Cannabis Menus: The Secret to Driving Customer Choices
The cannabis industry is rapidly evolving, with dispensaries facing increasing competition to attract and retain customers. In this dynamic market, dispensary menus play a crucial role in shaping consumer choices and driving sales. This blog delves into the impact of cannabis dispensary menus on customer choices, drawing insights from consumer behavior, menu design psychology, and strategies employed by successful dispensary chains that you can pull ideas from. Let’s dive in.
Understanding Consumer Behavior in the Cannabis Industry
Understanding consumer behaviour will help you customize your customer experience and optimize your product offerings and marketing strategies. Research by BDSA suggests that more people are consuming cannabis, with 46% of consumers in adult-use and medical-legal states having used cannabis in the past six months. This increase in consumption numbers also includes more women and people of diverse backgrounds. Which shows us that the diversity in users must reflect the diversity in product offerings in store to cater to individual needs.
There are two main types of cannabis consumers, the newbie and the experienced master. Although both differ in their needs, we can generalize and say every consumer requires some levels of product information prior to making a purchase. To help you increase your sales, look at cannabis through the lens of educating your customers and then build strategies from this base up. When we look at the newbie buyer, we know they will be unsure and looking for information on the kind of experience they will have. This can be accomplished with Promo TVs that can display strain effects and give details on safe consumption methods. The experienced master buyer is looking for specifics, this is where you can utilise Menu TVs with flags indicating strain and effects, as well as targeted menus that suggest “relaxing” products in edibles, vapes, and pre-roll types.
Studies have shown that customers engage more with digital signage as it can capture up to 400% more views, while 68% of customers report that digital signage makes them more likely to buy the advertised products. These numbers will make you wonder how to get the most out of your screen and dominate digital advertising in your dispensary.
What is the Impact of Menu Design on Customer Choices?
Your menus are more than just a product list, they are your biggest tool for influencing customer choice - how? By leveraging design psychology.
We’re visual creatures who have been ruined by scrolling through apps all day. Our attention spans now average 8 seconds. That means if something moves within that time we are more likely to pay attention. This is why digital menus can be a game changer for your dispensary by giving you the option to allow for subtle yet powerful animations on screen that keep your customers engaged.
The most successful menus often use clean fonts in visually comfortable contrasting range colours, and size products based on what they want to sell most. Think of your favourite restaurant menu and why you always order what you do. Oftentimes the main course is on a special dedicated section with a slightly bigger font than the rest of the items. Some restaurants even highlight or circle out products. You can leverage these strategies by adding flags to your menus, or creating specific menus such as “staff picks.”
The organisation and layout of menus is another important factor in influencing customer choice. Think again of your restaurant menu and you will notice oftentimes there is an expected hierarchy of how items are categorised and presented. We know appetisers sell most often as these can be ordered with any meal at any time of the day, so these always appear top of the list. Next you will see smaller meals followed by main courses and then desserts and drinks. Many times menus will present the specials or happy hour menu first or last, because this is how customers tend to browse.
Give your menus some thought and organize them in a list that prioritises what you know will sell fast for your location and clientele.
Strategies Top Dispensary Chains Use
From our clients, we’ve learned what strategies successful dispensary chains employ to attract and retain customers. These strategies include:
Market Research
Successful dispensaries know their audience inside out and get personal with everyone who walks in the door. Thorough market research is essential to identify target audience preferences, demand for different products, and regulatory restrictions. You can also use your POS sales data to identify which products sell the fastest in your location and ensure you don’t sell out of these.
Targeted Marketing
The natural next step after learning what your target market wants is to customize it to fit their needs and deliver it in their preferred medium. This is why tailoring marketing messages and product offerings to specific demographics and customer segments is crucial for effective marketing.
Online Presence
Many platforms don’t allow dispensaries to advertise cannabis products the same way you would alcohol, keeping this in mind, you can utilise organic content or non-paid media to reach your target market online. Successful dispensaries do this with search engine optimization (SEO) and social media platforms to help you reach a wider audience and build brand awareness.
In-Store Experience
Creating an appealing and informative in-store experience, including digital menus and kiosks, can enhance customer engagement and drive sales. Dispensaries that have a constant influx of customers do this well by giving their clients an experience the same way luxury brands do.
What is an Effective Dispensary Menu Design?
We’ve learned that an effective dispensary menu design incorporates principles of visual appeal, organization, and psychology to guide customer choices and maximize sales. It is important to remember that cannabis customers generally tend to scan menus quickly, so your menus have a limited time to make an impact. Do this with:
Clear and Concise Titles: Use clear and concise menus titles and section headers to help speed by browsing times.
Visual Hierarchy: Incorporate visual cues such as, fonts size, color, and spacing like a newspaper does, to create a hierarchy of information and guide customers’ attention to items you want to sell.
Strategic Placement: Just like restaurants, place your popular items in prominent locations on your menus or in specified menus using Promo TVs.
Informative Description: Provide descriptions in your tablet menus to allow customers to learn while they browse for products.
Consuming Options: Allow your menus to display different sizes or strains to cater to the diverse customer prefrecnes.
Flags and Labels: Add flags or labels to menus to display more information such as, “High THC” or “Selling Fast” to increase impulse purchases.
Product Information: Allow for space on your digital signage screens that is dedicated to providing explanations of cannabis weights, concentrations, and dosages to help customers make informed choices.
Tiered Flower Menus: On your Promo TVs you can display price tiered flower menus to cater to price-conscious consumers and make it easier for them to find products within budget. Alternatively you can also build an “Under $10” menu which can significantly increase basket size.
Questions
How can Budvue's Menu TVs enhance the in-store customer experience?
Budvue's Menu TVs are fully integrated with your POS system, ensuring real-time inventory updates and accurate pricing. These customizable digital menus allow dispensaries to display detailed product information such as strain names, THC/CBD content, and terpene profiles. By incorporating dynamic visuals and strategic layouts, Menu TVs guide customer attention to featured products, promotions, or staff picks. This not only streamlines the shopping process but also frees up budtenders to focus on building relationships and upselling, ultimately enhancing the overall customer experience.
How do Budvue's Promo TVs drive sales and customer engagement?
Promo TVs from Budvue are designed to highlight specific products through eye-catching promotions and dynamic advertisements. They allow dispensaries to showcase new arrivals, limited-time offers, or seasonal specials with ease. By integrating with your store's POS system, Promo TVs ensure that promotions are always up-to-date and relevant. These displays capture customer attention with animations and rotating content, increasing impulse purchases and boosting basket sizes while creating a more engaging in-store atmosphere.
What makes Budvue’s tablet app an essential tool for dispensaries?
Budvue's tablet app provides an interactive shopping experience by offering customers access to automated, in-depth product menus. Integrated with the dispensary's POS system, it allows customers to browse product details such as effects, dosages, and consumption methods independently or with assistance from a budtender. This not only empowers customers to make informed decisions but also reduces wait times and enhances overall satisfaction. The app is a versatile tool for educating both newbie and experienced cannabis consumers while supporting efficient sales processes.
Conclusion
Cannabis dispensary menus are a critical touchpoint in the customer journey, influencing purchasing decisions and shaping the overall dispensary experience. By understanding consumer behavior, menu design psychology, and effective strategies, you can optimize your menus to attract and retain customers.
Ready to maximise the impact of your menus? Book a demo today!