Brand Identity isn't just for brands
When people speak about brand identity, often the packaging, the website, and the marketing comes to mind. But what about in the case of the dispensary, how do you define the brand identity for that? Obviously the brand logo will help to identify the feel and vibe of the shop, but what else is there?
Visual merchandising.
Visual merchandising is to a store what packaging is to a product. It sets the feel of the store before clients even walk in. And when shopping in a dispensary, brand identity becomes even more important as a way to engage customers and turn them into loyal clients. Often dispensaries will hire an interior designer to help setup the perfect store that embodies how they want the interior to feel, but will overlook the role of the visual merchandiser. Not hiring a VM after using an interior designer is like hitting a homerun, and never making it past third base. Your store may be immaculate before the product goes in, but don’t you want the the stuff that's actually going to make you money to look its best? I see this all the time.
And while cannabis brands are typically very eager to help drive sales within the store. They all tend to provide their own sales materials like leave behinds and signage units to help promote their products. Initially this doesn’t seem like a big problem, but often as dispensaries are working hard to define their own brand, bringing in a variety of components for other brands, can work against their own identity. Having too many different types of materials, textures, and styles, can take away from the initial goal of setting an identity standard in store. The brands don’t work together, so often the product branding clashes from one brand to the next. Additionally, brands leave endless amounts of marketing materials for budtenders to give out, which when left out, often cheapens the whole store environment. To ensure your dispensary branding is on point, please see below for these top 5 tips
Limit the amount of “extras” that brands want to give you. Whether its display units, swag, or props, make sure those ”extras” will sit well within your store. No need for a wood fixture if your store is made-up of marble and glass.
Limit the amount of marketing materials you put out. While brands may think that their clients will read all of the marketing materials they leave, most clients will just pass right by them. So putting them out only cheapens the space in store. If you do choose to put out a few pieces of marketing, make sure they reflect the environment. Frame them, put them on a clipboard, or whatever other way complements your store interior. You can also keep them behind the register to hand out, when customers seem interested.
Hire an interior designer to define the feeling you want customers to have when walking in your store. You can’t underestimate the work an interior designer can do to a space, and using one will help to cement the feeling and emotions customers get when they walk through your doors.
Hire a visual merchandiser to ensure your product looks flawless from top to bottom and to help with any display needs in store. They can help with a cohesive display package that represents the aesthetic of the store while focusing on product sell through and the proven science behind color theory, layouts and product accessibility.
Hire budtenders who understand the feel of the store and help to complement it. You certainly don’t want to have uneducated budtenders, or those who may not be the friendliest. So make sure their uniforms, attitudes, and product education is in line with the store vibe.
In conclusion, there are a lot of moving parts when opening, running and having a long term strategy as a Dispensary owner. You can’t be the only one to know and understand the long term strategy. Make it a part of your culture with your team. Make sure your staff understands the principles of what a branded experience is and how important this is for the long term growth of the business.
I talk about this a lot with business owners. These strategies are why companies like Starbucks who started with one location has been able to build a global brand and sell coffee that is 10X more expensive than the local dinner next door. Why are they willing to spend more? Why does Starbucks never need to do sales, promotions or discounts? It’s because their customers are accustomed to the feeling they get when visiting a store and they’re willing to pay extra for that experience. If you are able to combine customer service with presentation, and do it in a way where the staff understands the importance of the details, you will have a recipe for success.
A New Chapter for Dispensaries
As of one week ago, according to the CDC, the number of vaping related illnesses in America was at a staggering 1,479 people, with 33 confirmed deaths from 49 of the 50 states. With the latest research showing that most of the vape cartridges purchased were from the black market, moving forward consumers are being forced to be very careful about where they choose to make their purchases, and legal dispensaries need to be prepared. This may fall on deaf ears to those who are still living in non-legal recreational states but for those dispensaries in legal states it is time to double down.
