Variety is the spice of life and the current trend in the eliquid and vapor industry seems to be nothing if not varied. Currently, there are 466 brands and more than 7,700 flavors on the eliquid and vaping market. About 16,000 vape shops exist in the U.S., up from 10,000 last autumn, according to the Smoke-Free Alternatives Trade Association. Just ask yourself how many vapor locations you see on your drive to and from work to understand this increase. As of 2015, the U.S. e-cigarette market has ballooned to $2.5 billion in annual sales from almost nothing eight years ago.
Much of the variety in the vaping industry has to do with flavor choices. Three-quarters of adult vapers select flavors other than tobacco, including fruit (31%), bakery/dessert (19%), and savory/spice (5%). According to the New York Times, more than 7,000 e-liquid flavors are currently available and, some estimate, nearly 250 more are being introduced every month.
Another choice vaping customers make is to move to vapor cigarettes from traditional smoking products. Some do this out of health concerns for themselves. One study found that people who want to quit smoking are about 60% more successful if they used e-cigarettes or vaporizers compared to would-be quitters who tried an anti-smoking nicotine patch or gum. In a Belgian study, 44% of study participants had good luck reducing their tobacco consumption or eliminating it completely at the end of the eight months of vaping.
With approximately 2.5 million e-cigarette or “e-cig” users in the U.S., the e-cig market was valued at $1.7 billion in 2013. It is a growing industry that will likely continue to compete for customers by changing and expanding the variety of products they offer. Making the choice to use electronic cigars and one of the many varieties of eliquid flavors available, many consumers are choosing to make a lifestyle switch that might be more healthy and have fewer lingering effects.
