April can be the busiest time of the year for weed stores and headshops all due to 420. As a store owner, you need to take advantage of the most popular stoner holiday of the year. If you don’t know what 420 is, well, you’ll have to become very aware of it to maximize your profits and brand image. 420 started way back in 1971. Five students at San Rafael High School would meet at 4:20pm by the campus statue to smoke weed together. These five students would also say “420” to each other as code for marijuana. Since then, a legendary day was born. April 20th (420) of every year is one of the only days where you might see large groups of stoners smoking weed out in public without any ramifications from local authority. It’s also the only day where all stoners unite and smoke as a celebration. So, how do you capitalize on this sacred day?
Sales Sales Sales
Every weed store and headshop will be having sales on 420 and leading up to 420 as well. If you aren’t having any sales, then you can pretty much forget about any customers walking through those doors. Whether it’s a clearance sale, a sale on brand new items, or even just a raffle for free product, you will need to draw incentive for your customers to shop with you. We have seen that stores who are starting their sales around the beginning of April have the most success. Now, you’re probably wondering, if every store is having sales how do I stand out from the rest?
Theme Your Sales
A general sale is always good for customers and never fails, but we want to stand out from the rest of the smoke shops. Picking a line or category of products can be very beneficial. For example, having all your glass cleaners at a lower sale price than your competitors will draw attention to your store for customers in the market for cleaner. You don’t even need to necessarily have other products on sale as long as you are known as the cheapest and best spot for cleaners. Take that category or line of products and market that heavily as your sale for 420. 420 commands the same visual image of St. Patrick’s Day and Valentine’s Day. Use this to your advantage. We’ve seen stores go all in on hand pipes, cleaner, silicone products, etc.
Host a Giveaway
A great way to get customers through the door is to have an in-store raffle. Everyone loves free things, and if it's from one of their favourite shops it makes it even better. An in-store raffle works in a different way than a social media giveaway. The face-to-face interaction is more personal and has a higher chance of repeat business. Pairing an in-store raffle with social media entries and posts will give you the best of both worlds.
Market Your Sales
Remember when we said that we saw the most success from stores who started their 420 sales early? Well, we meant it. Start planning in the beginning-to-mid March. You’ll want to think about what’s going on sale, how you’ll get customers, and what you can do to generate business. Social media presence is key. Advertising your sales or 420 friendly memes and posts will put customers eyes on you.
Again, 420 is a highly contested time in the cannabis world because everyone is going to want a piece of the pie. If you dial in with a plan, you will be fine. Focus on your strengths and don’t spread yourselves too thin.