Is Vaping dying out?

[Modyrts]

So just hear me out.

I've been thinking for a while now that the vape industry seems off and lacks that fun vibe it once had. It felt like everything to do with vaping had a fun and enjoyable feeling attached to it. Companies were producing awesome things with the community like Vandy Vape the online presence was huge but all of that has been missing.

So with some thought I looked into it a little more. Below are the analytics of multiple different Vaping related youtubers who were insanely huge back then and were pulling in millions of views each video.


As you can see the online interest in vaping is decreasing, yes you can blame covid but these stats only go so far back so unfortunately I cannot show the full extent of the decline. While yes bumping into another person who vapes is a lot more common now, it just feels that Vaping was definitely a trend that hit the world and has now passed by.

I mean personally I have noticed that the vape shops that were booming and bustling everytime I went there are now usually empty and have downsized. (Over the years, not just the last two)
Then again however it is also becoming less and less common each year for people to smoke. Less kids are picking up smoking than there used to be. More adults are giving up smoking not always seeking alternatives. So perhaps this is a possibile reason for the decrease in interest? This is based loosely on this article, Source: https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/adult_data/cig_smoking/index.htm

 

[WV2021]

Good Morning
@Modyrts
I Have been vapeing for awhile now and it the best experince I ever had.
I enjoy the flavours the differnt ways of vaping diffrent vapes tanks this forum for making life a bit easier for our new vaping gents and ladies.

I'm always on the look out for new vaping friends and I must say I had two blokes I presuaded to leave the stinkies and take up vaping.

I know it is nothing compare to the down fall of vaping.But just felt I have to share this with you.

Have a great day.

 

[DarthBranMuffin]

7 years ago vaping for me was limited to Twisp, those other ones you got at the Engen garages and Joyetech Ego... just over 2 years ago my wife could not deal with what she had in her hand and I started exploring the rest of the Vape Realm in search of something new (for her). That is where my path with stinkies ended too and since then it was in influx of information, devices, I went on a spree of testing old, new, stupid, amazing and in-between types of devices, atomizers and juices.

But now, now I know what I like and prefer, I have what I need and I don't get the attack of the FOMO as much as I used to. Vaping turned from a secluded more private habbit/hobby to an international best seller in a matter of months, suddenly from a few items available to the general public it has become a world where a new "baby" is born every minute of the day.

So over the last 10+ odd years the scene has changed from 3 tanks and two mods to way more than we can even imagine (just go open up fasttech/heaven gifts and try and count the amount of items available on their sites... )

I think a lot of the long-standing vapers have found their niche and are sticking with it. With Covid and the lack of funds available all over everything took a dip, vaping too, and that can be seen with the smaller amounts of stock that even the bigger vendors are bringing in, it comes in batches, they bring in a bit, see if it can get sold and will restock if it went quick or if there is a demand for it. So the wheels are turning, just slower than it was before covid. We see a lot of NEW RELEASES but it takes a lot longer for it to hit our shores too, by that time something else new has popped up and people are then holding back for the new new and the previous release is left alone.

There is also the matter of that most (but not all) the new releases are actually pretty damn good and people are sticking with them when they get them, no need to replace it with a new new. A year or so back (and ever so often) the hype is vastly different to the performance and there was a lot of buyers remorse on items that did not live up to what it was said to be. Now you can buy a tank based on the hype and chances are it will be as good as they say it is and you will stick with it for a very very long time and replace it with the same one if something happens to it.

Now I said a lot and don't know if I actually said anything at all, but to answer your question: In my opinion Vaping is not dying out, it is still alive, kicking and carrying on as it did a year, 2, 5 ago.... Has the market gone quiet due to a lot of reasons? Yes it has, but it is still 100% active. Have we seen a lot of media/publicity about it? No we haven't, which is not a bad thing if we remember what happened in the USA in 2019/2020 which started the problem that they are sitting with now that side of the world.

The moment we start becoming negative about the industry is when the industry will die off by itself very quickly, we cannot question ourselves and our decisions, as questionability leads to regret and regret leads to the inevitable downfall of the initial thought. As long as we want to Vape, there will be Vape!

 

[Raindance]

So just hear me out.

I've been thinking for a while now that the vape industry seems off and lacks that fun vibe it once had. It felt like everything to do with vaping had a fun and enjoyable feeling attached to it. Companies were producing awesome things with the community like Vandy Vape the online presence was huge but all of that has been missing.

