CANNATRON BLOG
Improving sales at your cannabis retailer can be as easy as implementing a few core retailer best practices. The following tips can help provide profitable sales opportunities along with a high rate of new customers and, more importantly, customer retention. Keep reading to ensure you’re not missing out on essential ways to increase your sales and sustain those numbers.
Be the “One-Stop Shop”
If your customers know they can find everything they need for their smoking experience at your dispensary, you’ll remain top of mind and can quickly become their one-stop shop. Keep the shelves stocked with a variety of the latest accessories, devices, and even novelty and gift items.
Not only does this guarantee customers will check your store first before all others when they’re in need, but it provides a great opportunity to upsell first-time customers with accessories that go with their initial purchase. Even just having the latest lighters and butane torches in stock can make an easy upsell for a customer who comes in to buy cannabis or a device.
Take Advantage of Tourism
As a dispensary in a country where cannabis is not federally legal, the aspect of tourism gives you a huge leg up—if you utilize it. Make sure you can legally accept medical cards from out of state, and offer first-time customer deals. Start with making sure locals know about these, so if they have friends from out of town (a state where recreational cannabis is not legal), they’ll prioritize making a trip to your shop. Although any state that sells recreationally can use tourism as an advantage, border towns will especially benefit, like southern Michigan shops that border Ohio.
You can also focus on networking and using the tourist organizations in your area to help. Get your business’ name on the list for any cannabis tours local to your area. Or, partner with a tour company to ensure regular visits from new potential customers. Offer discounts to tour attendees so that they are more likely to make a purchase at your shop, and make sure they enjoy their experience and leave happy.
Create an Amazing Customer Experience
When the owners, managers, and staff members work together to strategize ways to enhance the level of service and the environment of their storefront, your customer is likely to have a customer experience that ensures they return to your location regularly.
From the moment a customer enters your store until the time they leave, take all aspects into account and plan accordingly to the best of your ability.
First-time customers tend to be concerned with the check-in process, along with what products will work for them. Digital tablets offered to your customers upon arrival can assist in creating patient profiles, and your sales staff should be able to listen closely to determine and recommend which products will produce each customer’s anticipated effects.
Provide your clients with info about current specials, inventory, loyalty opportunities, and any other ways of upselling or cross-selling suggestions that will allow your staff members to connect directly with your customer base.
Web Presence
At this point, a solid, consistent presence on the web is required for most companies, but especially smoke supply and cannabis-related sellers.
Perhaps one of the most important ways to market yourself is having multiple ways to reach out to your customers directly. MailChimp is a great, easy way to create and send email blasts to anyone who has shopped with you.
There is also huge success in sending out SMS text blasts to customers. To get either of these, simply collect their email address and phone number when they check out at the register. These marketing blasts should be sent out consistently, preferably weekly, so recipients get used to having a new deal or updated deal menu on the regular. Just always make sure not to send out texts with "risky" words like weed, bongs, or other lingo. Keep it short & sweet, and don't be afraid to attach graphics!
Social media is also great tool as many consumers trust reviews and advertisements they see. Using Facebook will allow users to “like” and share your business’ page, helping to create an online following. Having a presence on social media is one of the more important aspects of your retail location’s web presence. Of course, your website and social media should align with each other as well as the customers you are trying to attract.
Target Referrals
The web is clogged with reviews, both true and false, which makes it difficult for many potential customers to decide where to put their hard earned cash. That’s why, for any type of business, referrals are the best kind of leads. Word-of-mouth referrals speak to the quality of your products, the level of customer service provided, and the atmosphere of your business.
Customers who have heard of you through someone else firsthand are more likely to buy from you first. They may also be willing to pay higher prices because they already have trust in your company before ever walking through the doors.
A rewards program that benefits your current patients and those they refer is a great way to actively and continuously target referrals. Give your customers a reason to tell everyone they know about your location and you will see an increase in new clients.
Analyze Consumer Trends
Analyze the purchase patterns and seasonal trends happening in your store to better understand how to purchase your inventory and display your items. Understanding why your customers purchase certain products in higher numbers is just as important as simply knowing what they are buying. If you see a sudden increase in those buying vaping devices, for example, you might consider broadening the variety of the devices you stock as well as all the replacement parts for those products.
Every year, Cannatron puts out a trend report, so make sure you’re following us so you catch it in time to stock your inventory. Check out our Cannabis Industry Trends for 2023 here if you missed it, and don’t miss out on 2024’s predictions!