With the lead up to 4/20, everything gets done to make the most out of the biggest day of the year for every cannabis business. The deals get planned. The inventory gets staged. But the emails? Written last minute, sent to the full unfiltered list, and mostly ignored.
The high holiday comes with a massive multiplier and this year Cova is helping cannabis retailers all over North America use email and SMS to boost sales. This comprehensive guide covers how to build and clean your subscriber list, which email platforms actually support cannabis businesses, how to build your campaigns in the weeks leading up to April 20th, and how to use SMS to capture the customers your emails don't reach.
Email marketing delivers an average return of $36–$42 for every $1 spent – one of the highest ROIs of any marketing channel, higher than paid social or SEO. But none of that would be possible without a great list. In fact, not only will a bad mailing list make campaigns ineffective, it can also be a legal liability.
Before cannabis operators work on improving the quality of their email subscriber lists, they verify it's legal and compliant. Here are the 3 big things every dispensary owner should do when building and preparing their subscriber lists:
Every email or SMS subscriber needs to be of legal age, confirmed with an age-gate (like a pop-up) before they opt-in for the mailing list. In the US, that's typically 21+. In Canada, it's 18+ in Alberta, 19+ in most provinces, and 21+ in Quebec. The safest approach for a cross-market list is to gate at 21+ and save this information in your CRM and/or email service provider (ESP).
Under Canada's Cannabis Act Promotion Prohibitions, any promotion that could reach minors is prohibited. In the US, similar regulations exist but state-by-state regulations add another layer of complexity – double check state laws.
For email, double opt-in is best practice. For SMS, it's essentially required to pass carrier filtering and spam regulations. Double opt-in requires subscribers to confirm their email or phone number, usually by replying to the SMS or clicking on a unique link on the email.
Both the United States and Canada have regulations like TCPA audits in the US and CASL complaint investigation in Canada that make single opt-in a liability for businesses.
Even small dispensaries can have mailing lists with tens of thousands of subscribers – but not all of them are equally valuable. If you're restarting campaigns after a break, create segments with the most engaged customers first, and work outward from there as your sending reputation rebuilds.
On the other hand, new businesses should not let their lists get unorganized – capture preference data at sign-up and set up tagging based on order details (such as province/state).
Editor’s Note: If you have a dormant list, in addition to segmenting out inactive subscribers, you should also warm up the domain slowly with the most engaged subscribers (to achieve a high open rate and prove authenticity to ESPs).
Email service providers (ESPs) are companies that will send your emails (and SMS) on your behalf – Klaviyo, Alpine IQ, Omnisend, etc being a few examples. However, not all ESPs are the same and several completely prohibit sending cannabis-related emails or SMS.
Mailchimp is the most popular email marketing platform in the world but unfortunately, as of 2026, it is not cannabis friendly. Mailchimp explicitly prohibits promotion of cannabis, vaping, CBD, or any federally illegal drug. There are also several reports of Mailchimp outright shutting down accounts of cannabis-based businesses without warning.
Other popular mainstream ESPs like Constant Contact and ActiveCampaign have similarly worded Terms of Service, not clearly allowing the promotion of cannabis related goods (especially THC).
Given the risk of your 4/20 email campaign being suspended without warning (and losing your data) is a good enough reason to look elsewhere. Here is a brief breakdown of the top cannabis-friendly email marketing platforms as of 2026:
Klaviyo Flow templates | Source
Klaviyo offers a best-in-class flow builder, powerful segmentation, automation, and hundreds of integrations with an easy-to-use interface for designing emails. The tradeoff for all of this is pricing – Klaviyo becomes one of the more expensive options for retailers at scale. Still, for small to medium dispensaries, Klaviyo is a strong, safe candidate that allows meaningful email volume at a manageable price.
Running SMS Campaigns: Klaviyo does not explicitly support cannabis-related SMS content and in fact, prohibits anything federally illegal or restricted. It might be best to confirm your use case and jurisdiction with the Klaviyo account manager before proceeding
Cova and Alpine IQ Two-Way Integration | Source
Alpine IQ was built specifically for cannabis retail and as a CRM integrates directly with dispensary menus, loyalty programs, and point-of-sale systems. If you run a dispensary and want your email campaigns tied directly to what's in stock and who spent what last week, Alpine IQ is the most purpose-built option available.
Best of all, if you have a capable POS like Cova POS, you already have an Alpine IQ integration built-in.
Running SMS Campaigns: Alpine IQ is one of the few platforms that supports cannabis content in both email and SMS with built-in 10DLC registration and age-verified links.
Omnisend is a cannabis-friendly direct competitor to Klaviyo for eCommerce brands. It offers cart abandonment emails, product recommendation flows, and pre-built templates designed with retail brands in mind. If you're selling online, Omnisend's eCommerce triggers are also worth evaluating.
