2019 E-Cigarette Rankings: What Is the Outlook for Boton Group’s Huoqi E-Cigarette?

2019 E-Cigarette Rankings Many companies are expected to undergo changes. The wave of new tobacco products such as heated tobacco and e-cigarettes has swept in, and some industrial companies have already begun to test the waters, but whether they can set a good precedent for domestic e-cigarettes remains uncertain. As many industrial companies are gearing up, many industry insiders can't help but wonder if 2019 will be the year of e-cigarette explosion. In this regard, the e-cigarette community holds a reserved attitude.

Data shows that from 2010 to 2018, e-cigarette sales increased nearly 20 times, with over 35 million e-cigarette users. China produces 90% of the world's e-cigarette products, but the domestic consumption market is less than 6% of the international market. Nevertheless, the domestic e-cigarette market is still worth 50 billion yuan, and with a vast blank space in the domestic market, domestic tobacco companies are eager to act. Why does the e-cigarette community hold a reserved attitude? The reason is that from the perspective of advantages and disadvantages, the two sides are evenly matched, making it difficult to draw conclusions:

Compared to abroad, the development of e-cigarettes in China has obvious advantages

There is no shortage of development markets

The foreign e-cigarette market has basically been divided among several major tobacco giants, leaving almost no remaining market space; however, the domestic e-cigarette market is a vast land waiting to be developed. Although foreign e-cigarettes intend to enter China, their scale is small, and currently, the domestic e-cigarette market is in a state of supply not meeting demand. Many consumers interested in e-cigarettes are looking forward to domestic brands developing this category.
E-cigarettes align with consumption trends

With consumption upgrades, consumers are increasingly concerned about the health impacts of products, and non-smokers are increasingly averse to secondhand smoke and the smell of smoke. After using e-cigarettes, not only do smokers not carry residual smoke smell, but the vapor also dissipates quickly, significantly reducing the impact of secondhand smoke, which is a major reason why more and more consumers choose e-cigarettes.

Brand image has been established

With economic development and policy support, many tobacco brands have rapidly grown in a short period, transforming the industry from a single dominant player to a flourishing state, with more brands appearing before consumers. Many emerging tobacco brands have gained recognition from consumers, so with brand endorsement, domestic e-cigarettes can win consumer approval without spending too much time.

The domestic e-cigarette market has huge potential, but at the same time, the problems that need to be addressed are also very obvious:

Core hardware has not yet reached standards

Currently, e-cigarettes that solely use liquefied e-liquid are becoming increasingly rare, while e-cigarettes with air devices are becoming more popular. The most important part of these e-cigarettes is the cartridge, which is a necessary component mounted on the e-cigarette atomizer. The cartridge consists of a liquid storage body and a mouthpiece cap. The cartridge stores a certain amount of e-liquid, and when the e-cigarette operates, the liquid inside the cartridge is atomized into gas under the action of the atomizer, forming smoke similar to real cigarettes.

Generally speaking, the larger the e-cigarette, the larger the cartridge, and the more liquid it can store, making the cartridge more durable. Not burning means no open flame, which reduces the public's impression of smoking behavior causing fires; it is also more environmentally friendly, more acceptable to non-smokers, and in 2018, the value of seized counterfeit cartridges reached over 100 million yuan, involving many provinces and cities in China, indicating that the development and sales channel construction of e-cigarette cartridges is urgent.
Unclear positioning

Unclear positioning can easily lead e-cigarette companies and tobacco companies developing e-cigarettes to lose confidence and their original intentions due to risks.

The long-term unclear positioning of e-cigarettes has led many e-cigarette companies to gradually decline, making it difficult to achieve stable, healthy, and long-term development. To cut costs, many companies are reluctant to invest too much in R&D, leading to outsourcing and cheapening, with quality issues becoming prominent.

For e-cigarettes, accurate qualitative assessment is very important. If e-cigarettes are to become a lifestyle trend, a habit, they need to be accurately positioned.

Legal regulation is crucial

Currently, the U.S. is pressuring the e-cigarette industry through policies and regulations. All e-cigarette practitioners should strive to maintain the industry's development, and it is hoped that policies and regulations can treat the e-cigarette industry fairly, with the hope that China will soon introduce standards, norms, and regulations for the e-cigarette industry.

The latest smoking ban in Hangzhou officially includes e-cigarettes in the regulatory scope, indicating that the smoking control association has classified e-cigarettes as tobacco products. Therefore, to allow e-cigarettes to develop more reasonably, a clearer and more complete regulatory system is needed to assist, as self-discipline is essential for free development.
Insufficient innovation, rampant copying

Internationally, competition between British American Tobacco and Philip Morris International is becoming increasingly fierce. Although e-cigarettes originated in China, most early domestic e-cigarette companies only stayed at the simple assembly of lithium batteries, atomizers, and cartridges, with little breakthrough in technological innovation, and the selling points of new products are not many. Moreover, the phenomenon of imitation and copying is rampant in the market, leading to a mixed bag in the domestic e-cigarette market.

What are the advantages of Boton Group's Huoqi e-cigarette?

On March 2, 2018, Shenzhen Boton Flavor Co., Ltd.'s analysis and testing center successfully passed the laboratory accreditation from the China National Accreditation Service for Conformity Assessment (CNAS), becoming the first first-party testing laboratory in the Chinese flavor and fragrance industry to obtain CNAS accreditation.
Boton Group's leading position in the flavor and fragrance industry can help Huoqi e-cigarettes gain an inherent advantage. Moreover, Boton Group has collaborated with China Tobacco Group for many years in the development of tobacco flavors, with mature technology, making it the most capable company in analyzing and blending e-liquids that suit the taste of the Chinese population. E-cigarette enthusiasts know the importance of e-liquids; just this advantage makes Huoqi e-cigarettes more noteworthy than many domestic e-cigarette companies. Additionally, Boton Group has made significant investments in the e-cigarette industry this year, whether in R&D or establishing the largest e-cigarette production base, leading the industry.

I believe that the e-cigarette industry will surely see a resurgence in 2019, and Boton Group's Huoqi e-cigarette is determined to create a Chinese national brand e-cigarette, contributing to the health of smokers by providing an alternative to smoking!