Cova-blog-2026

Cannabis Rescheduling to Schedule III: What Operators Must Know

Jeff Cohen — Fri, 29 May 2026 06:00:00 GMT

In the cannabis industry, federal movement can feel slow — until it suddenly matters. The recent legal shift toward cannabis rescheduling to Schedule III status is one of those moments.

Cannabis Customer Retention Strategies for Dispensaries

faai@covasoftware.com (Faai Steuer) — Fri, 22 May 2026 06:00:00 GMT

If you’re a dispensary operator in a mature cannabis market, you already know how tough customer acquisition is. Digital ad restrictions, limited broadcast options, and high CPCs on compliant platforms make every new customer expensive to earn. What's less discussed is cannabis customer retention: the revenue that’s sitting in the customers you already have, and how much of it often disappears after a single visit.

How to Compete Without Discounting in a Competitive Cannabis Market

faai@covasoftware.com (Faai Steuer) — Thu, 07 May 2026 06:00:00 GMT

The cannabis retail market is maturing faster than many operators expected. More dispensaries are competing for the same customers, product assortments are starting to look alike, and consumers have more information and more options than ever before. While the instinct to discount is understandable, there are more strategic ways to stand out in this competitive environment.

420 Cannabis Retail Sales 2026 Infographic: What a Monday 4/20 Tells Us About the Industry's New Normal

faai@covasoftware.com (Faai Steuer) — Thu, 23 Apr 2026 06:00:00 GMT

420 2026 landed on a Monday – and that might make it one of the most useful data points in years.

Virginia Recreational Dispensaries: Timelines and Next Steps

dayna@covasoftware.com (Dayna Van Buskirk) — Wed, 22 Apr 2026 06:00:00 GMT

Virginia is one of the largest untapped cannabis markets in the eastern United States. With nearly 8.9 million residents, legal possession since 2021, and a pre-existing illicit market estimated at $3 billion annually, the demand is there. What has been missing is the legal retail infrastructure. That changes with HB 642 / SB 542, passed by the Virginia General Assembly on March 14, 2026.

Cannabis Tracking Labels Explained: RFID, Package IDs, and Metrc Retail ID

faai@covasoftware.com (Faai Steuer) — Fri, 10 Apr 2026 06:00:00 GMT

Cannabis tracking labels are primarily an upstream function. Whether it’s an RFID tag, package ID, or Metrc Retail ID, suppliers and distributors apply the label before product ever reaches your dispensary. Your retail team’s job is receiving, scanning, and reconciling against the transfer manifest.

Cannabis Product Trends 2026: Seasonal Sales Trends by Category

faai@covasoftware.com (Faai Steuer) — Mon, 06 Apr 2026 06:00:00 GMT

Most dispensaries track which products sell best, but too many don’t track when those products sell best. That’s a problem, because missing seasonal peaks can tie up capital and leave revenue on the table.

AI Budtenders in Cannabis Retail | Dispensary Guide

faai@covasoftware.com (Faai Steuer) — Wed, 01 Apr 2026 06:00:00 GMT

Dispensary menus have gotten complicated. A typical modern cannabis retailer carries dozens of flower strains, multiple concentrate formats, and a range of edibles, topicals, and accessories. Online shoppers face that entire catalog with no budtender in sight and, too often, no idea where to start.

Email and SMS Marketing Strategies for 4/20 2026

faai@covasoftware.com (Faai Steuer) — Thu, 19 Mar 2026 06:00:00 GMT

Cannabis email and SMS marketing is one of the most underutilized avenues of growth for cannabis retailers. Despite the huge success other sectors see through email and SMS, cannabis companies rarely seem to take advantage, especially on days it matters the most.

How Role-Based Dispensary POS Permissions Keep Staff Compliant

Aysha McDonald — Mon, 16 Mar 2026 06:00:00 GMT

In cannabis retail, compliance depends on control. Every price override, inventory adjustment, refund, and void must be traceable, and regulators expect dispensaries to be able to prove that only authorized staff members can perform high-risk actions. When dispensary POS permissions are too broad or easily overridden, seemingly small day-to-day shortcuts can quickly turn into compliance liabilities.