Photo: Paul Vu / Empire
In a rapidly evolving market, a dispensary’s aesthetic and operating culture do more than showcase products. They also can captivate customers and drive repeat business. Even small details can set apart retailers who thrive from those who just survive.
As in every other brick-and-mortar sector that deals directly with consumers, shops that sell cannabis and accessories ride trends that ebb and flow with larger societal movements. Features that were must-haves as recently as last year fall out of favor while new designs and processes emerge. A few endure, becoming permanent fixtures in the retail landscape; others evolve into shinier, newer versions of the original, and still others disappear. Staying in sync with the hot-or-not rollercoaster can be challenging.
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That’s why many leading consultants recommend incorporating flexibility into at least some aspects of store designs. Movable fixtures allow operators to redefine floor plans and take better advantage of traffic flow or redirect the flow to higher-value merchandise. Semi-permanent installations allow operators to add seasonal or special-event interest.
Other trends we’ve noticed lately include multisensory engagement, new uses for technology, and an increasing emphasis on “time-of-day merchandising.” We asked a few leading consultants to bring the
