How to Create Dispensary Deals that Drive Sales

As more and more states move to legalize cannabis consumption in some form or capacity, more people are realizing the illustrious benefits of cannabis use.  This means more customers in more dispensaries across the United States. As competition becomes more widespread, Blaze POS is providing software solutions to help cannabis retailers create more dispensary deals that will offer greater value for customers.

Dispensary deals are a great way for retailers to penetrate a market, gain new customers, and build long-term loyalty through rewards, promotions, and coupons.

With 420 approaching just as states are easing lockdown restrictions, take advantage of this moment to gain customers through promotional discounts.

Luckily, Blaze makes creating dispensary deals seamless. Blaze allows dispensaries to give customers more bud for their buck by offering more options, deals, and promotions.

In this article, we will cover:

  1. What is Promotions Version 2
  2. How to Use Promotions Version 2
  3. How to Create Dispensary Deals that Drive Sales

Budtender helps customer with dispensary deal Photo courtesy of Getty Images[/caption]

What is Promotions Version 2

Promotions Version 2 is the brand-new update for Blaze’s dispensary POS system that offers more expansive promotional opportunities for customers. Promotions Version 2 is a great tool for your dispensaries to greatly improve the customer experience by creating more ways to save.

Much like Version 1, Version 2 still allows you to add promotion types for in-cart items and delivery fees, with an added focus on product promotions.

The key difference from Version 1 is the brand new Target Rule feature, adding more options for product promotions. Allow us to explain.

By Brand

Creating dispensary deals by brand lets you choose specifically which type of brands to offer discounts on. This is not limited by product category, meaning you can offer discounts from flower, concentrate, or edible brands.

This opens up a myriad of opportunities for your dispensaries to offer partnership promotions. It also grants you the ability to easily manage inventory through product incentivization.

Target Rules

Adding versatility to your dispensary deals and promotions will allow you to create a personalized experience for customers.

When creating a target promotion via Version 2, you’ll have the option to choose “any” from matching criteria – meaning all items in your cart that match the target rule will qualify for the discount. Choose “one” from matching criteria to limit the discount to a single item.

Final Price

Version 1 was limited to selecting discount types by cash or percentage. Now, through Version 2, you have the option to select a discount type by the final price. This enables you to offer wide-ranging promotions to shave a little extra cash off the final price for your customers.  You can also create value-driven promotions such as BOGO, 2-for-1s, bundles, and more!

How To Use Promotions Version 2

To create promotions, dispensary staff will need to log into the browser version of Blaze and follow the instructions below.

  1. In the left-hand tab, go to ‘Loyalty Marketing’ and click ‘Promotions’ then ‘Add Promotions’.
  2. Select Promotions Version 2 and select ‘Product’ as the Promotion Type as most of Version 2’s updates are product-focused. Click ‘Save’.
  3. Hit ‘Edit Promotion’ and add your promo codes that will trigger the promotion. Remember to add variations to the promo codes you choose (promo, PROMO) to avoid any issues at checkout.
  4. Scroll down to ‘Promotion Rules.’ If you are creating a Product promotion, you’ll see a field for ‘Target’ rules. The target rule is the desired outcome for the promotion. This new feature allows you to set discount types and amounts by brand, vendor, product, product types, etc.
  5. Next, choose a ‘Discount Type (cash, percentage, and final price)’ and choose a specified ‘Discount Amount.’
  6. Select your ‘Matching Criteria.’ Just as the ‘Target’ rules are your destination, the ‘Matching Criteria’ is your roadmap. When your criteria match the target, the promotion will be applied at checkout.
  7. Now that your new promotion has been created, click back to ‘Dispatch’ to begin using your new promotion. Once there are items in the customer’s cart that match the criteria of the target promotion, click ‘Apply Promotion.’
  8. A screen will pop up asking you to specify which promotions to apply. Simply search for the promotion or type in the custom promotion codes in the respective fields.
  9. Click ‘Apply’ and double-check that your promotion is in effect. You will see a red line through the old amount, the new amount, and the discount amount.
Budtender helps customer with dispensary deal
Photo courtesy of Cassara Guru via Getty Images

Create Dispensary Deals that Drive Sales and Build Customer Loyalty

 

Congratulations, you just created a new promotion! Now, take your dispensary deals to an entirely new level by creating more promotions that Version 2 has to offer.