So with some thought I looked into it a little more. Below are the analytics of multiple different Vaping related youtubers who were insanely huge back then and were pulling in millions of views each video.
View attachment 233007 View attachment 233008 View attachment 233009 View attachment 233010

As you can see the online interest in vaping is decreasing, yes you can blame covid but these stats only go so far back so unfortunately I cannot show the full extent of the decline. While yes bumping into another person who vapes is a lot more common now, it just feels that Vaping was definitely a trend that hit the world and has now passed by.

I mean personally I have noticed that the vape shops that were booming and bustling everytime I went there are now usually empty and have downsized. (Over the years, not just the last two)
Then again however it is also becoming less and less common each year for people to smoke. Less kids are picking up smoking than there used to be. More adults are giving up smoking not always seeking alternatives. So perhaps this is a possibile reason for the decrease in interest? This is based loosely on this article, Source: https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/adult_data/cig_smoking/index.htm

The stats reflect gains referencing a cumulative base therefore not a decline in interest merely a saturation level being reached.

Regards

 

[Adephi]

Remember there has also been the whole clampdown on vaping in the US. That definitely must have an effect on the international market.

 

[Hooked]

I know quite a few new generation vapers i.e. 18 -25 year olds, and they aren't interested in mods. They want something that is hassle-free e.g. Vuse and Airscream with their disposable pods, as well as disposable e-cigs. They want something small that can be popped into their jeans pocket.

They also have no interest in going to a vape shop. They want to buy their stuff at a garage or supermarket or, in the case of Vuse, at a kiosk in a mall.

My prediction is that the above will become the norm and mods will be for the die-hard vaping enthusiasts, as we have on this forum.

EDIT: Pod systems are also popular because of their size. Youngsters are definitely not interested in lugging a mod around!

 

[Grand Guru]

I have to agree with @Hooked here… the Vape market is not dying but in fact gaining in maturity and settling on what is more economically viable for Vape companies, which is “disposable” pod systems (cash cows). The universe of mods and RTAs/RDAs has reached a plateau in terms of creativity and innovation and can not grow much further in terms of market shares for various reasons. We will see the occasional gem here and there but the market seems to be stabilising for now until the major new innovation!

 

[baksteen8168]

IMHO, I don't think it is dying out. Slowing down maybe as @DarthBranMuffin perfectly explained, but still alive and well. I too can relate to the crappy devices of many moons ago. I used to go through cigalike devices like crazy (the atomizers on those simply didn't like being in my pocket on bike rides and I used a bike to commute to work and back.)

I have been bouncing around between RDa's, RTA's and multiple Mods before I finally discovered that Squonkers work for me. After that I found a couple of devices that work perfectly for me and the FOMO also died down. However if someone wants to gift me a Black and Ultem Lostvape Drone BF250C then I wouldn't mind

Affordability of devices also played a huge part in the hype back then. Squonking was for the elite back in the day with REO's (the only real option) fetching a premium and sadly I never owned one of those. Most of the devices today are very well priced and work brilliantly that vapers tend to buy a device that fulfills their needs and thus they don't hunt the next best thing like we used to. I think that this is the main reason that the scene seems to be quieting down.

 

[Stranger]

Thank you for posting those graphs and I agree with the above excellent comments.

I will go further and add that Jai Haze bore me to tears with his negative attitude, Rip Tripper is just a twat and Bogan is just that, a foul mouth Aussie. For those reasons I do not seek out their channels any more. If I really want an opinion, .... I would rather ask here. What are the stats for ECIGSSA as far as growing membership is concerned ?

 

[baksteen8168]

Thank you for posting those graphs and I agree with the above excellent comments.

I will go further and add that Jai Haze bore me to tears with his negative attitude, Rip Tripper is just a twat and Bogan is just that, a foul mouth Aussie. For those reasons I do not seek out their channels any more. If I really want an opinion, .... I would rather ask here. What are the stats for ECIGSSA as far as growing membership is concerned ?

While I agree 110% with your observations on those reviewers (especially Rip) I tend to look past Jai Haze's negativity. On some level his preferences on devices mimic mine, so if he likes a Mod, RDA or RTA I will probably like it too. As for the crap that comes out of his mouth that he considers to be entertainment... Well that I simply ignore.

 

[Modyrts]

Good Morning
@Modyrts
I Have been vapeing for awhile now and it the best experince I ever had.
I enjoy the flavours the differnt ways of vaping diffrent vapes tanks this forum for making life a bit easier for our new vaping gents and ladies.

I'm always on the look out for new vaping friends and I must say I had two blokes I presuaded to leave the stinkies and take up vaping.

I know it is nothing compare to the down fall of vaping.But just felt I have to share this with you.

Have a great day.

That's awesome!! More so that you help d people get off the cancer sticks.

 

[Modyrts]

The stats reflect gains referencing a cumulative base therefore not a decline in interest merely a saturation level being reached.

