The cannabis brands you carry can make or break your business –
There’s what seems like an infinite amount of brands entering the cannabis market right now and it’s important, now more than ever, to be able to accurately explain to your customers how these brands differ from one another. In a similar way to common goods, cannabis can be vetted and is being bought in a new way—with the ethics and messaging of brands being taken into close consideration.
The implementation of seed-to-sale software for California’s regulated market has forced brands to wear their core values on their sleeve. What customers look for in products, is not only about the best quality, but also about the best methods of sourcing the product. If following, seed-to-sale implementation with METRC has opened the doors for a variety of products to be explored based on the brand’s practices, oftentimes stemming from their core values! The result is a new-age of cannabis that centers mindful consumption.
Mindful consumption of cannabis is on the rise and these are 3 important questions that your staff should be able to answer about the brands you stock!
How do they grow or extract their products?
Lowell Herb Co. takes an artisanal approach to growing cannabis.
Different growing techniques are one aspect of the industry that customers are showing an increased interest in. To name a few: Indoor, outdoor, organic, non-organic, soil, and hydroponic are methods that are used to cultivate cannabis.
Cultivation practices that center small-batch techniques are perfect for the mindful consumer that is interested in boutique brands. These smaller brands not only offer an increased ROI due to the simple principle of supply and demand, but also offer customers to choose a brand with a mission statement they want to support.
Aligning a customer’s values to that of a brand creates a new avenue of the purchasing process that should be taken advantage of.
The same can be said about concentrate products that are in high demand. Different extraction methods such as using CO2 and the difference between nug and trim runs are a few methods to stay well-versed on. Clients looking for a certain type of concentrate may be surprised that a companies’ methods are comparable to another brand’s, suddenly yielding an opportunity to expand options.
It’s pretty simple: large-scale operations may put out a quality product, but not align with the ethics and values that a customer believes should be supported. Small-batch goods may not appeal to the customers that are interested in large-scale, consistent availability of a product. This is not to say that one is better than the other, but instead that these are factors that contribute to a customer’s purchasing decision.
Keeping your staff up-to-date on the different methods adds to the customer experience and overall ability to retain them as a repeat client.
Related: 7 Questions to Ask When Purchasing Software for Your Cannabis Delivery Service
What are the core values of the company?
Moxie 710 looks to set industry standards for extract cannabis products.
The ethics of a brand and the value this brings to the industry is part of the new-age paradigm shift that is occurring. In the same way that consumers are mindful of the products they purchase, cannabis consumers are starting to understand that the same principle can be carried over when making purchases!
A company’s core values are the bread and butter of their operating practices. Mindful consumers might be interested in hearing about these values as they translate into the quality of the product that is being offered. It also gives the customers an opportunity to find causes they would like to support or tap into an identity that a brand looks to portray.
The core values of any given brand is reflected in the type of packaging they use. Opting for renewable and sustainable methods is one avenue of core values that illustrates, for example, the importance of environmental issues on a micro scale.
Related: 5 Questions Customers Will Ask That Your Cannabis Delivery Service Staff Should be Able to Answer
Supporting small business is nothing new and the emotional connection that consumers make to particular brands results in brand loyalty while providing a constant factor that influences future consumer choices.
Where is their primary location?
There’s no question where LA Kush resides.
Supporting local businesses is an important new-age approach to buying products. Customers looking to contribute to local brands should be guided into knowing about the geographical location of goods they are looking to purchase, which in turn influences the scope of products that might be of interest to them.
But there’s more than just explaining that a brand is from a particular area. The terroir of a region provides a source of information that consumers might adhere to. The variety of flavors, environmental influence on growing, and regional differences are noticeable to the connoisseurs of the bunch. In short, different geographical locations can produce different flavors due to the influence that the environment helps play a part of.
The origins of a cannabis product such as it’s location taps into the age-old practice of examining fine wines. In a similar way that wines carry territorial traits that are picked out by specialists, cannabis too has particular traits that can only be found in specific areas of the world. Strains take on traits as generational growing practices are passed down, creating unique characteristics that are the signature of a particular region.
This is just one example of how location may influence purchasing habits.
Indoor and outdoor growing techniques are oftentimes central to weather-permitting locations and this too can be an indicator that your customers look for. Outdoor brands coming from the Mendocino Triangle, for example, are primarily grown outdoor under the sun, taking terroir and naturalistic practices to the purest level.
Location can help consumers identify with the current cannabis scene in their area and for those with greater experience, helps promote that “signature” trait that is being looked for.
What matters to you?
Cannabis brands are popping up left and right, each with their own persona, core values, and methods of cultivation. This information, if not given to your customers by staff, is left up to the marketing team of the brand in question. Having information on these 3 details of each brand you carry not only allows for you to show your customers something new, but shows that your staff takes their job seriously.
Related: A Definitive Guide to Compliance — California Cannabis Dispensaries
Don’t miss out on the opportunity to blow away your customers and answer questions with a level of complexity that centers their needs!
Comment below and let us know what works best for you!
