![]() Then, they must correctly answer questions about themselves (eg, prior addresses and past lenders) to confirm their identity. 2–4 In order to gain access to most parts of this website, a shopper must register for an account, self-certify that they are a current cigarette smoker 21 years old or older (by providing their name, address and driver’s license number), and answer some questions about tobacco use. Once customers purchase a device, they are asked to complete a profile questionnaire (indicating interests such as art, fashion, television, cooking and sports) to better match them with an IQOS expert who can meet with the customer and help troubleshoot or replace the device, as well as treat customers to ‘drinks or appetisers’.Ī website was launched by PM USA in August 2019. ![]() Employees at the mall locations also mentioned the possibility to earn rewards that can be redeemed for purchasing IQOS products, including colourful cases and tips used to customise devices. Currently, IQOS offers a refer-a-friend programme for $20 off purchases for both the customer and the friend. 2 However, with a bundle discount for purchasing them both and for having a profile with PM USA, the total cost is reduced to $87.12 ($80 for the device and HeatSticks and $7.12 in tax). This pricing is almost identical to costs reported in South Korea. Employees demonstrate how to use specially designed brushes to clean the IQOS after each use.Īt the stores visited in Atlanta, the device sells for $100, and 10 packs of HeatSticks (each individual pack contains 20 HeatSticks, which makes 10 packs equivalent to a carton of cigarettes) sell for $55. ![]() When the product has been consumed, employees show how to dispose of the used HeatStick in the IQOS disposal tray (not called an ‘ashtray’ because the IQOS ‘produces no ash’). Conversations between the employee and the customer focus on the experience of using IQOS during our observations, employees avoided making claims about any health benefits of IQOS compared with cigarettes, though one did comment on the potential ‘social benefits’ of the device, such as not smelling like cigarette smoke. Employees smoke IQOS alongside the customer, engaging in conversation and discussing the taste and feel of IQOS aerosol compared with cigarette smoke. Employees provide customers step-by-step instructions on how to load the HeatStick into the IQOS, power up the device and smoke. Trial devices are stored in what the employees referred to as ‘bento boxes’ on tables. The room is adorned with couches, display shelves with brightly coloured IQOS cases and tobacco-scented diffusers. ![]() Shoppers who state they are not cigarette smokers are permitted into the store but are not allowed to sample HeatSticks or to purchase IQOS devices or HeatSticks.įor $1.00, shoppers who indicate that they smoke cigarettes can participate in a ‘personal IQOS trial’ in a separate room, visible from inside through large glass doors. Then, the shoppers are asked if they are cigarette smokers. ![]() If the shopper has already completed a profile with PM USA, it is retrieved immediately. To get into the IQOS flagship stores or mobile locations, shoppers need to have their driver’s licence scanned by an employee at the door. In addition, HeatSticks are being sold at 385 retail points, such as convenience stores (eg, RaceTrac), grocery stores (eg, Kroger) and pharmacies (eg, Walgreens). Each of these locations features employees who can provide personal guided trials and have both the devices and, except for IQOS Corners, HeatSticks available for purchase. As of December 2019, two shopping mall-based IQOS flagship stores, seven mobile stores that were generally located in convenience store parking lots and six pop-up stores (‘IQOS Corners’) located inside convenience stores were open in and around the city of Atlanta ( figure 2). ![]()
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