We noticed on the official website of Japan Tobacco (JT) that it has officially launched the brand-new generation of heating tobacco equipment Ploom AURA and the dedicated tobacco stick EVO in the Japanese market. This series of products will gradually enter convenience stores and some tobacco monopoly channels across the country starting from July 1st, achieving broader market coverage.
We checked the information officially released by Japan Tobacco and learned that Ploom AURA adopts the latest “SMART HEATFLOW” heating technology, supporting four heating modes: standard, powerful, long-lasting and energy-saving. This product is equipped with multiple color options and accessory combinations, and also supports Bluetooth connection and dedicated application control. The price of the Ploom AURA starter kit is 2,980 yen (20.94 US dollars, including tax).
The dedicated tobacco stick EVO launched this time is the first high-end dedicated brand launched by JT, featuring three initial flavors: Deep Regular, Cold Menthol, and Berry Crystal. The price of the EVO tobacco stick is 550 yen (3.87 US dollars, including tax).
Takahiko Tsukai, Executive Vice President of JT International, once stated in a new product preview press release that the company plans to invest approximately 650 billion yen (about 4.2 billion US dollars) in the development of the RRP (Reduced Risk Products) category between 2025 and 2027. Among them, “Ploom AURA” will be advanced as a core project, with the goal of achieving a market share of more than 10% in the heated tobacco products (HTS) market by 2028.
Ploom AURA was launched in advance on the CLUB JT online store and Ploom specialty stores across the country on May 27th, and it is planned to be expanded to convenience stores nationwide and some tobacco retail channels for sale starting from July 1st. Meanwhile, JT announced that its brand membership platform “Ploom CLUB” will be officially upgraded and launched a “1,500-yen coupon” (approximately $10.54) campaign, which will be distributed for a limited time to senior members of CLUB JT.
Previously, JT has announced that its tobacco heating equipment “Ploom X Advanced” will completely cease sales in the Japanese market starting from mid-May after the inventory for sale is cleared.