Omnisend’s Campaign Editor | Source
Running SMS Campaigns: Omnisend has a similar SMS platform to Klaviyo but Omnisend only recommends following S.H.A.F.T. guidelines (which do not include cannabis), therefore not explicitly banning cannabis content on its platform. That said, it’s always best to confirm with your account manager.
Moosend has also explicitly stated it supports both CBD and THC content. It's significantly more affordable than Klaviyo for comparable send volume and comes with solid automation features and a clean template builder. A reasonable choice for businesses that want reliable send rates and plenty of community support with much more affordable pricing ($32/month for 10k subscribers).
Moosend’s Campaign Editor | Source
Running SMS Campaigns: Moosend has no SMS capability whatsoever – it is an email-only platform. Any dispensary expecting to run email + SMS from Moosend will have to bolt on a separate tool.
Although Hubspot is a mainstream CRM with ESP capabilities, they have relatively open Terms of Service, allowing any businesses and cannabis campaigns as long as they are compliant with local laws. With many businesses already using Hubspot for CRM, Hubspot makes a good candidate to shortlist – especially for B2B cannabis businesses (suppliers, brands selling wholesale).
Hubspot’s Email Builder | Source
Running SMS Campaigns: Although Hubspot does have its own SMS marketing platform, it’s not dedicated to it and thus some features may not exist. Similar to its stance on email, Hubspot allows content that is compliant with legal laws and does not explicitly prohibit cannabis-related SMS content.
A campaign, like a 4/20 email campaign is technically a series of campaigns – an email series. In other words, an effective 4/20 email campaign includes sending several emails at various intervals in the weeks leading up to April 20th.
At the very least, dispensaries want to plan for three distinct phases: the warm-up, the push, and the final big reminder. Here’s what that may look like in practice for 4/20:
4/20 is the holiday to prepare – it’s bigger than Black Friday and even Christmas in terms of sales volume uplift. You must start early, 3 weeks is the minimum and you can begin earlier if you choose to.
The goal in this phase is not to blast emails but rather to build, clean, and reinforce your mailing lists. Here is what should be finalized by this point:
Many stores will begin teasing the 4/20 promotions during this time with one or two emails to the most engaged segment.
This phase is also when you should be running your hardest list-growth push of the year: in-store tablet signups, website pop-ups, social posts driving to a signup landing page. Every subscriber you add now enters your warm-up window and will be primed by the time deals go live.
Most cannabis dispensaries begin revealing deals and offers the week before 4/20. Depending on the send volume and email marketing history, 2-3 targeted and segmented campaigns is the sweet spot. Focus on value, products, and culture. For deal hunters, save a more comprehensive deal roundup as a final reminder before April 18th that will go to your entire engaged audience.
This is where segmentation matters most and we never recommend blasting a generic email to your entire list. If you have an unsegmented master list, you can still use past buying habits and store metrics to create lists based on engagement levels and types of products.
Editor’s Note: If your subscribers aren’t used to emails from you, sending several in a short span can drive up the unsubscribe rate. A high volume of emails may also trigger spam filtering from ESPs, especially on new domains.
For instance, given that 4/20 in 2026 falls on a busy Monday, we predict strong demand for pre-rolls, vapes, and edibles – so make sure to sufficiently advertise them in your emails.
If you haven’t looked at sales figures from last year’s 4/20, you might find the phasing weird. On a more typical middle of the week 4/20, the heaviest promotions would begin on April 20th itself but we have good reason to believe it would be more beneficial to begin promotions earlier in the week, as early as Thursday.
This allows consumers to beat the Monday rush and stock up on their favorite 4/20 snacks earlier in the weekend when they’re not as busy.
We already saw many retailers in Canada front-loading their promotions early in the week (in anticipation of 4/20 coinciding with Easter Sunday). This resulted in Thursday, April 17th having the biggest single-day lift of the entire weekend. Read the free 2025 retail sales infographic for 4/20 for the full insights.
Additionally, we recommend two sends on April 20th itself – one in the morning before people make their way to work (7-9 AM) and another midday email (12–2 PM).
The morning email is a final comprehensive recap: what the deals are, store hours, how to order online, how to skip the line. The midday email is a short nudge targeting people who opened the morning send but did not click, or the engaged segment broadly – getting them to come in after work.
After 4/20, subscribers are more trigger happy on the unsubscribe button but a single email – a genuine thank-you with a bounce-back offer (or another strong incentive) designed to bring 4/20 buyers back within the next 7–14 days usually has a very high ROI since people are still high in the 4/20 spirits.
Every brand's email strategy for April 20th will look slightly different. Based on the common ground that is the holiday, industry, and demographic, we've compiled a list of 8 email ideas that give you a range of options to build a sequence that fits your store's size, your audience, and how much you have to offer this year.
