12 Days of Holiday Marketing Ideas for Cannabis Brands

The Cannabis Holiday Sales Boom No One’s Talking About— Your Real Money Is Already Made Before the Holiday Even Begins!

Cannabis dispensaries and brands see significant sales increases leading up to major holidays, particularly during the week before, with peak days often just before the holiday itself. For example, on “Green Wednesday,” the day before Thanksgiving, dispensaries experienced a 30% sales boost compared to typical Wednesdays, while Thanksgiving Day saw a drop due to limited hours or closures (Yahoo Finance). This pre-holiday surge in demand aligns with consumer behavior trends, showing preferences for edibles, beverages, and giftable items during festive periods (Headset). Following the holiday, sales generally taper off, reflecting a tendency among consumers to stock up early. By understanding these patterns, dispensaries can optimize inventory, promotions, and staffing to capitalize on these high-traffic pre-holiday days (Retail TouchPoints).

In the Spirit of the Holidays… 12 Days of Cannabis Holiday Marketing Ideas. 

The Dispensary Guide for A Holiday Season Filled with The Best Kinds of Green for the Cannabis Holiday 2024. 

The Christmas season is an opportune time for cannabis dispensaries to connect with customers in unique, festive ways. Unlike other holidays, the Christmas period spans multiple weeks, offering several high-traffic days for retail, from “Green Wednesday” before Thanksgiving all the way through to New Year’s. Customers are more inclined to buy gifts, indulge in treats, and celebrate, making it a season where cannabis products—especially giftable items like edibles, topicals, and beverages—are in high demand. By creating a special marketing plan for Christmas, dispensaries can capitalize on these behaviors, increase brand loyalty, and boost sales by aligning with the season’s spirit.

On the First Day of Christmas, MediaJel Gave to Me: A Holiday Cannabis Marketing Strategy

During the holiday season, consumer behavior shifts significantly, making it essential for dispensaries to adapt their marketing strategies. According to Leafly (2022), cannabis sales spike during the holidays, with consumers seeking premium products, gifts, and indulgences. Unlike everyday marketing, which focuses on awareness, loyalty, and brand highlights,  holiday marketing should emphasize engagement and festive offers like gift sets, limited-time discounts, and holiday-themed products. 

By understanding the increased demand for gifts and the urgency of last-minute purchases, dispensaries and brands should set clear marketing goals to align their strategies to capture the short-term sales boosts that holiday shopping behavior brings.

On the Second Day of Christmas, MediaJel Gave to Me: A Holiday Cannabis Campaign and Discount Plan 

Audience data is crucial in selecting the right promotions for your brand or dispensary during the holiday season. By analyzing customer purchasing behavior, demographics, and preferences, cannabis businesses can tailor their offers better to match the desires and expectations of their shoppers. 

And it can help you keep an eye on your profitability. Instead of offering the deepest discount, create value by understanding what your customer will want to buy. For example, if data shows that your customers typically purchase premium products or gift sets, offering bundles on these items can drive higher engagement. A study by Nielsen found that 63% of consumers are more likely to purchase from brands that offer personalized promotions based on past shopping behavior. So look at your data, segment your audiences, and get creative with your product positioning and ad messaging. 

Here are some of our best holiday marketing campaigns for cannabis brands and dispensaries​:
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Day 1 - "A Topical to Stay Pain-Free"

• Product Focus: Topicals
• Deal: 3 different brands of soothing topicals
• Message: “Give the gift of relief and relaxation”

Day 2 - "Two Tasty Beverages"

• Product Focus: Beverages
• Deal: Buy 1, get 1 half off
• “Raise a glass —shareable and delicious!”

Day 3 - "Three Delightful Edibles"

• Product Focus: Edibles
• Deal: 3-for-2 deal on select edibles
• “Sweet treats for you and loved ones”

Day 4 - "Four Pre-Roll Packs"

• Product Focus: Pre-rolls
• Deal: 20% off packs of pre-rolls
• Message: “Light up the holiday spirit”
  
  

Day 5 - "Five Golden Deals"

• Focus: Best-selling items (Topicals, Beverages, Edibles, Pre-rolls, Vaporizers)
• Deal: Flash sale (25% off select top products)
• Message: “The ultimate gift day—grab your golden deal!

