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Introduction
Electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS; e-cigarettes) products are penetrating markets in low/middle-income countries (LMICs) with limited regulations and information on industry activity.1 2 For example, the prevalence of e-cigarette ever-use is estimated at 7.9% among adolescents and young adults in Lagos, the most populous city in Nigeria.3 Although these rates are not as high as combustible cigarettes, the absence of specific regulations provides the potential for growth in ENDS use. Currently, data on these products are skewed towards high-income countries like the USA, Canada and the UK.4 There is limited research on how these products are marketed in sub-Saharan African countries like Nigeria, with significant numbers of young and upwardly mobile youth. Access to digital marketing has increased in Nigeria, as in most LMICs, in the past decade, and this has not gone unnoticed by the industry.5 For example, recent reports from tobacco control advocates in Nigeria indicate industry has been promoting tobacco products in contravention of local policies using digital media.5 ENDS products are not covered by existing tobacco control policies and are regulated as general consumer products in Nigeria.6 Further, information is scarce on ENDS product types and e-liquids available. Understanding ENDS online retail marketing may help regulators better forecast the impact of regulatory oversight in Nigeria. This study advances research about the online retail environment for ENDS in relatively understudied markets by surveying online retailers that sell ENDS in Nigeria and assessing product types and e-liquids.
Methodology
We surveyed ENDS products available via online retailers in Nigeria as of June 2022. We identified the top general online retail stores in Nigeria based on information from an online market research website.7 Also, we searched the first 15 pages of Google Nigeria for additional online retail and tobacco product/ENDS stores to enable us to identify all online retailers that sell ENDS products in Nigeria. We included general online retail stores in our search because ENDS products are regulated as general consumer products in local policy and sold in general stores. Also, these general stores sell non-tobacco/nicotine products,5 and lastly, stores that sell only tobacco products are relatively few in Nigeria. The inclusion criteria were online retail stores with a contact address in Nigeria and online retail stores with one or more ENDS or other product reviews (to help exclude inactive web pages). The search terms used are as shown in the online supplemental files. The following information was collected: (1) whether or not the retailer sold ENDS products; (2) if so, whether or not the retailer required age verification before users could access the ENDS sales web page; and (3) which product categories the retailer sold (in relation to the WHO typology8 of vape pens, tank systems, disposables, PODS and cig-a-likes). In addition to the preceding categories, we assessed whether the retailer sold e-liquid bottles (used for refilling e-cigarette cartridges) or any other products containing nicotine salts. Where such products were available for sale, we recorded (for each unique product) any available information on the packaging, available flavours, stated nicotine strength (not independently verified) and any warning labels or health claims. ENDS accessories, including lanyards, replacement parts sold without e-liquid and electronic non-nicotine delivery systems, were excluded from our analysis.
Supplemental material
Result
A total of 20 online retail stores met the inclusion criteria. Of the 20 retail stores, 7 (35%) sold ENDS products and e-liquids exclusively, while 13 (65%) sold other products as well. Two (10%) of the retail stores sold products that use nicotine salts. Based on ENDS type, most online retail stores had PODS (75%), of which five (5 of 20, 25%) sold JUUL-like devices specifically. Vape pens and tank systems were each sold by 65% of stores, while 55% sold disposable and 10% sold cig-a-like ENDS products (table 1 and online supplemental file). Flavoured e-liquids were sold in 95% of retail stores, and one retail store sold only e-liquids without ENDS devices. Seventy-eight distinct e-liquid flavours were identified across all online retail stores, with the most common flavours being fruity (55.1%) and menthol/mint (23.1%), while 2.6% had concept flavours such as ‘purple rain e-juice’ (online supplemental file). The range of nicotine concentration was 3–50 mg/mL (lowest to highest mg/mL). A majority (67.9%) of e-liquid products did not provide any information on the nicotine concentration contained. Where nicotine concentration was stated, this ranged from 3 mg/mL to 50 mg/mL, with almost half having ≥10 mg/mL of nicotine. Further, out of the 20 online retail stores included in the study, age restrictions/declarations were not placed on most (64.7%) as a prerequisite to access the web pages. Warning labels or health claims were seen on 25 products (table 1). For example, these messages included: ‘The main object of our product is to help smokers quit smoking and also helping to curb the unhealthy effects of smoking the conventional cigarettes.’ (64%) OR ‘This product contains nicotine which is a highly addictive substance.’ (36%) (table 1).
Descriptive analysis of online retail stores (n=20), ENDS devices and e-liquids on sale between 1 June and 6 June 2022
Discussion
Our findings suggest active online marketing of ENDS products and e-liquids in Nigeria. The most common ENDS devices sold in online retail stores were PODS, vape pens and tank systems. The wide variety of flavours in this study, specifically fruity flavours, could potentially increase the appeal of ENDS to non-smoking youth.9 Also, the absence of restrictions on e-liquid nicotine concentrations in Nigeria contrasts with countries with regulations (ie, England, Canada).5 Regulating nicotine levels can reduce the risk of addiction among users. Further, the absence of age restrictions on most websites selling ENDS products may expose minors to online e-cigarettes with attractive elements, encouraging uptake.10 In addition, warning labels or health claims were identified on ENDS products. Therefore, local policies can be developed to accurately communicate the risk associated with ENDS, especially for naïve and young smokers in Nigeria who might conflate foreign products with healthiness. Despite our findings, this study may not necessarily capture the sale of ENDS products in Nigeria because the online retail market may differ from what might be obtained in the physical stores by users of e-cigarettes. Future studies can explore sales in physical stores, how and where ENDS users purchase e-cigarettes, their motivations for use and their perception of harm compared with combustible cigarettes. In conclusion, policymakers in Nigeria should consider precautionary regulations for ENDS products to curb the unbridled industry activity and protect health.
Ethics statements
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Ethics approval
Not applicable.
Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank Dr Paul Devereux and Dr Jennifer Pearson for comments on the early drafts of the article. We also thank the anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments.
Supplementary materials
Supplementary Data
This web only file has been produced by the BMJ Publishing Group from an electronic file supplied by the author(s) and has not been edited for content.
Footnotes
Twitter @olufemierinoso
Contributors OAE, OO, AOyapero and AOsibogun conceptualised the study. OAE, OO, AOyapero, OW and COE planned the study. OAE, OO and OW conducted data management. OAE, OO and COE analysed the data. OAE and OO wrote the first draft. All authors revised the first draft and approved the final draft.
Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.
Competing interests None declared.
Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.
Supplemental material This content has been supplied by the author(s). It has not been vetted by BMJ Publishing Group Limited (BMJ) and may not have been peer-reviewed. Any opinions or recommendations discussed are solely those of the author(s) and are not endorsed by BMJ. BMJ disclaims all liability and responsibility arising from any reliance placed on the content. Where the content includes any translated material, BMJ does not warrant the accuracy and reliability of the translations (including but not limited to local regulations, clinical guidelines, terminology, drug names and drug dosages), and is not responsible for any error and/or omissions arising from translation and adaptation or otherwise.