If you’re a cannabis dispensary owner or manager and you haven’t given any thought to your dispensary merchandising strategy, you’re definitely not maximizing customer experience. And what’s worse is you’re probably not maximizing sales, either.
Thanks to consumer psychology studies, we know that the ways in which your cannabis dispensary sales floor is laid out and your products are arranged have a definite impact on the bottom line. It makes sense – customers traversing a store that is cluttered and unorganized are unlikely to have a great shopping experience. And if they can’t find what they’re looking for, well, they’re probably going to go elsewhere.When it comes to dispensary merchandising, cannabis retail is not that different from traditional retail. Follow these simple principles of dispensary merchandising and see how your customers respond – they just may thank you by becoming loyal shoppers.
How to Strategically Merchandise Your Cannabis Dispensary
Make the entryway clean, tidy and welcoming.
As the saying goes, you only get one chance at a first impression. Your customers are evaluating your store from the moment they walk in – make sure the entryway is clean, tidy, and welcoming. The entrance is also prime real estate for an attention-grabbing display that will make consumers stop. Use this area to show off premium products, deals, or seasonal specials.
Direct traffic to the right.
Studies have shown that shoppers are likely to enter to the right and move in a counter-clockwise fashion throughout the store. You can capitalize on this tendency by directing your dispensary customers in this direction and strategically merchandising from front to back, placing higher-end products, promotions, or bundles closer to the entrance.
Don’t overcrowd the floor.
When designing your dispensary layout, it may seem like a good idea to display every bit of merchandise in your inventory. That way, your customers will have plenty of options – which is a good thing, right?
Actually, overcrowding the floor can be detrimental to the overall feel and flow of your dispensary. Even worse, it can negatively impact revenue; too many options have been shown to hamper sales rather than bolster them.
Instead of creating clutter and chaos with too many items on the sales floor, use dispensary touchscreen menus to list full product offerings. This way, you can highlight premium products or promotions with appealing displays.
Create product displays or bundles by category, lifestyle, or theme.
Speaking of promotions, put some strategy – and creativity – behind your displays. Play off of different ideas and themes by categorizing items and displaying them together. For example, you could design a wellness display that caters to your health-conscious customers, or an outdoor adventure display featuring portable products and accessories.
Take advantage of major retail holidays.
One easy way to create relevant, profitable cannabis retail promotions is to participate in major retail holidays. These include New Year’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, Labor Day, and Christmas, as well as cannabis-specific celebrations like 4/20 and 7/10. Take advantage of these holidays and the weeks leading up to them by creating party supply packs, product bundles, and gift ideas.
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