Up to this point, consumers who have purchased cannabis from the street, have avoided the associated taxes and higher price points. Industry insiders have been pushing for regulators to crack down on illegal growers and retailers for fear of this exact public health crisis. And while illegal businesses have flourished, legal cannabis businesses spend hundreds of millions in collective state taxes and fees to operate legally in a federally illegal environment. And as heartbreaking as this is for the many families impacted by this crisis, there is one bright spot. Several studies, by the most reputable testing facilities are providing undeniable proof that all legally purchased THC products from legal dispensaries have been deemed safe. This proves the time, money and oversight these retailers and business owners are subjected to protects the wellbeing of the customers. On the other hand, nearly 100% of all tested illegal products are filled with dangerous poisons and contaminants.
So, what does this all mean for cannabis businesses? Well for one thing, people are not going to stop buying cannabis, so that shouldn’t be a concern. And with the stakes being high for consumers and their health, a $20 savings will not be enough, and most will re-think their decisions and venture into a legal dispensary for the first time.
While they may not be used to paying top dollar for similar products, it will be the job of the dispensaries to ensure they’re providing a great experience to match the jump in price point. Dispensaries will become the place of sale for many new buyers, and they’ll be expecting their experience to be like that of a retail store. So if you aren’t sure what that looks like, see the blog How to Make an Elevated Dispensary
Is your Dispensary ready for the surge?
What the professionals look for when they're composing a successful window
By now, you realize the vast investment retailers make on their visual merchandising teams. Corporate retailers from H&M all the way up to Gucci use the skills of Visual Merchandisers to ensure their stores are looking their best, but also setup to maximize sales. So what do these teams of people do? And why are there so many of them? One major thing all VM’s are trained to look at while working in stores are the windows, and here’s what they look at —
Balance & composition - Is your color and print balanced on each side of the window? Are the mannequins centered to the window or the display behind? Does the display look evenly placed? All these things relate back to the composition of the window. If looking at your window like a canvas and the window frame like the picture frame, does it read beautifully? Does it look balanced and compositionally pleasing? If not, it might need some adjustments.
Lighting - What good is a great composition if you can’t actually see it? You need to have great overall lighting but also directed lighting on the product to really highlight it. Additionally, on many sunny days (hello Southern California), the glare can make it nearly impossible to see the window so invest in some awnings whenever possible, or really great lighting.
Mannequin positioning - The way mannequins are placed together in the window is always intentional. Whether they’re all straight on like a mannequin army, or facing one another like they’re involved in a conversation, it will always be planned. Typically the mannequin poses dictate the positioning, as mannequins all in the same position really can’t look engaged.
Corresponding outfits - When we select outfits for the mannequins to wear, we want them to look like they’re “heading to the same party.” In other words, we want them to look like they are outfitted in looks that are all of the same dressiness. We wouldn’t want to have one mannequin in a ball gown and the other in a pair of jeans, so pick looks that tie together accordingly and decide where they’re heading, whether its a weekend brunch or a black tie gala, choosing an event will make it much easier to choose the outfits.
Print & pattern - Print and pattern is so helpful for drawing the eye in. You’ll definitely want to use it throughout your window to add interest and ensure people notice your windows.
Color - You want to make sure that the mannequin outfits all correspond together in a color palette to ensure they create a nice balance and composition. You’ll also want to pay attention to the other elements of your window when selecting colors. You don't want a mannequin dressed in head to toe red in front of a red background, and you wouldn’t want a white dress on a white mannequin. Make sure you pay attention to all the color in the window to ensure it all ties together nicely.
Accessories & accessory placement - Don’t forget your accessories! Accessories can be one of the easiest ways to add-on to a sale and its so important to make sure you are placing yours in your window in a place where they can be seen. Add them on to your mannequin outfits to make them look strong and make sure you’re using them appropriately (see point 4).
How to Make an Elevated Dispensary
As purchasing legal Cannabis becomes more normalized in society, it is important for retail shop owners to recognize the expectations of these new shoppers. Todays shopper expects a clean, curated store with friendly and helpful staff. To elevate a retail Cannabis store, owners should focus on aesthetics, brand culture, and education to appeal to those shoppers who are unfamiliar with pre-legalized industry trends.