Regards

I'm not sure if I interpreted this graph differently but I don't believe it is cumilative.

 

[DavyH]

Another thread in the forum deals with the lack of innovation in mods recently - reviewers, certainly in 2021, have been hammering on about pod after pod after pod and complaining widely about them. It's a little offputting and I don't watch pod reviews any more. Certainly a factor, as are the far longer streams we've been seeing. After all, who wants to watch builds for three hours?

I'd like to see some local retailers chiming in here as well. With the Covid restrictions keeping people out of the vape shops, has there been a commensurate increase in online sales? This has been the pattern in retail in general, not just since 2020, but as an ongoing trend in the USA and Europe for the last 7-8 years. With online shopping being forced on the South African public since last year, I'd be surprised if we don't see similar pressure on physical stores in SA.

 

[Modyrts]

Thank you for posting those graphs and I agree with the above excellent comments.

I will go further and add that Jai Haze bore me to tears with his negative attitude, Rip Tripper is just a twat and Bogan is just that, a foul mouth Aussie. For those reasons I do not seek out their channels any more. If I really want an opinion, .... I would rather ask here. What are the stats for ECIGSSA as far as growing membership is concerned ?

LOL Rip Trippers I never trusted as he was a paid advertiser so everything of his was bias. I don't know Jai too well but Bogan I used to enjoy until I met the dude.

Below are some graphs I could find to represent Eciggsa's traffic although these are not as clear as the above ones.



As we can see with a bounce rate of 50% half the traffic comes from people opening the forum to one page and immediately closing it.

Interestingly though I am truly surprised that SA only makes for 30% traffic.

 

[Puff the Magic Dragon]

I would rather ask here. What are the stats for ECIGSSA as far as growing membership is concerned ?

Membership numbers seem to be going up but many are inactive.

For me, the interesting part is the number of non-members or guests who view the forum. Scroll down on the home page and look at the Members Online Now box. Click on "and XX more" and take a look at the threads the guests are looking at.

IMO hundreds of guests, who have no intention of joining the forum, find good advice and are able to do solid "research" on the forum.

I would like to believe that many of them have been helped to quit smoking by lurking on the forum. I was one of these people. Days after I started vaping I started lurking. I joined but many others will not.

 

[Modyrts]

7 years ago vaping for me was limited to Twisp, those other ones you got at the Engen garages and Joyetech Ego... just over 2 years ago my wife could not deal with what she had in her hand and I started exploring the rest of the Vape Realm in search of something new (for her). That is where my path with stinkies ended too and since then it was in influx of information, devices, I went on a spree of testing old, new, stupid, amazing and in-between types of devices, atomizers and juices.

But now, now I know what I like and prefer, I have what I need and I don't get the attack of the FOMO as much as I used to. Vaping turned from a secluded more private habbit/hobby to an international best seller in a matter of months, suddenly from a few items available to the general public it has become a world where a new "baby" is born every minute of the day.

So over the last 10+ odd years the scene has changed from 3 tanks and two mods to way more than we can even imagine (just go open up fasttech/heaven gifts and try and count the amount of items available on their sites... )

I think a lot of the long-standing vapers have found their niche and are sticking with it. With Covid and the lack of funds available all over everything took a dip, vaping too, and that can be seen with the smaller amounts of stock that even the bigger vendors are bringing in, it comes in batches, they bring in a bit, see if it can get sold and will restock if it went quick or if there is a demand for it. So the wheels are turning, just slower than it was before covid. We see a lot of NEW RELEASES but it takes a lot longer for it to hit our shores too, by that time something else new has popped up and people are then holding back for the new new and the previous release is left alone.

There is also the matter of that most (but not all) the new releases are actually pretty damn good and people are sticking with them when they get them, no need to replace it with a new new. A year or so back (and ever so often) the hype is vastly different to the performance and there was a lot of buyers remorse on items that did not live up to what it was said to be. Now you can buy a tank based on the hype and chances are it will be as good as they say it is and you will stick with it for a very very long time and replace it with the same one if something happens to it.

Now I said a lot and don't know if I actually said anything at all, but to answer your question: In my opinion Vaping is not dying out, it is still alive, kicking and carrying on as it did a year, 2, 5 ago.... Has the market gone quiet due to a lot of reasons? Yes it has, but it is still 100% active. Have we seen a lot of media/publicity about it? No we haven't, which is not a bad thing if we remember what happened in the USA in 2019/2020 which started the problem that they are sitting with now that side of the world.

The moment we start becoming negative about the industry is when the industry will die off by itself very quickly, we cannot question ourselves and our decisions, as questionability leads to regret and regret leads to the inevitable downfall of the initial thought. As long as we want to Vape, there will be Vape!

