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.