Staff
The Super Bowl turned into a bonus day of sales for cannabis dispensaries. According to data from software company Flowhub, retailers saw a 32% increase in cannabis sales for the 2018 Super Bowl weekend versus last year’s Super Bowl weekend.
Compared to typical weekend sales, Super Bowl weekend sales jumped 7% and transactions climbed by 12%. Flowhub said that transaction sizes were getting smaller, but the volume of people buying marijuana for the celebration had increased.
“The rise in sales over Super Bowl weekend shows that Americans are continuing to incorporate cannabis into these national celebrations just as they would beer or even guacamole,” said Flowhub CEO Kyle Sherman. “Marijuana is becoming part of the fabric of American society and our national pastimes. I think we will continue to see this trend grow as legalization continues to spread.”
The top strains that were sold over the Super Bowl weekend included crowd favorites like Blue Dream, Gorilla Glue #4, Golden Goat, Durban Poison, Chem #4 OG. Perhaps hosts didn’t want to go too crazy and opted for fan favorites.
Dispensary owners shouldn’t be surprised that football lovers are big customers. They could have even capitalized on the holiday by offering Super Bowl specials. A study conducted by Consumer Research Around Cannabis and released in December found that cannabis consumers preferred the NFL over all other pro sports. The study found that 55% of cannabis users/buyers watched the NFL.
“The NFL has been the most successful professional sports league over the past couple of decades – supplanting Major League Baseball,” said Jeffrey Stein, Vice President of Consumer Research Around Cannabis. “In many ways, the league’s success mirrors our nation when it comes to income, age, and education.”
In 2018, cannabis delivery service Eaze experienced a 56% increase in deliveries compared to a typical Sunday over the past year. Eaze’s recently released State of Cannabis Report also found that more and more people are increasing marijuana use across all major holidays, which is a sign of evolving times and attitudes toward marijuana. This is only expected to continue as marijuana goes mainstream and many people celebrate traditional holidays – like Super Bowl, Valentine’s Day, or July 4th – with it.
A few did take advantage of knowing their customers’ preferences and ran specials. A sampling included Sunday Goods Delivery in Arizona that offered “Super Deals for Super Bowl Sunday” with a special on specific strains and swag. Chalice Farms offered Super Bowl specials of 25% off on flower and $4 pre-rolls. Inyo Dispensary in Las Vegas also offered a special on Pre-98 Bubba Kush with 5 free Bluebird pre-rolls.
Next year there may be a cannabis bowl in addition to the puppy bowl.
