As Covid continues and CBD marketing remains tough, we examine the different ways companies are reaching out to consumers
CBD advertising and marketing can be exceptionally tricky for brands. As consumer awareness of CBD is growing, the changing landscape of Covid restrictions has increased the demand for contact-free sale solutions.
So how do you reach new consumers if social media isn’t on your side and mailouts may bounce into spam folders?
Brands have been embracing new, creative ideas for consumer shopping experiences. This has included entering digital spaces, making shopping into a game and delivering CBD via food apps.
Here are some of the ideas shaking up the high street for 2022
Deliveroo and Love Hemp
The CBD industry and delivery services have experienced a massive boom since the start of the pandemic in 2020. CBD sales rose while Deliveroo reported transaction volumes had increased on its app to £1.7bn in the second quarter of 2021.
It’s not the first time Deliveroo has sold products outside of food such as alcohol, vaping products and tobacco that are already available through the app. Although it is still advertised as a predominately food based service. This is the first time the app will sell CBD products.
The trial will only be available in the Croydon area of South London but if it proves successful then it may be extended across the UK. Love Hemp’s production facility is located there so products will be available within a six-kilometre radius.
Tony Calamita, the chief executive officer of Love Hemp Group said: “Not only does Deliveroo provide us with greater visibility with consumers, but it also provides us with a new dimension to our consumer access – on-demand delivery.”
“Deliveroo has over seven million pre-registered consumers across the UK who are increasingly looking to the app to fulfil their day-to-day needs, of which high-quality CBD products are now one. Our ambition is to launch nationwide and utilise Deliveroo as a major distribution channel for Love Hemp.”
Cannabis deliveries in the metaverse
The creation of NFTs (Non-fungible tokens) and the popularity of cryptocurrency have led to an interest in alternative worlds or metaverse experiences. Metaverse refers to a network of 3D virtual worlds that are focused on social connection. Brands have been slowly adapting to the idea of entering virtual worlds as a way to reach customers through gaming. Facebook has also announced plans to release its own metaverse this year.
US company Higher Life has launched a real-life CBD dispensary in the metaverse that offers a gamified shopping experience. Customers can guide a 3D model around the virtual shop, ask for information and explore. In the end, the experience culminates in a real CBD product being sent to your home.
The metaverse dispensary was launched on cryptovoxels which is powered by the Ethereum blockchain. Players can buy land and build stores and art galleries in the space.
US cannabis start-up, Kandy Girl has also opted to join a virtual world to sell their Delta-9 edibles. It had been in negotiations to advertise on over 100 locations in NFTPlazas but this did not go ahead. However, the brand opted to join Decentra Metaverse instead. The company plans to build a full dispensary as well as an art gallery where they can sell NFTs.
Cannabis airport sales
The rules and regulations around flying with CBD or medical cannabis can be really tricky. It often depends on the law of the country you are flying from, to or stopping over in. While this isn’t set to change any time soon, for those travelling through Canada, it could be slightly easier to purchase CBD.
Prince George’s airport reported that they have received an application for a business license from cannabis company Copilot. If this is approved then it would be the first cannabis shop based in an airport. Although, it may be a while before we see dispensaries in airports across the globe.
Copilot is a project aimed at making travel a less stressful experience by reducing anxiety or fear of flying.
The Prince George’s Airport (PGAA) authorities reported that they have received a business license application from the company Copilot to open a store later this year. If completed, it would be the first cannabis retail shop at an airport in the world.
PGAA CEO Gordon Duke said: “We are very pleased to welcome Copilot if they receive a business license and provincial approval. City Council is expected to give their business license application the first reading on January 10. Copilot has satisfied regulatory requirements from both Transport Canada and the Province of BC in advance of their meeting with the Council.
CBD vending machines
Covid has accelerated the need for contact-less sales for brands. However, when it comes to buying CBD, customers still need a lot of education or information around what they are purchasing.
A vending machine may not seem like the best place to go for canna-education or products but they have been growing in popularity. A number of brands have installed vending machines for CBD in shopping centres or stores towards the end of 2021.
Cannaboxx is just one example of how brands have been encouraged to embrace alternative ways of reaching new consumers. The boxes can be placed in many different locations but the brand highlights that it can be another option for stores with a lot of footfall.
Owner Andre Addison refers to the kiosks as a “dispensary in a box.”
CBD on a mountain
CBD company, Charlotte’s Web went one step further by placing a CBD vending machine on the top of a mountain in Utah. It dispenses the companies balms for athletes who may be hiking with sore muscles. It sits on top of a sandstone slab that rises 400 feet above Moab, Utah.
