As Cannabis becomes legal in the United States, its sales and revenue are increasing exponentially countrywide. With dispensaries open on almost every street and marijuana now openly available online, people from all backgrounds, cultures, professions, and age groups are buying cannabis and becoming regular consumers of the herb. Hence, it has become really important for dispensary owners to understand their customer base to serve them well.

However, the consumer base of the cannabis industry is quite diverse, which makes it difficult for dispensary owners to understand their customers and know them closely. This becomes even tougher if you are a newly opened dispensary or online cannabis brand. Nonetheless, getting to know your customers as a dispensary is very important because this can help you in branding and promoting your businesses. 

Therefore, today we decided to help you know your customer as a dispensary. There are many different types of customers that approach a dispensary, and every customer is attracted to different things or has a different reach. Let's get to the 6 most common types of customers you can encounter at a dispensary. 

Types of Customers at a Dispensary

• Customers who are Deal Seekers 

There is a large group of cannabis customers that are deal seekers. They are less likely to become loyal to one brand or dispensary because these customers are attracted to discounts. They need an incentive to attract them to your dispensary. and the incentive also needs to be monetary and tangible.

You can develop a discount campaign such as offers for first-time visitors or customers coming to your dispensary. to attract such customers. You can also offer them other products and tools to purchase from you.purchase cannabis from you. Otherwise, you can put up a minimum order deal after you can give them a discount. These offers are enough to attract deal seeking customers – who can bring foot traffic to your dispensary. 

• Customers who are New Shoppers

Since the cannabis industry is fairly new, you're likely to meet a lot of new shoppers who are probably first-time buyers of marijuana. These customers are not experienced and are looking for advice and expertise along with the product. And chances are their visit to your dispensary is probably their first visit to a dispensary at all. 

These customers can become loyal and regular customers easily. Hence, the best way to charm them would be by showcasing your knowledge and understanding of the product. Provide them with detailed descriptions of the products, have an inviting atmosphere, and make you make them feel comfortable. You need to leave a lasting first impression to ensure they only come to your dispensary only from the next time onward. 

• Experimental customers

A significant proportion of cannabis buyers are experimenters who are seeking something new and fun. They are looking for a new atmosphere and better expertise to help them buy something they haven’t tried before, something out of the box. Attracting these customers is not as simple as offering them a good deal. 

To make these customers loyal to your dispensary, you need to offer them an overall good experience at your shop dispensary. You can offer them a well-curated cannabis product mix while also offering insight into various products. This can include well-described product descriptions and more about your brand and its history. Such customers are attracted to the vibe of the place and the story behind the brand more than the product itself. 

• Customers who are Tourists 

Tourists are a large customer base for cannabis dispensaries because a lot of people visiting the US enjoy the legal and easy availability of marijuana. Hence, you need to offer a welcoming air and knowledgeable staff to attract these customers. Understanding that many tourists coming to your dispensary are people from places where cannabis is still not legal, this could be their first time buying the product.

You need to attract these customers by using various techniques; the first one, of course, should be providing them with a good understanding of the product which they probably don’t have. Other than that you can offer them discounts and promotions which are great for attracting short-term customers. 

• Customers who are Locals 

This is the type of customer base which has the potential to become your most loyal customer base. These people live, work, and commute near your dispensary and are likely to buy from you based on their geographic proximity. This is an advantage that you already have already; now, all you need to do is understand their buying behavior and get to know them closely. 

Offer neighborhood discounts and happy hours so these people can become your regulars. You need to appeal to these customers to make sure they become loyal to you; hence, welcome them warmly and offer them good service. Try to build a relationship with this customer base because they are most likely to become loyal to you. 

• Customers who are Passerbys

As a cannabis dispensary, you are also likely to come across pedestrians and passersby who could probably just be visiting your dispensary out of curiosity. These people are also called window shoppers because they visit stores window to window – without any intention to buy anything. 

However, it is important to appeal to such people as well because: a) they can be attracted enough to make an impulse purchase – it depends on how well you managed to impress them. b) they tend to remember where they visited and what they liked. If you manage to make good first impressions, they will likely come back and buy from you. So don’t let this opportunity go to waste. These customers are already increasing foot traffic to your dispensary; now you only need to convert them to buyers. 

Getting to Know your Customers as a Cannabis Dispensary 

The cannabis market is full of customers from diverse backgrounds – since marijuana got legal, people from all walks of life are engaging in the product. At the same time, this is good news for cannabis sellers who can now openly set up their business and open a dispensary. It also means more competition from them and that they need to put in more effort to stay afloat in the market. Hence, it's important to get to know your customers and their purchase behavior to be able to service them well!