Marijuana Business Magazine April 2019

Marijuana Business Magazine | April 2019 70 Use glass countertops or glass display cases to showcase products, suggested Matt at California’s Caliva. “Many dispensaries have limited space and a vast array of products,” he noted. Visual displays under class counter- tops or in glass display cases make it easy for customers to see all the products you offer and ask questions about them, Matt and Brodchandel agreed. Do design an Instagram- worthy space. Vibrant art installations or behind-the-scenes peeks at your oper- ations engage consumers and prompt them to share images of your retail space on social media. Las Vegas’ Planet 13, for example, has 15-foot, acrylic and metal lotus flowers and an 18-foot-diameter, globe-shaped fountain—both lighted by LEDs—that have become popular photo opportunities for guests. “The best marketing you can have is word of mouth—and, in this day and age, that means people posting their visit on Instagram,” Groesbeck said. Denver-based Seed & Smith, a verti- cally integrated cannabis business, leads 40-minute “seed-to-sale” tours through its cultivation and processing facilities. The walk-throughs end in Seed & Smith’s dispensary, because “every good tour ends in the gift shop,” said Brooks Lustig, the company’s chief operating officer. Throughout the tour, customers are encouraged to share photos of Seed & Smith’s marijuana plants and extraction laboratory on social media, Lustig noted, but they’re asked not to post long videos. The tours—and the near-harvest plants Seed & Smith keeps in protected displays in the dispensary—have been a hit with customers who are eager to share images on social media, he said. DON’TS Don’t overlook practical design elements. Dispensary owners tend to un- derestimate the amount of storage space they need, said Seed & Smith's Lustig. Functional design elements—a full janitor’s closet and added storage for packaging materials and excess inventory, for example—get overlooked, but they’re critical to running efficiently, he said. Do’s Don’ts Visual product displays engage consumers. Courtesy Photo Seed & Smith keeps near-harvest cannabis plants in protected displays at its Denver dispensary. The plants have been a hit with customers who are eager to share images on social media. Courtesy Photo