What St. Patrick’s Day Cannabis Sales Can Teach Us About 4/20

As April gets closer, dispensaries and brands are most likely already thinking about the true Black Friday of the cannabis world: 4/20. April 20 is undeniably the biggest sales day of the year for cannabis businesses and we see that reflected in our own data at Surfside. It's critical to start thinking about how to build the funnel for cannabis consumers early. And, as you do that, don't forget that there are other sales opportunities before 4/20 - like St. Patrick's Day. 

When we talked about the Season of Cannabis and Chill, we focused on three primary cannabis sales opportunities: Valentine's Day, Super Bowl, and St. Patrick's Day. By analyzing millions of ecommerce transactions from February and March last year, we were able to project and predict what may happen this year. 

We learned that, just like April 20, cannabis consumers buy cannabis on St. Patrick's Day itself. And, just like 4/20, that means St. Patrick's Day is a real-time holiday when consumers are buying - and likely consuming - in the same day. That's opposed to Valentine's Day and the Super Bowl, where we see consumers buying ahead of time. 

Here are three key St. Patrick's Day cannabis trends that dispensaries and brands need to know: 

1. St. Patrick's Day is the Biggest Cannabis Sales Day of Q1.

From January to March, St. Patrick's Day sees the highest numbers in cannabis sales. On March 17 last year, we found that cannabis sales were: 

- +70% higher than average February daily sales

- +54% higher than average March daily sales

- +27% higher than Super Bowl Weekend

- +23% higher than Valentine's Day Weekend
 

2. Real-Time Sales = Real-Time Consumption. 

Even though St. Patrick's Day fell on a Wednesday last year, consumers placed ecommerce orders and bought cannabis at dispensaries on that day. Most likely, that signals a decision to purchase cannabis to celebrate the holiday on the holiday itself. We see similar trends during 4/20. 

Some real-time consumption buyers are likely going to be likely or occasional cannabis consumers. In that case, dispensaries and brands can focus ad campaigns on reaching that audience and promoting a new product category with that crowd in mind. If your business is in a city, you might see a boost from tourists who are visiting from out of town. Think about your primary location and audience, and how you can segment your messaging and product offers based on what audiences will be doing during St. Patrick's Day and the weekend ahead. 

3. Big Sales Days Mean Opportunities to Build Your Audience. 

If cannabis consumers buy for the first time at your business during St. Patrick's Day, make sure you have a way to get in touch with them again. Retargeting campaigns can be a great way to do that. By understanding which consumers are most likely to buy during a holiday, you can segment them as a “holiday buyer” group to make sure you can send the right message as the holidays approach. 

Novelty buyers are likely going to experiment with different brands and product formats, too, which offers a way for cannabis brands to work with dispensaries ahead of time to create the right campaign for consumers who are most open to trying new things. 

The Cannabis Advertising Funnel 

If you decide to wait until the week before 4/20 to advertise to cannabis consumers, you might be too late to get in front of your competition. Our data, which we'll be revealing next week in an exclusive report, indicates that a lot of consumers start to stock up ahead of time and then go back for the day itself.

St. Patrick's Day is a great opportunity for dispensaries and brands to connect with real-time cannabis buyers who are likely to buy and consume on the same day, as well as a broader audience who might not regularly visit dispensaries. By starting to target them with personalized ads now, you can be sure they'll be thinking of you next month during the biggest cannabis sales day of the year.