Heat not burn market gets a “Lil” hotter in South Korea

KT&G’s new heat-not-burn vaporizer, Lil Plus, is showing strong early sales and may draw in customers who have used rival products that are due for updates, reports Yonhap News Agency, quoting industry officials.

Lil Plus is estimated to have sold 150,000 units within the first month of its launch on May 23. This is about triple the one-month sales tally of the Lil, its predecessor, after its release in November last year.

Lil can be used multiple times on a single full charge. The Plus version weighs less and has improved heating and cleaning systems.

South Korea’s heat-not-burn cigarette market is presently dominated by Philip Morris International’s iQOS, which sold 1.9 million units after its market debut in June last year.

Industry officials say iQOS customers may well switch to the Lil Plus.