This is the fourth blog of our new series discussing the effects of COVID-19 on the cannabis industry. Recently, we shared insights on the importance of moving to non-cash payments. In this week’s blog, we will discuss how cannabis business owners need to leverage digital technology to create and curate customized marketing for customers.
As communities across the country continue to practice social distancing, how individuals and brands engage with one another has shifted. People have been looking for safer alternatives to human-to-human interaction. Before the pandemic, tech-savvy consumers primarily engaged with dispensaries through multiple channels, yet with the spread of COVID-19, this has now become a necessary way of life.
For cannabis dispensary business owners, current times have forced them to drastically shift how they operate, including in what manner they market their products. And it’s not just the cannabis industry – with COVID-19 and the evolution of today’s connected consumer, the relationship between brands and individuals has dramatically shifted in regards to the customer journey.
Technology Enables Cannabis Businesses to Create Personalized Marketing for Better Engagement
In the age of COVID-19, consumers are no longer walking into their local dispensaries where the budtenders know who they are, what they like, and what products are best suited for their needs. Instead, customers are gravitating towards contactless methods of getting goods – primarily by shopping online or on their mobile devices. This means cannabis business owners no longer have the luxury of relying solely on their budtenders to educate customers, sell products, and build customer loyalty.
With the right technology, tools, and data insights, business owners avoid missing opportunities to provide personalized interactions when it comes to selling products and engaging with customers. Cross-selling and upselling can be customized to the individual to create a personal experience that builds brand loyalty.
Happy Cabbage Analytics Helps Create Meaningful Marketing Campaigns to Cannabis Consumers
One such technology company is Happy Cabbage Analytics, an integrated data platform that helps cannabis businesses understand customer preferences and behaviors so businesses can then create customized and meaningful marketing campaigns. For instance, rather than sending out a mass marketing message to all customers, Happy Cabbage Analytics identifies different groups of customers likely to make a purchase of a particular type of product during a certain timeframe. Cannabis business owners can then send a targeted message about a specific product to that individual customer.
According to Ryan Herron, Co-Founder of Happy Cabbage Analytics, “We have seen an uptick in customers approaching us during COVID-19 for two primary reasons. First, dispensaries need a way to communicate with their customers and let them know what they are doing, like new delivery areas and curbside pickups. Second, we have businesses who want to explore new ways to expand on personal experiences, and we can help them achieve that through customer segmentation.”
Bringing the Budtender to the Consumer with Zoltrain
Zoltrain, an online learning and training platform for the cannabis industry, is another technology resource that is enabling cannabis business owners to engage and connect with consumers through personalized text messaging. As shared by Danny Gold, CEO of ZolTrain, “We are helping dispensaries to unlock customer information and send them compelling, targeted content. Basically, we are bringing the budtender to them. Text message campaigns are now the way to push out product information since you can no longer interact in person, and with this communication, we need to be targeted and send information that appeals to the individual.
Together, we along with our robust reporting and analytics and personalized marketing companies like Happy Cabbage Analytics and Zoltrain are enabling cannabis business owners to create end-to-end meaningful, personalized marketing campaigns to generate consumer engagement, sales, and brand loyalty. Armed with the right tools and solutions, cannabis business owners are now able to deliver a truly unique experience that their customers will pay attention to and remember. And now more than ever, this is essential for them to stay in operation and connect with new and existing customers.
