As the number of licensed retail cannabis stores across Canada continues to increase, it is important to build a strong customer base. Your interactions with customers matter now more than ever. All it takes is one bad experience for a customer to take their business to another shop down the road. Building customer loyalty requires strategic planning and creative solutions. We have highlighted a few of our top tips to thrive as a retail cannabis shop this year:
Aim for great customer service and take in all feedback
Good customer service involves staff that are well-educated, patient, positive and make their customers feel comfortable. Budtenders and managers need to listen, learn, and implement the feedback given by customers.
Consider developing a system to keep track of your customers by creating an account with their information. This will allow for a more personal experience where you can follow up with customized product recommendations or consumption guidelines. If you do choose to store customer information, make sure your system is secure and consider adding a cyber insurance policy to your insurance program.
Emphasize safety measures
Store cleanliness and safety standards are expected by customers. Some ways to ensure your customers have a pleasant shopping experience:
- Have hand sanitizing stations in your shop
- Have signs about mandatory mask protocols posted outside your shop
- Make sure staff are properly wearing masks at all times
- Limit capacity and make sure there is plenty of space to move around
Put focus on your digital presence
Customers should be able to easily find all the information they could want to know about your store with a simple Google search. Increase your online visibility by registering your cannabis shop in online listings and directories such as Bing Places for Business and Google My Business.
- Social media: Use social media to build your brand and relationships with your customers. It can be a great way to let your customers know when items are back in stock or when you are having a sale. Social media provides additional accessibility for current customers and can help attract new customers as well.
Pre-order functionality
Customers like having accessible options when purchasing cannabis products. Consider using your website or an app to allow customers to pre-order their products so that they can be quickly and easily picked up in store.
Reward/loyalty program
There are many different ways to incorporate a reward program, whether you give out points based on number of visits, price point, referrals or a combination of them all. A loyalty program gives your customers another reason to want to come back. This program could also include advanced notification of new products, price drops and daily specials. Make sure to check that your reward program or email list is compliant with provincial regulations.
We hope you find success in implementing some of these tips into your retail cannabis store. Fuse Insurance is here to help with any insurance or risk management questions you may have about your cannabis insurance program. Don’t hesitate to reach out to by calling 1-866-387-FUSE (3873). To get an insurance quote for your cannabis business, fill out our online application form here.
