Informing the Buyer Decision:

The Simple Answer to Improving Cannabis Retail Experience

In recent months there has been an increase in publications and reports calling out the need, and opportunity, for dispensaries to improve the cannabis retail experience for both patients and the adult cannabis consumer. The common solutions discussed revolve around integrating technology into the store to improve customer experience, shorten the purchasing process, and increase customer retention. 

Through our work with dispensaries we’ve identified a 4th, and perhaps the most important way to improve the retail experience for patients and customers alike: Informing the buyer decision. 

What does this really mean? Let’s use a mainstream example. Think of when you go to buy alcohol. You are going to that store knowing, for the most part, what options that store is going to have for you and what you’d experience consuming each. You make your purchase based off the activity you are going to do, or the experience you want to have. You buy wine for a very different occasion than you do tequila, or than you do beer. This is just one example and the same concept applies for most products you consume; alcohol, food, etc. You do not typically buy products without knowing how that product will impact you. You are making an informed decision. 

In the cannabis industry it is slightly more difficult to inform the buyer decision because the industry is new and most people don’t have a deep understanding about how cannabis affects them. And until recently, many dispensary owners were not considering or thinking about this because they didn’t need to. Demand was much higher than supply. They were the first locations individuals could legally shop at so it wasn’t expected or demanded by the customer. Customers were happy to simply have access to cannabis at all. Also, regulators and doctors had other immediate needs and priorities to figure out and weren’t focusing on improving the retail experience to this degree. 

Now that the industry is maturing, informing the buyer’s decision is becoming more needed and demanded by consumers, medical professionals, and regulators. Dispensaries that start implementing these strategies to improve the retail experience in their dispensary by informing the buyer with data will have a great competitive advantage. Do you think future cannabis customers will go to dispensaries with less information about their offerings, or more? Progressive data-driven dispensaries will offer a better experience. 

How do I start better informing my customers now? There are a few ways to go about this. One of which is a platform that we built, called BetterTogether, which leverages the consumer and product outcome data we collect in Releaf App. The concept behind the name “BetterTogether” is patients, business professionals, and medical professionals working to close the seed-to-outcome data loop together, we are creating a better industry. Hence, we are BetterTogether.

The articles that will follow this will provide specific examples on how we are providing solutions to dispensaries to help them improve the retail experience for their customers, inform the buyer decision, and improve sales, marketing, education, and training efforts in their shop. Stay tuned for this and insight on metrics, results, and stories, from real life examples with Releaf App’s dispensary partners. 

Next time you consider options to improve the retail experience in your dispensary, ask yourself: 

• Why are my patients actually buying this product? 
• What specific symptoms are they suffering from? 
• What are they hoping to experience? 
• Are they actually finding relief with products in my inventory? 
• What outcomes are they actually experiencing? 

If you agree that these are important questions and knowing the answers can help your dispensary differentiate from others by being the place to purchase products where individuals can become informed about that product, what it’s been used for, and what others have experienced with it, we’d love to connect. 

Have questions or want to learn more? Schedule a time to talk with a team member.