What do greeting card companies, chocolatiers, and weed have in common? They’re all competing for Valentine’s Day sales, and cannabis is starting to make a noticeable splash in the space. Need proof? Headset, the Seattle-based data analytics firm, has tallied the sales numbers. The information is telling; topicals, edibles, and infused marijuana product sales go up (more than 20% overall) between February 12-14 compared to the previous four weeks.
Per Headset, the topical products with the highest sales growth are:
- Massage oil/lube had sales growth of over 115.3%
- Bath salts, body soaks, and body scrubs had sales growth of more than 34.8%
- Transdermal products had sales growth of around 32.1%
While sales of marijuana topicals will typically make up just a tiny piece of the market on an average day, on February 12, 13, and 14, sales in that category were up over 20% from the prior four-week period. So what’s the real correlation here? Let’s look at the specifics in more detail.
Incredible edibles
During the same period — right around the Valentine’s Day holiday — edibles and beverages also realized a sales increase. Sales in those categories were up by more than 10%. Coda Signature, which manufactures both edibles and topicals in California and Colorado, created a special Valentine’s Day promo, including two infused chocolate bars and infused bath bombs.
“It’s a great way to introduce people to cannabis because it’s an intimate, special holiday where people will try things. They’ll try them with a partner. It’s an ideal cannabis introduction holiday,” Coda Signature CEO Lisa McClung told Marijuana Business Daily.
Marijuana companies realize that this is an excellent holiday for business. A growing number of cannabis entities are using Valentine’s Day to woo new customers. Who knows? Valentine’s Day might be Thanksgiving to 4/20’s Christmas. After all, the industry’s players in states where cannabis is legal — cultivators, manufacturers, retailers — are creating products, promos, and packaging customized for the holiday.
Terrific topicals
Topicals shine bright in February. Per Headset’s data, topicals — like massage oils and lubricating products — claimed 2.3% of the product category’s total sales for 2020 during those three magical days in February (12-14). The crazy part? Those three days of magic account for 0.8% of the available shopping days during the year.
Valentine’s Day is a rare seasonal occasion that offers companies a chance to win over a potential regular, future customer. Topicals are one of those product categories that new customers might be willing to try first before deciding to smoke flower or consume an edible. The allure of using a product that has some lingering ‘naughtiness’ about it, like a cannabis-based topical, might be just the tip-of-the-iceberg product that brings a new customer on board.
The added benefit? This flush of short-term revenue might be just the push retailers need to start considering including in their regular product offerings and make them more amenable to future sales promotions.