My journey also started with the twisp clear v1 I then proceeded to buy a few different twisps and eventually made the move to vaping in 2014.

I get the shopping spree don't get me wrong I think 90% of us on the forums are guilty of "overspending" as the wife would say.

While I do agree that this has calmed down with most of us for the most part, new vapers don't seem to be all that interested anymore. They just care if their device makes clouds. I know of one guy who just got into vaping who is as enthusiastic as I was back in the day but that being said I know a lot of people and one guy is but a drop in the pond.

7 years ago vaping for me was limited to Twisp, those other ones you got at the Engen garages and Joyetech Ego... just over 2 years ago my wife could not deal with what she had in her hand and I started exploring the rest of the Vape Realm in search of something new (for her). That is where my path with stinkies ended too and since then it was in influx of information, devices, I went on a spree of testing old, new, stupid, amazing and in-between types of devices, atomizers and juices.

But now, now I know what I like and prefer, I have what I need and I don't get the attack of the FOMO as much as I used to. Vaping turned from a secluded more private habbit/hobby to an international best seller in a matter of months, suddenly from a few items available to the general public it has become a world where a new "baby" is born every minute of the day.

So over the last 10+ odd years the scene has changed from 3 tanks and two mods to way more than we can even imagine (just go open up fasttech/heaven gifts and try and count the amount of items available on their sites... )

I think a lot of the long-standing vapers have found their niche and are sticking with it. With Covid and the lack of funds available all over everything took a dip, vaping too, and that can be seen with the smaller amounts of stock that even the bigger vendors are bringing in, it comes in batches, they bring in a bit, see if it can get sold and will restock if it went quick or if there is a demand for it. So the wheels are turning, just slower than it was before covid. We see a lot of NEW RELEASES but it takes a lot longer for it to hit our shores too, by that time something else new has popped up and people are then holding back for the new new and the previous release is left alone.

There is also the matter of that most (but not all) the new releases are actually pretty damn good and people are sticking with them when they get them, no need to replace it with a new new. A year or so back (and ever so often) the hype is vastly different to the performance and there was a lot of buyers remorse on items that did not live up to what it was said to be. Now you can buy a tank based on the hype and chances are it will be as good as they say it is and you will stick with it for a very very long time and replace it with the same one if something happens to it.

Now I said a lot and don't know if I actually said anything at all, but to answer your question: In my opinion Vaping is not dying out, it is still alive, kicking and carrying on as it did a year, 2, 5 ago.... Has the market gone quiet due to a lot of reasons? Yes it has, but it is still 100% active. Have we seen a lot of media/publicity about it? No we haven't, which is not a bad thing if we remember what happened in the USA in 2019/2020 which started the problem that they are sitting with now that side of the world.

The moment we start becoming negative about the industry is when the industry will die off by itself very quickly, we cannot question ourselves and our decisions, as questionability leads to regret and regret leads to the inevitable downfall of the initial thought. As long as we want to Vape, there will be Vape!

I started off using twisp products way back when they were the only thing really available before I made the move to vapes in 2014 and I think most of us on the forums are guilty of "overspending", as the wife would call it, at one point or another but I think for most this has died down the same way it has for you. You find what you like.

I'm not necessarily referring to purely sales figures here but the general interest in vaping has definitely decreased quite a bit. I doubt it'll be gone and forgotten for quite some tine but the 'popularity' of it definitely is not there

I must also say that as someone who is constantly helping out new vapers and people to join the community that the passion for it from the average person has definitely died off.
People nowadays "don't care what the device is as long as its cheap and makes clouds", I'm quoting people that I have heard in local vape shops. People arnt and have not been going on spending sprees for quite a few years now. Yes there are definitely a lot of reasons for this. I know one guy who got into vaping recently who is enthusiastic about it and trying new things but for the most part new vapers don't really care much for it as long as they have something to show off or more importantly use to quit smoking.

In terms of the new releases I actually strongly disagree. In the house brands I know of such as Smok, Vandy Vape, Voopoo, Wotofo, Hellvape, Vaporesso etc etc. Just by taking a look at their websites can show that there arnt actually very many new releases. And what there is is mostly pod systems or mtl devices as you've said but as far as releases in terms of mods and attys they have definitely slowed down. Perhaps also due to these factors perhaps due to the end of innovation? (I'm actually really enjoying that thread)

All I am saying is that general interest world wide for vaping is definitely on a decline. But then again with the states and Canada how it is and Aus intending to ban vaping as a whole it is quite sad.

