We know flower is king and it will be a long time if it is ever dethroned. Following flower we see extract products like vape and concentrates rounding out the top selling products (more sales details here). Then, way down after edibles, is the topical category. Topicals are such a great product but they are not a big needle mover. In our most recent 420 report we saw that topicals (identified as ‘infused non-edible’) only accounted for 0.6% of sales. In comparison, that same year we saw non-infused accessories like lighters and glass make up for 1% of sales. When you have THC-infused products being outsold by common objects like rolling papers, it’s time to revamp your sales strategy.
Topicals like balms, salves, lotions and the like are a niche item, but they are often necessary to serve your customers. Topicals are often used as a gateway product for those hesitant about cannabis but seek relief from back aches and other physical ailments. They typically have a nice long shelf life and don’t take up a lot of backstock room, but they also move incredibly slowly. While topicals are so often looked over, they deserve attention and can be a better seller for your dispensary. Let’s dig into how we can move more topicals.
Budtender Training
One of our favorite ways to get any product or category moving faster is to do dedicated budtender training. Budtenders are your front lines and a recent survey from January 2023 showed that “31% of respondents trust budtender advice or recommendations when deciding what products they’ll purchase.” Budtenders are listened to, and their recommendations matter. For a brand to get on a budtender’s good side is for a brand to succeed.
Brands like Mary’s Medicinals have done off-site budtender training, where budtenders from all different dispensaries come together and explore the brand together. Brand ambassadors from Mary’s do quick training on specific products and then the attendees were rewarded with samples of products to take home and try themselves. The brand was able to earn so much brand trust that they have been able to expand into several states and grow their product offerings. In a 2018 interview with Mary’s Medicinals CEO Lynn Honderd, it was noted that Mary’s continues “to hold onto more than 80 percent of the topical s market share in Colorado.” Hondred notes an internal focus on potency and transparency which, paired with their proactive approach to sales knowledge, has helped Mary’s Medicinals average “60 percent year-on-year growth over the past three years”.
Work with your brands and see if you can get your budtender team involved with upcoming trainings or get samples so they can experience the product as well. Dispensaries who advocate for their budtenders to grow have the best budtenders.
Live Samples
In the same vein as Mary’s Medicinals exploring engaging educational efforts, we’ve also seen in-store experiential marketing work as well. Apothecanna, a cannabis-infused topical powerhouse in several states, has experimented with doing impactful in-store pop-ups. In the Nevada market, certain Apothecanna pop-ups would come with a brand ambassador and a live masseuse available to do 5-minute massages using non-THC infused product. The hemp-derived CBD versions of their massage products would be similar enough to the THC-infused products that the brand ambassador could educate guests on the entourage effect and close a sale to a soothed guest. It was a pricey activation on Apothecanna’s end, covering both the salary for the masseuse and their brand manager, but it did move Apothecanna units.
For topical brands without the budget to cover that many specialists, a brand ambassador could also do quick hand massages using hemp-derived CBD products or partnering with local spas to do partnered CBD-infused services. The trick is to be careful about keeping the THC-infused away from sampling situations to prevent accidental THC dosing. Communication and strong relationships with brand ambassadors can lead to creative activations that bring in customers.
Win Sales and Influence People
Due to not being able to use THC-infused products in samples (compliance, go figure), it can be helpful for brands to branch out and activate with influencers. Since topicals are packaged as predominantly bath or self-care products, it can be an easy transition for lifestyle influencers to create content around. While social media platforms can be unkind to cannabis operators, showing topical use typically goes under the radar when it comes to ‘consumption’ content.
Finding localized lifestyle influencers who may vlog their experience picking up their topical products in your dispensary then going on a hike or working out and using a topical to recover is an incredible moment of advocacy. Bonus points if you can share that content to your pages or even hook the influencer up with comfy cannabis swag from your dispensary. Nothing says love like a hoodie.
Topicals are a full drop in the bucket, but they can be a strong contending category soon. Invest some time into showing people how to appropriately integrate topicals into their routine and it will pay off. Stay tuned to the blog for more sales strategy and cannabis industry news.