It is of utmost importance to ensure clients feel safe and welcome while educating them on the plant and strains. While most dispensaries are focused on driving sales and selling shelf space, a handful are driving the industry forward with their compelling environments and thoughtful approach.
In California, where the black market runs rampant, and 60% of dispensaries are illegal, there's so much value to gain by focusing on elevating your dispensary. Not only will you have the brand identity to ensure customers can connect with your brand, but as the illegal dispensaries are phased out, consumers will be visiting your store at an increasing rate. The federal and state governments continue to crack down on unlawful cannabis operations, and popular cannabis store directories like Weedmaps are being forced to only list permitted companies and delivery services. This movement is naturally going to boost the legitimate Cannabis retail businesses with a rush of new customers.
So if you're unsure how to elevate your dispensary, see below for some tips and tricks from a retail pro;
Focus on your product curation - With so many brands launching in this space every day, it is invaluable to carry the brand's that people love, but also focus on new, upcoming brands with beautiful packaging and a great message. The packaging is critical. The packaging of many cannabis brands have not elevated, (a challenge I've heard from many insiders), so finding those brands with the best of the best, will help keep your shop looking strong.
Look at your interior - Is your space beautiful? Are the products easy to see and touch? Do you have specific areas in-store where a customer can find various products? While there are some strict regulations around the loss of product, it is a known retail fact, that when customers can touch and feel the product, they will be more likely to purchase. So if that means requesting extra packaging (or empty vape pens and cartridges) from brands to have the product out of locked cases, do it, it will pay off in the end.
Hire social budtenders who love what they do - Consumers who are new to the dispensary world may be put off by someone who doesn't care to engage or educate. They expect an experience to be similar to that when they go to a retail store and having someone less than likable won't help you convert these customers into clients. They need to immerse themselves with the product slowly, and ideally engage with a budtender who can educate them on what each strain and product will help with so that they feel confident in their purchase. If done right, those interested customers will return and continually try new products, while purchasing the tried and true. Invest in your budtenders to grow your client base and ensure your customer loyalty.
Enlist the help of a visual merchandiser - Visual merchandisers are experts at placing the product in key locations in the store. They help to increase revenue, as well as maximize sell-through of product lines. They can help create revenue streams you may not have thought of, like partnering with different brands to place carefully considered logos or create "end cap" type areas to rent out to brands. Additionally, they're becoming one of the most significant assets for some of the dominant names in the field, and if want to stay competitive, you might want to consider hiring one as well.
Create an inviting environment - Whether this means focusing on the music you play, the lighting, the art you place on the walls, or the lounge environment you provide, curate your space to be precisely how you want it to feel every day. Make sure this embodies an emotion you want customers to feel when they walk into your space and focus on that in every aspect to ensure you're creating an engaging experience. Creating this solid brand identity will help drive PR and positive reviews to your space, which will be an invaluable asset as you grow your brand.
If this seems like something you'd like to learn more about, please don't hesitate to get in touch.
5 FREE things to do to drive your business now
Having a small business is a lot of work, I hear it all the time! And owning one, isn’t easy either, especially retail. But there are a few things you can do immediately to boost sales and get more people through your doors that will cost you virtually nothing. They do require a bit of work, but nothing good ever comes easy, right? Here are 5 things to do in your store immediately with no additional cost to you.
Windows - Windows are often overlooked as an invaluable resource to get people through your doors. You should spend ample time perfecting them to ensure they are really speaking to the traffic surrounding your store. Your product should be selling out of your windows, and if its not, time to change them up!
Education - Do you and your sales team know everything there is to know about your product? Do you/they LOVE it? Educate yourself and your team to know all about your product and especially how to add-on. Shirts often look best when worn with bottoms, so make sure your sales team is focusing on the entire look rather than just the one garment.