Every brand's email strategy for April 20th will look slightly different. Based on the common ground that is the holiday, industry, and demographic, we've compiled a list of 8 email ideas that give you a range of options to build a sequence that fits your store's size, your audience, and how much you have to offer this year.
Give your most hardcore fans access to 4/20 deals earlier than others. You can build this segment based on:
If you have been teasing limited quantity SKUs, you could even set up a separate email capture form for early access/pre-orders – giving them access to some time-sensitive deals and promotions before they go live for everyone else.
This will be the primary high volume sent at the start of phase 2. This email will include all of the major deals, discounts on categories, and promotions – all laid out in a clean, scannable format. Organize by category (flower, edibles, concentrates, accessories). Include product images, original prices, and sale prices. One clear CTA: "Shop Now" or "Order Ahead."
This is not the place for storytelling or brand messaging – it is the reference email that most subscribers will use to decide whether 4/20 this year is worth checking out or not.
If you have a high number of branded SKUs or even better, clear segmentation based on product preferences, you can send highly targeted emails to smaller groups of people – flower buyers get the flower email, edible enjoyers get the edibles email, and so on.
Engage in storytelling, send personalized and relevant information, starting early in Phase 2 with categories and round it off with this year’s 4/20 theme.
Editor’s Note: Since 4/20 is on a Monday this year, lean into products that fit a workday. Pre-rolls, gummies, beverages, vape cartridges – anything that requires zero preparation and is easy to consume after work. Your product recommendations emails in the final days before 4/20 should emphasize convenience.
If you are running combination discounts across different categories, prompt customers to buy bundles (or create their own). Unlike a flat rate discount, bundles are more likely to uplift AOV and move more SKUs. Show them possible combinations in the email, here are some examples:
Gift giving is catching on in the cannabis industry and although it’s not quite the mainstream gift yet, people love getting surprised with some edibles – use this email as a reminder. Here are some angles you can explore in this category:
If your store sells gift cards online, this is a great place to give them a shout out.
If your customers have been sitting on unspent loyalty points, 4/20 is the perfect time to get them to finally use them. Include your best 4/20 offers in the email for the extra push. If you’re running points multiplier events (such as 2x points for every dollar spent), mention that too.
If you recently started a points program and the vast majority of customers don’t have an existing balance, another strategy would be to gift a small amount of points – enough for a small discount but not enough to make any free purchases. The cost of free points (through signups, leaving reviews, engaging with the brand, etc) is different for every company so do your own cost analysis.
A central theme of this year’s 4/20 will be the Monday rush – something that may put off many people from coming in on April 20th. If your store offers online ordering, curbside pickup, or pre-order options, this email is essentially a public service announcement for that. Make sure to include clear instructions on how to order ahead.
Even if your dispensary doesn’t have those options, you can still send a Skip the Line email in Phase 2, inviting customers to get the 4/20 discounts as early as Thursday and throughout the weekend to have a relaxing after work session on 420 Monday.
4/20 is one of the most social days in cannabis culture – people share what they're smoking, what they bought, and how they're celebrating.
Let the community do the selling for you by showing user generated content (UGC) of your products and store (with permission), testimonials, and online reviews. Also invite customers to get featured on the social media platforms by sharing their 420 hauls (maybe in exchange for points or a small discount).
The emails above are not all meant to be sent to everyone. Some are broad, some are highly targeted, and a few are operational rather than promotional. Pick what applies, skip what doesn't, and personalize the rest to work with your unique dispensary.
Unlike email, SMS tends to have far higher open rates and messages are typically read within minutes. On a day like 4/20, that makes it the most effective channel for same-day urgency (flash deals, morning blasts, and midday reminders).
SMS marketing for cannabis has more compliance requirements than email and violating them can get your campaign blocked or worse, your account terminated. The two biggest compliance requirements that cannabis dispensaries must meet before sending SMS campaigns are:
Fortunately, there are multiple purpose-built options like Alpine IQ, Springbig, and Carrot that handle 10DLC registration, age-verified links, and POS/loyalty integrations out of the box.
SMS sends should mirror your email phases, but with fewer, more targeted messages. SMS are more impactful with more people having smaller tolerances for spam.
Also Read: Learn Everything You Need to Know About Dispensary SMS Marketing: Laws, Software & Compliance
Keep total send frequency between 2–4 messages for the full 4/20 window. More than that and unsubscribe rate may be higher than expected. Also skip any bounce-back and/or retention messages – leave that for the email.
Make the biggest cannabis event of the year count – start by choosing a cannabis-compliant email platform, building your mailing list, and making sure everything is connected to your in-store point of sale (POS) to create the most seamless shopping experience possible – whether they are redeeming loyalty points, picking up a pre-order, and using the self-serve kiosk to beat the line.
Cova POS integrates with purpose-built cannabis marketing platforms to give your campaigns the customer data they need to actually perform — loyalty points, purchase history, product preferences, and more. If you’re ready to learn more, contact us today and let’s talk!