No shade to 7/11 (oil day), but the 420 cannabis holiday is decidedly the most well-known cannabis holiday. Each year on April 20 friends and family gather in the comfort of their homes or at rallies and events to celebrate and consume their favorite cannabis products.

But, How Did the 4/20 Cannabis Holiday Come About?

A commonly believed theory is the beloved 420 cannabis holiday originated from a group of Californian high school students in the 1970s. Supposedly, this group of teens would regularly meet to smoke cannabis every day at 4:20 PM sharp.

Another theory says 420 was the secret California police code for illegal cannabis activity.

A third theory suggests the holiday came about because there are 420 active chemicals in the cannabis plant. However, this one has been disproved as there are nearly 500 cannabis compounds.

There are countless theories out there, but whatever the true origins are, 420 has grown into a massively celebrated holiday for cannabis lovers around the nation.

According to mg Magazine, 420 was the highest day of cannabis sales in 2022. Dispensaries saw an average increase of 8% in revenue from 2021, and the average cannabis dispensary experienced 148% higher sales than the previous four Wednesdays leading up to the big day.

This year will be no different as 2023 is expected to be the biggest 420 holiday in cannabis history.

Preparing Your Dispensary for 420

420 is already a historically busy time for cannabis dispensaries, and if the predictions are right, this year will be the biggest and busiest yet. Below we share strategies and tips to help dispensaries maximize revenue before and during this year’s celebrations.

First, don’t just prepare for the big day. You also need to prepare for the days leading up to 420. While we typically see very high dispensary sales numbers on the day of 420, many of your shoppers will be prepping and buying ahead of time for their celebrations. Start purchasing inventory early and keep a close eye on your stock levels to know when to re-order.

420 sales spikes are expected to start April 14 and continue through the following weekend. Creating a free Leaf Trade account to place your cannabis orders leading up to 420 helps you stay ahead of the demand curve and easily refill products as needed. Using Leaf Trade’s built-in reporting tools you can quickly identify which products are your best or lowest sellers to build your 420 procurement strategy.

In 2022, the top-selling product was cannabis-infused beverages growing by 184% according to Headset data. Cannabis-infused beverages were closely followed by pre-rolls, concentrates, and edibles. Looking at the historical cannabis industry sales trends of 2022 can be a great way to determine which products you may want to stock up on ahead of 420 and which you should deprioritize.

71% of all 420 transactions in 2022 were discounted and 35% of store revenue was made up of discounts. Outshine your local competition, with a local promotional plan on 4/20. It’s important to be cautious about how you approach promotions. Consider creating targeted promotions around high-margin items and bundling related products.

Ahead of 4/20 keep a close eye on your inventory levels. This could be a good time to heavily discount a product that hasn’t been selling well to drive customers into the store and move additional product.

Stock up for 420 by curating a variety of brands and products to meet all of your customer’s needs. Leaf Trade provides a space for legal dispensaries to find compliant cultivators in their market and make new connections. This enables you to build new relationships with wholesalers and stock your store with new brands and products. Having a variety of brands and products stocked in your store ahead of 420 is essential to maximize revenue.

Make this 420 Cannabis Holiday Your Best Cannabis Sales Day Yet

The best way to ensure a successful 420 cannabis holiday for your dispensary is to start planning early. Determine your goals ahead of the big day and review historical sales data so you can build a solid strategy.

Having enough product for the 420 sales rush both leading up to and on the day of 420 is vital to your success. Creating a free Leaf Trade account makes it easier and faster to order cannabis products to stock your dispensary — allowing you to be more agile than competitors and quickly restock products as needed.

Equipped with the above tips and a solid strategy, you’ll be ready to make this 420 your best sales day yet.

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