Merchandising - While merchandising is valuable for the whole store, if you have a limited amount of time and resources to spend on it, make sure you are picking the most impactful areas, tables and registers. Your tables should be generating quite a bit of revenue (especially if they’re in a highly trafficked area of the store). And your register should be filled with grab and go items, things that people often realize they want/need while they’re standing and waiting. Ideally, some of these items at the register will have a higher price point to drive up the value of the sale.
Sales plan - One of the easiest ways to drive sales (for you and your team) is to work off of a goal. You should have a sales goal everyday for your team to work towards, and if you aren’t sure where to start, begin with what you made last year, and add 10% on top. That way, you’re working towards growth over last year, which is essential to build your business. Once you’ve figured out your daily goal, break it down to an hourly goal, adding more for times when your traffic is higher.
Music - Do you have music playing? Does it match your clients AND the time of day people are shopping? Ideally you’ll have a great playlist that works for each day and have the ability to change it through out the day based on who’s shopping. Saturday sales - turn it up and play something fun so your customers can enjoy themselves. Tuesday afternoon - leave it a bit more calm for those who are out to accomplish their errands.
If you find that this is a bit overwhelming, or you aren’t sure about any of the above, reach out, and I would be happy to help!
5 reasons to pursue Brick & Mortar
Everyone is always talking about the demise of the retail store, how malls are going away, and how people just aren’t interested in shopping in person. While there is some truth to those statements, there are many benefits to owning a store. Malls may not look exactly like they did 20 years ago, and they’ll continue to transform over the next 10 years, but they aren’t going away, or at least not completely. It’s true that there are too many malls, and stores often over-extend themselves with their retail footprint, but having a few strategically placed stores nationally can be incredibly valuable for a brand. Here are the top 5 reasons it can be beneficial for a brand to have retail stores.
Research
Customers look online at things, especially high ticket items and clothing, and often want to see it in person before purchasing. They want to take it out for a test drive, per se. Consumers are more informed than ever about their choices, they’re literally at their fingertips, so they want to be sure they’re making a good choice before purchasing. Yes, some customers shop online and then purchase in-store, while others shop in-store and then purchase online. Does it matter where the money is spent? Not really, its all going to the same big (or little) pot.
Brand identity
Designing a space gives the opportunity to really set your stores apart from all others, but also showcase to your customers exactly who you are and what you stand for. Interior design, employee attitude, internal branding, music, product layout and selection, window displays, and more, all give your customer a broader idea of who you are and what you stand for, so take advantage of that. The more you can create an aspirational brand for your customers, the more likely they are to continue returning.
Experience
There are so many ways to engage with a brand, and ALL retailers need to have a digital presence, no question. But stores can do so much more because a physical space can bring people together in ways a website just can’t. Retailers can create a deeper connection with customers through experiences in their store, and many brands are pursuing such practices to enrich the consumer experience (think yoga at Lululemon). Customers come to the space to do something different, are there to use the products, but also can purchase before, during, or after.
Marketing (new customer engagement)
It can be hard to get customers to just happen on your website, you need to have a GREAT digital marketing strategy. But growing your brand beyond that, well you might consider a physical location. People go out, and while out, sometimes they visit other stores, restaurants, movies, or classes, so why not take advantage of those people to try to grow your own base? A strategically placed physical location can work wonders for your brand in terms of exposing a wide range of new customers to your business.
Engagement
People like expert advice. They enjoy hearing why they might want to purchase this or that, and sometimes they go to a store to hear just that. So make sure your employees are well-informed and helpful, and always make their customers feel good.
Want long term success for your brand? Look at brand identity
These days everything and everyone is a brand, and for good reason, since having a brand identity makes you unforgettable. But the benefit goes beyond that, way beyond that. Having a brand allows customers to not only identify with you, but also to aspire to live like you. I’ve been fortunate enough to work for many lifestyle brands, and the biggest thing I’ve learned from my experience, is that to gain loyal customers, you need to be aspirational. It should be a part of everything you do, and every place your customers engage with your brand. Whether its when they enter the website or walk through the doors of a store, it should feel the same.
