From Discounts to Destiny: Why Cannabis Must Embrace Customer Centricity

The cannabis industry is at a crossroads. Across the country, dispensaries and operators are trapped in an unsustainable cycle: deeper discounts, daily deals, and endless promotions just to keep the doors open. Prices drop, margins shrink, and brands blur together. The race to the bottom is accelerating, and no one truly wins.

But there is another path.

The Commoditization Trap

Legalization has done incredible things for cannabis: brought the plant out of the shadows, expanded access, and created new opportunities for entrepreneurs. Yet it has also commoditized the plant. Cannabis, once magical and meaningful, is now too often reduced to ounces, percentages, and price tags.

When products become interchangeable, price becomes the only lever. That’s why operators slash margins with BOGO deals and daily text blasts. But the hard truth is: you can’t out-discount your competition forever.

Rediscovering the Magic of Cannabis

At its heart, cannabis is not a commodity. It’s a plant that brings people together, eases stress and pain, sparks creativity, and elevates the mind. Consumers don’t choose cannabis because it’s cheap; they choose it because it makes life richer.

Great cannabis marketing should reflect that. The magic of cannabis lies in the experiences it creates and the connections it fosters. Businesses that reconnect with this magic can rise above commoditization.

The Shift to Customer Centricity

So how do we get there? The answer is customer centricity.

Instead of chasing transactions, cannabis businesses must focus on relationships. Instead of measuring today’s discounts, they must measure tomorrow’s loyalty. This is the essence of Customer Lifetime Value (CLV); the idea that the customers you keep, nurture, and inspire will drive more growth than the customers you briefly “buy” with discounts.

Customer-centric businesses:

• Know their audience. They segment and personalize based on needs, not just price sensitivity.

• Design journeys, not coupons. They craft experiences that delight from first visit to long-term loyalty.

• Measure what matters. They look beyond revenue per day to lifetime value per customer.

This is how industries like hospitality, retail, and tech grew smarter. Now it’s time for cannabis to do the same.

A Rallying Cry for Smarter Growth

The cannabis industry doesn’t need more discounts. It needs more loyalty. It doesn’t need another daily deal. It needs deeper relationships.

It’s time to grow smarter.

By embracing customer centricity, cannabis operators can protect their margins, differentiate their brands, and, most importantly, reconnect with the true spirit of the plant.

At Canna CRM, we believe the future of cannabis is not transactional. It’s transformational. And it starts with putting the customer, not the discount, at the center.

Are you ready to break free from the discount trap and embrace customer-centric growth? Let’s start the conversation. Contact us today.