Omnichannel vs. Multi-Channel: Why the Future of Cannabis Retail is Seamless, Not Scattered

Your customers don’t care about omnichannel marketing… at all. You know what they do care about? An effortless experience that makes their lives easier. “64% of customers expect a seamless experience when interacting with companies through digital channels (Gitnux)”. They don’t think about whether they’re interacting with your brand through a website, social media, email, or in-store—they just expect it all to work together. Let’s be real; It's not their job to care about it. It's your job to create it. And that starts with understanding the difference between simply being present and being connected.

What is Multi-Channel Marketing?

Multi-channel marketing leverages multiple platforms to engage customers, ensuring brands aren’t reliant on a single channel for growth. For example, a mid-sized cannabis brand that initially thrived on social media may now face frequent account suspensions and shadow bans, limiting reach and stalling momentum. To overcome these challenges, start diversifying into a multi-channel strategy—incorporating email marketing, paid ads, SEO, and direct engagement—to ensure continued visibility and sustainable growth.

Benefits of Multi-Channel Marketing Strategies:

1. Increased Reach – Engages customers wherever they are, increasing visibility and brand awareness.
2. Better Engagement – Different customers prefer different channels, ensuring broader and more personalized interactions.
3. Improved Conversion Rates – A consistent brand presence across channels reinforces messaging and guides users through the sales funnel.
4. Data-Driven Optimization – Tracking customer interactions across channels helps refine messaging and optimize campaign performance.

What is Omnichannel Marketing?

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Omnichannel marketing strategies have a customer-centric approach that integrates all marketing channels—both online and offline—into a unified experience. “Companies with omnichannel customer engagement strategies retain on average 89% of their customers, compared to customer retention rate of 33% for companies with weak omnichannel customer engagement,” (InvesP). 

This is what an omnichannel marketing experience looks like for a cannabis customer, let;s call her Sarah: 

1. Awareness (Display Ads)

Sarah sees a programmatic display ad while browsing a lifestyle blog, showcasing limited-time in-store discounts.

2. Engagement (Website & SMS)

Intrigued, Sarah clicks the ad and lands on a page highlighting member perks, product recommendations, and an option to sign up via SMS.

She opts in, receiving an automated welcome SMS with a 10% off discount for her first purchase.

3. Consideration (Email & Retargeting)

Later, she browses the dispensary’s online menu but doesn’t complete her purchase.

She receives an email reminder about her abandoned cart, featuring product reviews and a free pre-roll offer.

4. Purchase (In-Store & Online)

Sarah visits the store and is greeted by a budtender who references her online activity and recommends personalized products.

She redeems her discount via the dispensary’s POS system, which syncs with her online profile.

5. Post-Purchase & Retention (Loyalty & Retargeting)

A week later, Sarah gets a personalized SMS with a discount for her favorite strain.

She also sees a retargeting display ad on a news outlet reminding her about the VIP staring drop at the dispensary.

Benefits of Omnichannel Marketing Strategies:

1. Seamless Integration – Customers can switch between channels (e.g., mobile, desktop, in-store) without losing their progress or receiving inconsistent messaging.
2. Personalization – Data from all channels is used to tailor recommendations, offers, and content based on customer behavior.
3. Consistent Branding & Messaging – Regardless of how a customer interacts with the brand (social media, email, app, website, in-store), the experience remains cohesive.
4. Cross-Channel Data Syncing – Customer data is shared across platforms, so every touchpoint enhances the overall journey rather than functioning in isolation.

Watch Now: How to Build an Omnichannel Marketing Experience for Cannabis Retail & Delivery Services

Execution: The Difference Between Omnichannel and Multi-Channel Marketing Strategies

Multi-channel and omnichannel marketing both use multiple platforms to engage customers, but they differ in execution.

Multi-channel marketing, uses multiple channels independently to reach customers but doesn’t necessarily connect the experience between them. The key difference is that omnichannel is interconnected and customer-centric, while multi-channel focuses on presence across many platforms without full integration.

While both increase visibility, omnichannel marketing provides the cohesive, customer-centric experience that drives higher retention and conversions.

Which Approach Is the Best Fit for You?

It’s less about which approach is better—both have their place depending on a business’s resources and goals. The biggest barrier to omnichannel marketing is technology and data integration. Unlike multi-channel marketing, which operates in silos, omnichannel requires real-time data synchronization across POS systems, CRM, programmatic advertising platforms, email, SMS, and more. 

Many businesses struggle with things like tech stack fragmentation, or disconnected systems that don’t communicate, making unified customer profiles difficult. Data silos are another hurdle that is tough to overcome as separate teams manage different channels without sharing insights.

So, while omnichannel is the goal, many businesses default to multi-channel because their tech and operations aren’t yet built for full integration.

Multi-Channel Marketing:

• Ideal for smaller businesses, startups, or brands with budget constraints.
• Helps establish a presence across different platforms without heavy investment in integration.
• Reaches customers through various touchpoints like social media, email, and paid ads.
• Simple and cost-effective execution.
• Effective for increasing brand awareness, driving traffic, and testing different marketing channels.
• Does not require a seamless customer experience across channels.

Omnichannel Marketing:

• Best suited for medium to larger businesses, established brands, and companies focused on customer experience and retention.
• Requires deeper integration across platforms for a connected and personalized customer journey.
• Valuable for retailers, eCommerce brands, and dispensaries needing smooth transitions between digital and physical experiences (e.g., online browsing to in-store pickup).
• Enhances customer satisfaction and loyalty.
• Benefits businesses with resources for data synchronization, automation, and personalized marketing.

Lean Into Your Competitive Advantage. MediaJel Can Show You How

Cannabis Businesses aren’t just competing on products—they’re competing on marketing strategies and user experience. Multi-channel marketing helps businesses establish a presence across various platforms, but neither your customers or your executives can deny the benefits that come from seamless digital interactions. 

Omnichannel marketing ensures that every touchpoint, whether online or in-store, feels effortless and relevant to the user. For industries like cannabis retail, where a frictionless shopping experience can be the difference between a one-time purchase and a loyal customer, investing in omnichannel early can be a powerful competitive edge.

From awareness to loyalty, MediaJel helps cannabis businesses craft seamless experiences that drive growth. 

Let’s talk strategy.

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