Consumers’ perceptions of vape shops in Southern California: an analysis of online Yelp reviews

Abstract

BackgroundE-cigarettes are sold at many different types of retail establishments. A new type of shop has emerged, the vape shop, which specializes in sales of varied types of e-cigarettes. Vape shops allow users to sample several types. There are no empirical research articles on vape shops. Information is needed on consumers’ beliefs and behaviors about these shops, the range of products sold, marketing practices, and variation in shop characteristics by ethnic community and potential counter-marketing messages.MethodsThis study is the first to investigate marketing characteristics of vape shops located in different ethnic neighborhoods in Los Angeles, by conducting a Yelp electronic search and content analysis of consumer reports on vape shops they have visited. The primary measure was Yelp reviews (N = 103 vape shops in the Los Angeles, California area), which were retrieved and content coded. We compared the attributes of vape shops representing four ethnic communities: African American, Hispanic/Latino, Korean, and White.ResultsVape shop attributes listed as most important were the selection of flavors or hardware (95%), fair prices (92%), and unique flavors or hardware (89%). Important staff marketing attributes included being friendly (99%), helpful/patient/respectful (97%), and knowledgeable/professional (95%). Over one-half of the shops were rated as clean (52%) and relaxed (61%). Relatively few of the reviews mentioned quitting smoking (32%) or safety of e-cigarettes (15%). The selection of flavors and hardware appeared relatively important in Korean ethnic location vape shops.ConclusionsYelp reviews may influence potential consumers. As such, the present study’s focus on Yelp reviews addressed at least eight of the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products’ priorities pertaining to marketing influences on consumer beliefs and behaviors. The findings suggest that there were several vape shop and product attributes that consumers considered important to disseminate to others through postings on Yelp. Lack of health warnings about these products may misrepresent their potential risk. The main influence variables were product variety and price. There was only a little evidence of influence of ethnic neighborhood; for example, regarding importance of flavors and hardware. Shop observational studies are recommended to discern safety factors across different ethnic neighborhoods.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12971-014-0022-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Tobacco Attitudes and Behaviors of Vape Shop Retailers in Los Angeles

“…Yelp also was used to identify the sampling area because it was the most feasible way to locate vape shops in different ethnic locations. When using the search term “vape shop” along with a specific neighborhood, Google search results provided similar vape shops to those found on Yelp (see Sussman et al, 3 for further details). Several websites returned from the Google search were for e-cigarette distributors and not vape shops; therefore Yelp was deemed more appropriate to locate vape shops by neighborhood.…”

“…2 Vape shops are devoted to the sale and use of e-cigarettes alone, allowing customers to sample flavors and learn about different hardware from shop retailers (eg, owners and staff). 3 …”

Examining the Smoking and Vaping Behaviors and Preferences of Vape Shop Customers

“…Lastly, vape shops often promote their products at point-ofsale as a way to quit smoking, with staff providing their own testimonials of how they were successful in quitting smoking with the use of e-cigarettes 6,12,13 . Each of these unique features of vape shops may influence the attitudes, beliefs and tobacco use behaviors of vape shop customers.…”

Identifying e-cigarette vape stores: description of an online search methodology

“…These vape stores can sell a wider selection of ENDS devices than traditional retail outlets, including higher end tank devices, accessories and liquids/juices that until now were primarily available online 19. A study of online consumer reviews of vape stores suggests that consumers considered the availability of flavours, devices, and accessories as particularly important in their evaluation of such stores 20. Some vape stores (eg, Henley Emporium (http://www.thehenley.com)) also offer tasting bars and ‘lounges’ designed to encourage socialising and entertainment, thereby, reinforcing positive social norms around ENDS use 19.…”