Day 6 - "Six Capsules Calming"

• Product Focus: Capsules
• Deal: 15% off calming capsules‍
• Message: “Keep the holiday stress at bay”

On the Third Day of Christmas, MediaJel Gave to Me: Fair Warning to Train Your Budtenders for the Cannabis Holiday

Budtenders play a crucial role in guiding purchasing decisions, especially during the holiday season. According to a cannabis consumer survey, 31% of respondents trust budtender advice when choosing products. To maximize sales, budtender training should go beyond just product knowledge. They must understand who each product is for, its benefits, and the type of customer it appeals to. Additionally, training should focus on the core concerns of customers—whether it's price, volume, reliability, or quality—and how to align these with product recommendations. Budtenders also need to be well-versed in current holiday offers, promotions, and campaigns so they can actively promote relevant deals. By understanding these offers and the common buying patterns during the holiday season, budtenders can confidently recommend products that meet customers’ needs while driving sales and enhancing the customer experience.

• Who is the product for?
• What benefits does it offer?
• Do customers prioritize price, volume, reliability, or quality?
• What patterns or needs make this product their choice?

On the Fourth Day of Christmas, MediaJel Gave to Me: An SEO Optimized Website (With Lighting-Fast Speed)

A fast, SEO-optimized website is essential for all brands and dispensaries this holiday season. Research from Google shows that 53% of mobile users abandon sites that take longer than 3 seconds to load, making website speed a key factor for both user experience and search engine rankings. To optimize your site, start by compressing large images using tools like TinyPNG or ImageOptim to improve load time. Next, enable browser caching, which allows static files to be stored on visitors' devices, speeding up load times for repeat users. Finally, minify CSS, JavaScript, and HTML files to reduce file sizes and enhance performance using tools like UglifyJS or Autoptimize.

On the Fifth Day of Christmas, MediaJel Gave to Me: A Shopping Funnel that’s Mobile Friendly

According to Statista, mobile commerce is projected to account for 72.9% of total e-commerce sales by 2024 (B2B House). With mobile cannabis purchases growing, it's crucial to ensure your website offers a seamless, mobile-optimized shopping experience. To create an effective performance marketing funnel, start by raising awareness through cannabis holiday ads and social media campaigns. Engage potential customers with valuable content and retargeting ads. Offer clear product information and limited-time discounts to drive consideration and conversion, simplifying the checkout process. Finally, focus on customer retention with thank-you emails and loyalty programs to encourage repeat business and maximize holiday sales.

On the Sixth Day of Christmas, MediaJel Gave to Me: Creative Cannabis Holiday Campaigns that are Festive and Merry

Holiday-themed ads have proven to be more effective than non-holiday ads, with studies showing they increase consumer engagement and brand recall. For example, holiday ads like Coca-Cola’s iconic "Holidays are Coming" campaign scored exceptionally high on consumer engagement, with a rating of 5.3 stars, while holiday promotions are favored by nearly 50% of U.S. shoppers (Statista, 2022). These types of ads are more memorable and resonate better with consumers, leading to stronger brand recall. 

For cannabis dispensaries looking to create successful holiday campaigns, incorporating festive themes, offering limited-time promotions, and engaging customers through storytelling are key strategies to increase sales and brand visibility. But don’t stop there - take it a step further. 

If you're aiming to craft a truly engaging and interactive festive marketing campaign, consider thinking beyond traditional formats and explore options like DOOH (Digital Out-of-Home) or CTV (Connected TV).

Take inspiration from Swarovski’s innovative 2017 campaign. They placed interactive billboards in shopping malls, where shoppers could create personalized Christmas wish lists entirely filled with Swarovski products.

But Swarovski didn’t stop there. Shoppers could send their curated lists directly to themselves or share them with family and friends via email or SMS. This clever approach tapped into the joy of gift-giving, letting people choose their dream gifts while engaging directly with the brand. By making the experience interactive and shareable, Swarovski ensured that their products were top-of-mind for holiday shopping—and on many wish lists that year!‍‍

On the Seventh Day of Christmas, MediaJel Gave to Me: Email Marketing Campaigns for the Holidays 

Email marketing offers a powerful tool for cannabis holiday marketing, with an average ROI of $36 for every $1 spent (Highopes). Meanwhile, SMS messages get a 98% open rate, making them one of the most effective communication channels you can access (Cannabis Creative). For dispensaries and brands looking to integrate email and SMS into their holiday campaigns, they should focus on building a targeted list, sending personalized offers, crafting exclusive holiday promotions like limited-time discounts, and ensuring emails are mobile-optimized, given that nearly half of all emails are opened on mobile devices (Drip). By implementing these strategies, dispensaries can maximize engagement and boost sales during the festive season.

