A ground-breaking study on edible and infused cannabis reveals the key drivers in customer purchase decisions for this fast-growing category, with product form – such as gummies, brownies, chocolates or cookies – and the need for high-touch service from dispensary associates as critical to their final decision.
The study, published by cannabis customer experts High Yield Insights, reports that 41 percent of respondents increased edible consumption after cannabis legalization, and it finds parallels between the edibles customer journey and that of shoppers in food and beverage generally: after deciding on a particular form, customers look to flavor and price to determine their purchase. Two-thirds (67%) of edible customers report basing purchase decisions on flavor and price point, in contrast to other cannabis categories in which price plays an overwhelmingly important role.
The unique nature of the edibles customer explains some of what makes the category different: those consumers who prefer edibles are more likely to be lighter users (using one time or less per month), newer to using (less than 5 years), female, college-educated and high-income earners. Further, while many users may have first encountered edibles during recreational usage occasions, today’s edible consumer is just as likely to self-identify as a medical user, underscoring the universal appeal for this cannabis form.
“To anticipate the cannabis market’s direction, companies need to understand the customer’s mindset and purchase journey. We’re finding many customers are receptive yet ill-informed or hesitant due to unsatisfactory first experiences,” said Mike Luce, cofounder of High Yield Insights. “Customer journeys may be well worn paths in traditional consumer packaged goods but are relatively new in cannabis. By understanding how consumers make decisions, manufacturers are better able to identify ways to improve the purchase experience and, ideally, enhance their product lines.”
The Consumers & Edibles report delivers intelligence on consumer and product trends based on exclusive data gathered from edibles consumers. By limiting results only to current users in legal states, the findings best represent the mindset of today’s edibles consumer. In addition to preferences on products, flavors, and forms, High Yield Insights uncovered valuable insights on the unique demographics of the edibles consumer, enabling companies to target specific customer segments such as light users who are more likely to be older (65+), female, and college educated.
High Yield Insights will explore additional cannabis product categories in upcoming reports on Vaping & Smoking and Topicals to be published later in 2018.