Dispensary Success: Essential Standard Operating Procedures For A Changing Market
Years in the cannabis industry have shown me how adaptable this community is and how important it is to maintain a connection between budtenders, customers, and the cannabis they consume. As the world moves from the illicit market to the legal market, the nature of the communication between grower and consumer has changed. Today, I want to share three elements that should become standard for selling cannabis flower in all dispensaries.
How Dispensaries Have Adapted To The Legal Marketplace
When medical cannabis started in California, there were few regulations and cannabis was sold with customers able to see, smell, and inspect the cannabis they were buying. Dispensary customers were typically able to interact closely with the cannabis flower they were considering purchasing. Consumers could smell and handle the bud to evaluate its quality and decide instinctively if a cultivar appealed to them. This was a continuation of the way consumers bought in the illicit market. But with new state-by-state regulations, restricting how cannabis can be sold, consumers are rarely able to interact meaningfully with flower before purchase. Instead, they are faced with making a buying decision based on labels, testing information, and budtender recommendations.
This disconnects customers from the cannabis they purchase, and presents a problem. Historically, cannabis consumers have relied on scent to tell them if they will enjoy a cultivar. Because this is no longer an option, dispensaries must develop new ways to label their flower to communicate all relevant information and remain compliant with state regulations — which generally restrict the consumer’s ability to inspect and smell the flower they are buying.
Recent studies have confirmed aroma is the most important factor in selecting the best cannabis for each consumer. We need to find ways, through our labeling, to give consumers insight into the aromas they are selecting.
3 Essential Product Labeling SOPs For Dispensary Success
Dispensaries should highlight three key categories to ensure streamlined, positive customer experiences for choosing cannabis flower.
1. THC content displayed in an easy to way to establish the expected intensity of the THC impact.
2. Aroma profiles based on genetics that put the consumer into the …