Promotions Version 2 creates a more user-friendly experience for employees, which in turn increases value for the customer.

Discounts are vital to every dispensary as it allows you to do two things: attract customers and boosts sales.

  • Attracting customers: Use Promotions Version 2 to draw in new customers while enticing existing customers to stop by. Attractive dispensary deals not only put more people in your building but could vastly increase online traffic and sales through word-of-mouth, publicity, and recurring customers.
  • Sales boost: Logically, more people in your dispensary means more sales. But how many times have you gone shopping for a discount and left the store with other items as well? Discounts pay for themselves by bringing people in (or online) and offering them an experience. By creating discounts, the customers you attract will take notice of other items your dispensary offers, giving them the full customer experience for less than the full price.

Now that you know how discounts can give your dispensary a boost, try using Promotions Version 2 to create bundles, BOGOs, and loyalty programs to create the ultimate customer experience.

Bundles 

Bundling your items is one of the most effective marketing promotions for plenty of reasons. The main one is it allows customers to justify a bigger purchase for its perceived value. When bundling 3 or 4 items for a single price, customers will bypass the risks associated with buying each item individually. Additionally, using bundles to promote new items in your dispensary will allow the customer to try out the item while decreasing risks associated with its unfamiliarity.

To add a bundle through Promotions Version 2:

  1. Select the desired Target Rule. Let’s say you want to sell 3 pre-rolls for $25 when each pre-roll costs $10 each. Your Target Rule should then be “By Product.”
  2. Click on ‘Discount Type’ and select ‘Final Price.’
  3. Set the ‘Discount Amount’ at $25.
  4. In the ‘Matching Criteria’ field click “By Product Category” and select pre-rolls or the corresponding brand.

Now, when your budtender rings up the 3 pre-rolls that would typically cost $30, you will see a new bundled price of $25.

BOGO Dispensary Deals

Buy One Get One Free/Percentage Off is one of the most effective promotions for retailers because of the immediate value customers are offered. It also helps retailers dump some less-than-desirable inventory and increase cash flow for items that wouldn’t otherwise sell (especially when executing a Buy One Get One Percentage Off promo).

Let’s assume you want to create a BOGO deal for edible items. To create that discount in Version 2:

  1. Click ‘Target Rule’ and choose ‘By Product Category’ or ‘By Brand’ if you know which specific edibles you have in mind.
  2. Click ‘Discount Type’ and select ‘Final Price’ if your promotion is Buy One Get One Free or ‘Percentage’ if it’s Buy One Get One Percentage Off.
  3. Enter your desired ‘Discount Amount,’ either a value or a percentage.
  4. In ‘Matching Criteria,’ choose which products will qualify for the target promotion and choose the ‘Minimum Amount (typically 2).’

Customer Loyalty and Rewards

Customer loyalty and rewards programs help dispensaries entice new customers to frequent their dispensary while stroking the ego of their current base. These simple and effective promotions create a sense of welcome for new customers and exclusivity for long-time customers.

To keep customers coming back:

  1. Choose your desired ‘Target’ rule depending on the promotion
  2. In ‘Matching Criteria,’ select 1 of 3 rewards options:
    • Cart Order Minimum – Customers must spend a certain amount to qualify for the target promotion.
    • First Time Member – if this is a customer’s first time at your dispensary, choose this option for a warm welcome discount.
    • Number Minimum Order – this option is like a punch card, meaning you can choose how many orders a customer must make to qualify for the target promotion.

Rewarding your customers through exclusive deals and promotions is a sure-fire way of making sure they make a return visit to your dispensary. To learn more about how Blaze can create the best customer value and drive sales for your dispensary, click here.

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