How to Maximize Your 4/20 Deals

When you buy cannabis, you can expect to find deals. In fact, you can expect to be bombarded by them. Most cannabis dispensaries have a different deal for every day of the week, whereas others take a more aggressive approach and offer sales that cover the entire store. It’s a new industry, and everyone involved is trying to get their products into the hands of the consumers.

This ultra-competitive market has caused what many cannabis industry professionals have referred to as “a race to the bottom,” as producers and shops are doing everything in their power to undercut the price of their competitors. With everyone closely following each other, it has become exceptionally difficult for cannabis businesses to distinguish themselves.

4/20 Is a Big Deal?

April 20th is the highest of high holidays on the stoner calendar. It’s the day when consumers get the best deals, shops get the most foot traffic, and producers get their biggest marketing opportunity of the year. In other words, more people will have the opportunity to interact with your products on this day than any other day.

As a cannabis producer, a successful 4/20 means a good day of sales, but it also means that you are seeing an increase in sales over the months that follow. This means you were successful at getting your products into the hands of new customers and retaining their business; however, getting to that point is easier said than done and requires more than just a good product.

To gain further insights into how you can maximize your 4/20 presence, we interviewed professionals across the industry to see what it takes to build a successful relationship between your brand, the dispensaries selling your products, and, most importantly, the customers. Here’s what they had to say!

How to Create a Good 4/20 Deal?

If it’s already a race to the bottom on a normal day, you can expect things to nearly bottom out on 4/20. So, the first thing you need to do to have a successful 4/20 is have a product priced for the occasion. This is not the day to offer a light discount!

If you have an established presence in the market, offering a larger-than-normal discount on your most popular products will go a long way; however, you might have to get more aggressive with your discounts if you are trying to get a larger market share or sell a new product. Don’t be afraid to get a little creative!

Think of big discounts as an investment in advertising. You are willing to take a hit on your initial profit with the hopes that the price will attract new customers and, therefore, increase sales down the line. Again, be mindful of the laws that regulate how you can discount products in your area, but you should be doing everything in your power to offer the best deals you can.

Lexi Goudy (Vendor Relationship Manager with Medleaf) suggests that as well as going big on promos and coming up with a good price point, brands need to put the work in on the back end. For example, make sure your products have good digital assets. This includes making sure each product has a picture that shows more than just the packaging and a description that is thoughtful and informative.

Appreciate the Budtenders

Offering a great discount is a great way to get your products into a shop, but getting into a store is just the beginning. There are already hundreds of products inside every store, and you’re now in direct competition with them. You’re going to need to do something to distinguish yourself.

Investing in beautiful packaging is a good way to get the customer’s attention, but, when it comes to selling cannabis, no one has more power than Budtenders. They are the ones interacting with customers, and they are the ones offering suggestions for purchases. If your product has a good reputation with budtenders, it is going to sell—it’s really that simple. The trick is getting that reputation.

The issue for budtenders is that they must balance an entire inventory that often includes hundreds of items, and they most likely haven’t had the ability to try everything. They are also working in retail, so they are trying to help customers as quickly as they can to keep the lines moving—especially on busy days like 4/20.

It makes sense that budtenders would have a few go-to products they like selling to customers more than others. They might be products they tried and liked, or they might be selling them on the recommendation from another budtender. Whatever the reason, if you want your pre-roll brand to grow, get in good with the staff at shops.

If you can get budtenders samples, get them samples. If you can drop off a few pizzas on your next visit, maybe bring them some tacos (because everyone brings pizza). Stick around and chat, hand out swag, or set up a vendor day. Make an impression, so the next time a customer asks for a suggestion on a pre-roll, you come to mind.

After 4/20

Lastly, you know what will always make a shop glad to see you? If you make their lives easy! In other words, do not show up with a garbage bag filled with pre-rolls when you deliver. In this highly regulated industry, everything must be accounted for at the point of sale as well as in the inventory room. So, showing up with an unorganized delivery only adds to the shop’s workload.

Taking the time to ask shops how they prefer to receive their products and bundling your pre-rolls before they get there might bring tears of joy to the eyes of the inventory crew. It’s a simple act of thoughtfulness, but it can go a long way to help secure your shelf space in a shop. Be a brand that the entire shop can be excited about.