On the Eighth Day of Christmas, MediaJel Gave to Me: Holiday-Themed Cannabis Gift Guides to Reduce Bounce Rates

Boost customer engagement and reduce bounce rates by creating gift guides with holiday cannabis ideas. According to Shopify, shoppers turn to gift guides for inspiration. By curating holiday collections, dispensaries can make the shopping experience easier for customers. As influencer Lisa Buffo advises, when items are out of stock, offering product recommendations or alternative suggestions, like cannabis gift guides, helps keep customers engaged and deter competitor shopping. Curating product collections—whether highlighting popular products, limited-edition items, or bundles—can not only simplify holiday gifting but also maintain customer interest, ultimately driving more sales and enhancing the overall customer experience.

On the Ninth Day of Christmas, MediaJel Gave to Me: Targeted Local Cannabis Holiday Ads for Shoppers Who Are Earlyyy

Geo-targeted ads can increase foot traffic by 47% during peak shopping times (BIA/Kelsey), making location-based marketing crucial for reaching customers where they are. With 50% of holiday shoppers starting their purchases before Thanksgiving (NRF), dispensaries can incentivize early shoppers with exclusive deals. To effectively use geo-targeting, dispensaries should implement geo-fencing to send targeted promotions when customers are nearby, offer early bird specials and enable click-to-message extensions for easier customer communication. Examples of successful campaigns include "12 Days of Deals," "Gift of Wellness" bundles, and "Seasonal Sips" tasting events, all designed to engage local customers and drive sales.

On the Tenth Day of Christmas, MediaJel Gave to Me: Top Retargeting Strategies

Retargeting is a powerful tool for dispensaries and brands looking to capitalize on high-intent shoppers during the holiday season. By running programmatic campaigns, dispensaries can target customers based on their online behavior, increasing visibility for products that shoppers have already shown interest in. Retargeting ads, such as those reminding visitors of abandoned carts, can be particularly effective—Klaviyo reports that sending reminders can recover 15% of lost sales. Don't let potential customers slip away; these reminders help to keep your brand top-of-mind and encourage conversions, turning browsing into purchasing.

On the Eleventh  Day of Christmas, MediaJel Gave to Me: Social Media and Collaboration with Influencers for the Holidays

Social media plays a key role during the holiday season, with Sprout Social reporting that 78% of consumers discover products on social platforms, and engagement spikes during the holidays. Partnering with influencers is an effective way to expand reach and credibility, as their established trust with followers can amplify holiday promotions. When selecting influencers, ensure they align with your brand values and have an engaged audience. Campaign ideas can include holiday gift guides, unboxing videos, or exclusive offers promoted by influencers. By leveraging these partnerships, dispensaries can reach new audiences, build trust, and drive sales during the festive season.

On the Twelfth Day of Christmas, MediaJel Gave to Me: Measuring the Success of Your Cannabis Holiday Campaigns 

To measure the success of your cannabis holiday campaigns, it’s essential to track actionable metrics such as sales, brand lift, email list growth, retention, and new customer acquisition. 

MediaJel's Attribution Platform streamlines this process, seamlessly reporting on SEO, Google Ads, and programmatic advertising campaigns. By tying impressions directly to transactions, our platform gives you a clear picture of how your campaigns are driving measurable results with your top audiences.

Additionally, tools like Google Analytics and Klaviyo can help track website traffic and email conversions. With MediaJel's Attribution Platform and a data-driven approach, you’ll have the insights needed to optimize campaigns, personalize offers, and ensure a profitable holiday season.

Festive Cannabis Holiday Ads Powered by MediaJel

For cannabis, CBD brands, and dispensaries, the holiday cannabis season presents a prime opportunity to drive sales, particularly in the days leading up to major holidays. As consumer behavior shows, dispensaries experience a significant sales boost during pre-holiday periods like “Green Wednesday,” with sales jumping by 48% compared to typical Wednesdays. This surge in demand, especially for edibles, beverages, and giftable cannabis products, offers cannabis businesses a chance to optimize inventory, promotions, and staffing. 

Mediajel can help you maximize this seasonal opportunity by providing targeted digital marketing strategies and programmatic ad campaigns tailored to high-traffic pre-holiday days. With our expertise in tracking and adjusting campaigns based on consumer behavior, we can ensure your holiday promotions reach the right audiences at the right time, boosting sales and fostering long-term customer loyalty throughout the festive season with these cannabis holiday ideas.

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