 

[fbb1964]

I know quite a few new generation vapers i.e. 18 -25 year olds, and they aren't interested in mods. They want something that is hassle-free e.g. Vuse and Airscream with their disposable pods, as well as disposable e-cigs. They want something small that can be popped into their jeans pocket.

They also have no interest in going to a vape shop. They want to buy their stuff at a garage or supermarket or, in the case of Vuse, at a kiosk in a mall.

My prediction is that the above will become the norm and mods will be for the die-hard vaping enthusiasts, as we have on this forum.

EDIT: Pod systems are also popular because of their size. Youngsters are definitely not interested in lugging a mod around!

Definitely I agree with you. Big tobacco aggressively moving into the vaping industry is also upsetting the apple cart with their small pod systems with replacement cartridges. Just like with cigarettes they want to control and dominate the nicotine delivery supply chain from source to end user.

Additional info..

https://www.ecigssa.co.za/vype-maker-bat-attracts-1-4m-new-vape-users-in-three-months.t72940/

https://www.ecigssa.co.za/is-it-tim...-international-as-a-cigarette-company.t71758/

https://www.ecigssa.co.za/big-wins-for-big-tobacco-vaping-category-report-2021.t71362/

https://www.ecigssa.co.za/who-recommends-ban-on-open-system-vaping.t71487/

 

[Silver]

Great thread @Modyrts

I agree that the early stage enthusiasm has subsided quite a bit - especially for the early stage adopters (like many of us here).

I don't get as excited as I once did when a new tank or juice comes out. Back in the day I had to try out most of the new devices and juices. I was like a kid in a candy store for the first time!

Now I have my gear and my favourite juices and I am happy. I only buy the occasional new device or juice when I feel like scratching the itch.

In those early days it was euphoric. I couldn't believe I managed to stop combustible smoking. Vaping made it so easy. This forum helped me BIG time.

Despite the above, there are still MANY smokers out there about to enter that stage of euphoria and excitement. Maybe the people around them won't all be as excited and enthusiastic, but its still one heck of a thing to stop smoking combustibles and start benefiting health-wise.

I think Vaping is going mainstream. Its out of the early stage and into the normal growth phase now. I think it will continue growing strongly over the years ahead. Yes, that early excitement phase is not there anymore, but it is growing well (globally) in my view.

 

[Rob Fisher]

I still get major FOMO when a new high-end device or tank comes out... but I am a lot more restrained than before so am not wasting money like before. And the last two purchases have been good ones for a change! The Edge and the Perseus both have stayed in rotation which is uncommon...

But the go-to RTA is still the OG Dvarw DL and my most used mods are my Stratum V4's.

I guess the courier ban from the US has helped me be more restrained as well. Bastards!

 

[baksteen8168]

I get the shopping spree don't get me wrong I think 90% of us on the forums are guilty of "overspending" as the wife would say.

My Wife overspends on clothes and shoes. I overspend on Vape stuff and Tech. We balance each other out

 

[baksteen8168]

I still get major FOMO when a new high-end device or tank comes out... but I am a lot more restrained than before so am not wasting money like before. And the last two purchases have been good ones for a change! The Edge and the Perseus both have stayed in rotation which is uncommon...

But the go-to RTA is still the OG Dvarw DL and my most used mods are my Stratum V4's.

I guess the courier ban from the US has helped me be more restrained as well. Bastards!

@Rob Fisher You tend to find something that works for you and stick to it for a LOOOONG time. I remember the REO days where you were (and still are) the REO Champ. Then you moved on to the Stratum's and the Dvarf's if I recall correctly.

 

[DavyH]

My Wife overspends on clothes and shoes. I overspend on Vape stuff and Tech. We balance each other out

I have an agreement with my wife. New shoes or bags = a new mod or atty.

I've bought 50 mods in the last year and a bit.

She's not complaining. It used to be high end guitars.

 

[CJB85]

The stats reflect gains referencing a cumulative base therefore not a decline in interest merely a saturation level being reached.

Regards

Agree, I think an “average # views” per video would give you a much better indication of interest level.

 

[baksteen8168]

I have an agreement with my wife. New shoes or bags = a new mod or atty.

I've bought 50 mods in the last year and a bit.

She's not complaining. It used to be high end guitars.

This year mine has been a 3D Printer. Granted it has paid itself off, and has been feeding both of our addictions with all the profit it's made so I can't really complain

 

[CJB85]

I think it is also a reflection on the vape industry, rather than just consumers. If we take the high-end market out of the equation (like it is for most of us), the mainstream companies have been churning out pod after pod, or re-hashed versions of the same thing. Hard to get excited about ANOTHER Aegis, Drag, Rabbit etc.