12A- Figuring Out Buyer Behavior

Demographic: Teenage males who have previously used products containing nicotine

1. My first interviewee's name was Ben and he has been using nicotine products for about 2 and a half years and shows no signs of stopping anytime soon. I told him about my opportunity idea and said he would be very interested in the product. I discussed need awareness with him and he said he has thought about how easy it would be if he did no have to worry about the health risks of the electronic cigarettes he uses. His need awareness occurs basically whenever the consequences of using nicotine is mentioned whether it be online or by his friends and parents. The first thing Ben did to find a solution to this problem was search Google for the definite health risks of using E-cigs. He told me he was online for two hours making sure he was not going to die. I think he did not mind what he saw online and that the statistics were in his favor due to the fact that he still vapes everyday.

2. My second interview was with a lad named Chris who switched over from JUUL to a device called Cuvie. He told me that he made the switch only because it was JUUL that was in the news for being a dangerous product. There are no actual claims that Cuvie is unsafe according to Chris, but what I have seen is that it is an extremely similar product to those that are receiving backlash. We discussed more and it is quite evident that Chris knows that his switch was not anything life changing and that he is still at risk. His unmet need is there whether he wants to admit it or not. He noticed his unmet need when he heard about the health risks of JUUL and the first thing he did was make the switch to Cuvie. He told me that he searched Google because of how much it concerned him and he found nothing about Cuvie. He did not consult with any friends or family either.

3. My third and final interview was with Ohee whose dad owns multiple gas stations. Naturally, he started using JUUL and uses the products quite frequently to this day. He became aware of his unmet need like everybody else did when news broke that JUUL was unsafe and poses a threat to all users of their products. He even told me that his father took all JUUL products out of his stores. After Ohee became aware of his need, he actually consulted with his dad to my surprise.

In these interviews, I learned that most of my demographic is unsure of the safety of any of the nicotine products they have been using in the past. Also, the majority of their need awarenesses' occurred when they read the news on the dangers of electronic cigarettes. I also learned that my opportunity still stands especially within this particular demographic.