Retailers across all industries have been forced to adapt to the ever evolving consumer landscape in the wake of COVID-19, but many cannabis retailers have embraced tech-driven solutions in this time of uncertainty. This is especially the case for retailers in Washington that have leveraged inventive ways to increase dispensary brand loyalty and make the most of their dispensary loyalty rewards programs over the past few months.
When taking a closer look at client data after the COVID-19 outbreak, springbig found that Washington retailers increased sales by nearly 15% and increased reward redemptions by 82% despite a .76% decrease in customer visits. These data points indicate that Washington dispensaries within springbig’s network were able to increase the value of each sale and encourage more loyalty redemptions per customer visit during the ongoing pandemic.
These sales and loyalty figures are especially impressive considering that Washington regulations currently forbid home delivery from cannabis retailers, which should have, in theory, thrown a wrench in overall retail performance. However, many retailers were able to lean into existing springbig integrations and cannabis brand marketing tools to drive consumer engagement and sales. Loyalty integrations with leading e-commerce providers including Jane and Dutchie allow consumers with existing loyalty accounts to directly redeem or apply their points at checkout without visiting the dispensary’s website. This feature, along with promotions that offer additional points on certain brand or product purchases, has likely led to the rise in loyalty redemptions in recent months.
In lieu of offering home delivery, which would increase convenience and accessibility, Washington retailers have had to double down on dispensary texting campaigns as a cannabis product promotion tool and to elevate cannabis brand loyalty among active customers. In order to keep customers engaged while there are significant limitations on brick-and-mortar sales, many dispensaries started texting customers with daily deals and safety or store policies to keep them abreast of the changing situation. Other dispensaries also started live-streaming Q&A sessions and product demonstrations with budtenders in order to promote new products and educate customers.
Retailers also figured out how to push cannabis brands through brands by springbig, a first of its kind advertising platform that connected brands directly with appropriate dispensary customer segments through dispensary texting campaigns. Retailers and brands alike were able to reach potential customers about exciting product offerings without the customer ever stepping foot into the store. Cannabis brand marketing tools such as these will likely thrive in this new retail environment and become the new norm even in a post-COVID world.
