounted to about one-third of the total market. In addition to imports, foreign brands also produce at U.S. locations and, in 2010, captured well over 20 percent of the U.S. commercial pistol market.

Restaurant QSC inspections and financial performance: an empirical investigation

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to determine the relationship between QSC (quality, service and cleanliness) inspection scores and financial performance in quick service restaurants.Design/methodology/approachRestaurant QSC inspection data were collected from 25 quick service restaurants of an international chain over a period of 18 months. Audited financial data were also collected for these participating restaurants. Using SPSS software, the data were analyzed for possible relationships between the restaurant QSC scores and the financial performance measured as total unit sales per week, revenues per available seat per week, and gross operating income for each month. Restaurant unit size is measured by total revenues per month.FindingsContrary to the commonly held belief, the relationship between QSC variable and restaurant performance is weak. This study found there was a “V” curve in QSC inspections and financial performance when restaurant size was chosen as the moderating variable.Research limitations/implicationsThe specific items measured in the QSC may differ across organizations, although the broad categories remain constant. Certain operational factors such as price changes, special promotions, additional restaurant openings in the specific area, and local economic conditions could have confounded the results.Practical implicationsThe knowledge obtained from this study could help restaurant organizations determine the level of weighting given to a specific inspection variable. This study also suggests the use of FQSC inspections instead of traditional QSC to emphasize financial performance (F). This study demonstrates the liability and limitations of tying QSC inspections to merit raises and bonus plans as normally done in restaurants.Originality/valueThis paper is the first empirical study to analyze the QSC inspections of restaurants related to financial performance. In contrast to the past studies with food safety/health inspections, the current study focuses directly on QSC inspections conducted more frequently and in greater detail by the quick service restaurants with emphasis on operational and financial performance.

PromoCast™: A New Forecasting Method for Promotion Planning

This article describes the implementation of a promotion-event forecasting system, PromoCast™, and its performance in several pilot applications and validity studies. Pilot studies involved retail grocery chains with 95 to 185 stores per trading area. The goal was to provide short-term, tactical forecasts useful for planning promotions from a retailer's perspective. Thus, the forecast system must be able to handle any of the over 150,000 UPCs in each store's item master file, and must be scalable to produce approximately 800,000,000 forecasts per year across all the retailers served by efficient marketing services, inc. (ems, inc.). This is a much different task than one that confronts a manufacturer, even one with a broad product line. Manufacturers can benefit from custom modeling in a product line or category. Retailers need a production system that generates forecasts that help promotion planning. Marketing scientists have typically approached promotion analysis from the manufacturer's perspective. One objective of this article is to encourage marketing scientists to rethink promotion analysis from a different perspective. From the retailer's point of view the “planning unit” is the promotion event. Neither weekly store-tracking data nor shopping-trip data from consumer panels are easily aggregated to reflect total sales during a promotion event. We describe the promotion-event databases and the statistical model developed using these databases. The data are the strategic asset. Our goal is to help retailers use their data to increase the profitability of promotions. We have data on the performance of each UPC in each store under a variety of promotion conditions, on each store's adeptness at executing various styles of promotions, as well as on chain-wide historical performance for each UPC. We use many historical averages from these databases to build a 67-variable, regression-style model. The forecast incorporates a simple bias correction needed when using a log-transformed dependent variable (the natural log of total unit sales). We argue that the historical averages matching the planned ad and display conditions provide a benchmark superior to the widely used “base-times-lift” method. When aggregated into case units (the natural unit for product ordering), 69% of the forecasts in our first validation study were within ± one case compared to 39% within ± one case using the appropriate historical averages. We report the results of two over-time validity studies that reflect the value of our model for retailers. The limitations and implications of this planning tool for managerial decision making concerning stocking levels are discussed. Whenever historical data are the strategic asset we face inherent limitations. Our model does not forecast new products. The forecast error increases when an existing product is promoted in a new way. Over 99.5% of the time, we have full data from which to create a forecast. However, with a database for a typical chain market containing over 20 million promotion events in the 30-month time frame we use, 100,000 events have less than ideal data. The breadth of the database (typically 150,000 UPS) makes it impractical to incorporate data on competitive offerings. We find that regression-style modeling is not adept at incorporating information on the 1,200 subcommodities managed in our pilot stores or the 1,000 manufacturers who supply those stores. Despite these limitations we show the value of using promotion-event data, how tactical forecasts based on these data can directly impact the bottom line of grocery retailers, and how store-by-store forecasts can help retailers with problems of running out of stock or overstocking.

General aviation cost effectiveness

Introduction T paper is an update of AlAA Papers 85-4029 presented in October 1985, at the AIAA/AHS/ASEE Aircraft Design Systems and Operations Meeting held in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and 86-2607 presented at the AIAA Aviation Technology Conference Meeting held in September 1986, in Anaheim, California. These papers started with the generally accepted assumption that the general aviation industry's economic health followed the economy, at least since World War II. During the early 1980's, the economy turned down, and general aviation sales also turned down. However, now the economy has recovered and general aviation sales have not. The 1985 paper examined this in a limited way and assessed the cost effectiveness of the general aviation aircraft. A significant drop in general aviation cost effectiveness was identified and some causes examined. Since the economy has been in a state of recovery for at least three years [as shown by both an increase in gross national product (GNP) and the leveling of inflation], if the general aviation industry truly followed the economy, at least some level of sales recovery would have happened by now. Since sales continue to slide, it appears that some factor(s) has taken over. To see if this is the case, several factors have been investigated. Figure 1 is a plot of total unit sales since 1946. Figure 2 is the same plot with some trend lines added. From about 1947 through 1965, a trend line reflecting a growth rate of 10%/yr has been fitted. This growth rate again shows up in the 1970-1979 time period. Considering the 30-yr span of 19491979, a 6% growth rate is more representative. Extending the time frame through 1985 reduces the overall growth trend to 3%. Even a return to the 3% line would obviously be beneficial in the near future. Figure 3 is the unit sales chart again with the GNP overlaid. The GNP is shown in both Then Year curves and corrected for inflation by dividing by the consumer price index (CPI). Neither GNP curve matches the general aviation (GA) unit curve very well as the Then Year curve shows an 8% growth with no dips. The corrected curve shows a 4% growth rate with only minor dips. It is probably incorrect to compare GNP in dollars to aircraft unit sales, so Fig. 4 shows total sales in dollars for general aviation. Again, the Then Year curve and inflation-corrected $ curve are plotted. Figure 5 shows the same plot with trend lines, and the Then Year plot from