That aspiration makes people emotionally connect with your brand, and they yearn to live the lifestyle you’ve created. And many brands are doing it well, but the Urban Outfitters family of brands seems to have perfected it. From the moment you walk into one of their stores, you are transported to another world.
Through the use of their in-store environments, their product assortment, and their sales associates, they have created an entire experience. And its working for them - they are expected to reach 4.1 billion dollars in revenue by the end of 2019.
So how do all brands follow their lead? Its simple - decide who you are and follow it through, in every aspect of your business. Live the lifestyle you’re selling and your audience will follow. Because that emotional connection people feel with your brand, that will make them customers for life.
The 10 Benefits of Visual Merchandising
Maybe you’ve heard of visual merchandising, or maybe not, either way, you’ve been impacted by it. Visual merchandising is the science of how product is placed through out retail environments, and almost all big name brands have a team of people, behind the scenes, who are paid to maximize sales through product display. Believe it or not, there is some science to it, like that customers won’t shop within 15 ft. of a door, but a lot of it is driven by product assortment, customer profiles, and brand strategy. So here are the top 10 reasons why all stores should be utilizing visual merchandising, not just the top brands.
Easier shopping experience
No matter how you decide to execute your in-store merchandising, customers learn to shop the store based on where things are placed over time. And if you’re executing your store setup well, then it will be much easier for customers to find what they’re looking for.
Better sell through
If you seem to be lacking in sales in a certain category, chances are if you make a grouping of it, in a prominent location in store, you’ll sell through it much faster. Thus, rotating product throughout your store will maximize product sell through and encourage better margins since you ideally won’t have to discount as much.
Brand identity
Have you ever been in a store that has a great website, and wonderful product, and then your in-store experience was less than? Or vice-versa? That overall feeling you get should be continued whether you’re on the website, in the store, or seeing it in a magazine. Because stores should look great and product should be as easy to find in store, as it is on a website.
Point of differentiation
Let’s be honest, retail in all areas, is a crowded field. And if you aren’t the best, then how can you compete with other brands that are. Having a store look and feel good really does set you apart from so many other brands. And especially those mom and pop shops who haven’t ever even thought about their in-store experience.
Driving customer traffic
Do your windows look great? Do they capture the attention of people passing by? They need to, like they really, REALLY need to. Because as stated earlier, retail is crowded, and if the windows, which are the first impression of your brand, aren’t singing to your customers, then what ARE they doing for you? Change them frequently, and don’t let them get stale. Because the items in your windows should be the first to sell out, especially if you’re using your best product, which you should be (at least some of the time).
Move slow-selling items
Have you ever bought something that no one likes? You thought it would be a strong seller, and now it just isn’t? Perhaps you should try it somewhere else, on a table, in a featured position, somewhere to really ensure your customers see it. Then if it doesn’t sell, you can mark it down confidently, and know that it might have just been a miss.
Increase customer Loyalty
Falling in line with customer experience, is customer loyalty. We LOVE customer loyalty. We strive for customer loyalty. And we can achieve customer loyalty by creating a shopping experience where things look great, and people feel good.
Maximizing retail square footage
Big brands often look at how profitable every square foot of a store is. But having great visual merchandising often allows more product to be put on the floor (in cleverly placed nooks and crannies), while still looking appealing.
Increasing unit sales per transaction (making more money)
People love easy shopping (remember number 1?) So if they see jeans with a cute top put together, and they like it, they’re going to be much more inclined to buy the whole look, rather than just the jeans they were initially interested in (and this can be true for many other categories as well).
Customers can serve themselves
Not every customer who walks through the door, enjoys having to talk to a salesperson. In fact many do not. They don’t want to be upsold, and they don’t want to be convinced that they must buy this or that. In a well put together store, customers can help themselves, find what they need, and keep a positive experience in store.