What’s the biggest challenge facing the cannabis industry right now, and how are you and/or your company addressing it?
Retail dispensaries need help staying profitable. Acquiring new customers is 5-7X more expensive than retaining existing ones. We help retailers decrease their customer acquisition costs while increasing their client retention rate and sales. We are experts in the Alpine IQ system and know all the gotchas. We audit, create, optimize and manage customer loyalty programs for multiple dispensaries across 13 (and counting) states.
Where do you see the most exciting opportunity for growth and innovation in cannabis?
The entire tech stack in cannabis is like a 1.0 version in any other industry. The technologies used for marketing and communications need to get more sophisticated to match what consumers experience in their every day shopping. They need to incorporate more personalization options, use predictive AI, and just be easier to use.
What’s one piece of advice you would give to someone looking to break into the cannabis industry?
Focus 100% on developing relationships. Networking is a part of any industry but in cannabis it’s even more important. The cannabis culture is built on relationships and that is how the industry continues to operate. Besides, people prefer to work with people they like!a
What is the most important thing you have learned from your experiences in the cannabis industry?
The importance of putting yourself out there and standing in my power as a woman in cannabis.
What do you want your legacy to be as it relates to the cannabis industry?
When someone met me once at an event they said, “Oh yeah, you’re the loyalty lady.” That resonated with me. I’d like to be known for being the customer loyalty expert that helps dispensaries increase sales from repeat customers. And because I’ve worked for large dispensary chains I’ve lived the retailers’ operational challenges, and always take those into consideration when building loyalty programs.
Do you have a comment for Sandra?
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