Business challenge
A global tobacco company was exploring opportunities to enter Ireland’s fast-growing Oral Nicotine Delivery (OND) market. The category had expanded sharply, growing from €1.8 million to €13.1 million over two years. With several established competitors already active, the client needed detailed insights into:
- Current market dynamics and consumer behaviour
- Motivations and barriers driving OND adoption
- Purchase patterns, pricing sensitivities, and channel preferences
- Opportunities to position a new product and build market share
The study was also designed to inform wider market strategies beyond Ireland.
Our approach
An online quantitative survey was conducted with 703 nicotine product users in Ireland, covering a broad mix of:
- Current OND users, dual users, trialists and non-users open to trying the category
- Awareness, product perceptions, usage habits, and occasions
- Motivators such as health, discretion, and quitting support; barriers such as taste and product experience
- Pricing tolerance and purchase frequency
- Key purchase channels, including specialist retailers and mainstream outlets
- Future intentions around OND use and brand switching
The sample approach was refined during piloting to ensure robust coverage of all relevant consumer segments.
Outcome
The research gave the client a clear view of the Irish OND market and its future potential. While many users currently combine OND with other nicotine products, many expect to move towards OND-only use. It allowed the client to understand what consumers wanted from an OND product and how they made purchases, including expectations around price.