The 2025 420 Marketing Guide for Dispensaries: Win New Customers and Boost Loyalty

420 has become the single biggest sales day of the year for dispensaries, with cannabis sales crossing an estimated $192 million in North America on April 20, 2023. It’s a golden opportunity to attract droves of new customers and increase the lifetime value (LTV) of existing ones. The key to capitalizing on this holiday is a smart, digital-first marketing strategy that puts your 420 promotions front and center.

Why A 4/20 Marketing Strategy Matters

Sales volumes on 4/20 typically skyrocket to double or more their usual levels​. In 2024, dispensaries tracked in one analysis saw a 120% increase in customers and sales on 4/20 compared to the previous year​. And it’s not only the day-of – the entire week of 4/20 sees heightened traffic as enthusiasts stock up. In some cases, the day before (4/19) can even outpace the holiday itself when 4/20 falls on a weekend​. Consumer demand around April 20 is enormous, and savvy dispensaries need to rise to the occasion with compelling marketing.

Every dispensary is vying for a slice of the sales surge. Simply opening your doors isn’t enough; you need to actively promote your deals and events so that customers choose your business out of the crowd. A well-crafted 420 marketing campaign can make a good sales day a record-breaking one. A first-time visitor drawn in by a 4/20 special could become a loyal regular if you play your cards right with follow-up engagement. As we’ll explore, focusing on retention is crucial since it costs five times more to acquire a new customer than to retain an existing one​, and a modest 5% increase in retention can boost profits up to 95%.

Strategies for a Successful 4/20

A modern marketing plan should be digital-first. People are constantly on their phones and computers – and you want your offers to reach them wherever they are. We’ll cover four core digital channels that dispensaries can leverage: SMS text messaging, email, display advertising, and mobile app promotions. An omnichannel approach across these platforms will ensure maximum visibility and engagement for your campaign.

1. SMS Marketing: Reach Customers Instantly with Text Blasts

When it comes to grabbing customer attention SMS marketing is second to none. Customers opted into text message loyalty programs spend about 4x more on average with a dispesary. It's an active channel. Texting lets you reach shoppers instantly, directly, and with an urgency that other channels can’t match. Consider this: while email open rates hover around 20-30%, text messages boast about a 98% open rate – and most are read within minutes​. In other words, almost everyone you text will see your 420 promotion, usually right away. For time-sensitive offers like one-day sales or limited product drops, SMS is a powerhouse.

It cuts through the noise. There’s no social media algorithm burying your post and no spam filter hiding your email. A text goes straight to the consumer’s phone notification. You’re not fighting Facebook or Instagram’s rules when you send a text. Around 4/20, when consumers are inundated with promotions, a well-timed text message can put your deal front and center.

Best practices for SMS: Only text customers who have opted in to your SMS program (compliance is key – you want happy customers, not spam complaints). In the weeks leading up to 4/20, promote your SMS signup on your website and in-store​. Build that subscriber list before the holiday. 

Then, use it strategically:

• Tease early and blast on the day: Send a teaser text a few days before 4/20 highlighting that big deals are coming. On the morning of 4/20, send a text message blast announcing your biggest sale as you open for the day.

• Include a clear call-to-action: Every text should drive an action – “Shop now,” “Claim this coupon,” etc. Make it crystal clear how to redeem the offer.

• Keep it short and sweet: A text is by nature brief. Highlight the offer, any key details (time, location, code word), and maybe a fun emoji with the link to view the offer.

• Don’t overdo it: During 420 week you might send a few more messages than usual, but resist the urge to spam multiple texts in a single day. Customers love deals via SMS, but they also don’t want their phone blowing up. One well-timed text in the morning, and perhaps another in the afternoon if you have a second wave offer is often enough.

  
  

Crucially, SMS can also boost retention after 4/20. Don’t view it as just a one-day tool. For instance, you can send a follow-up text the next day thanking customers for shopping and giving them a “bounce-back” offer. Those follow-ups turn one-time 4/20 buyers into regulars, directly increasing their lifetime value.

2. Email Marketing: Engage Your Entire Audience with 420 Updates

Email marketing may not be as instantaneous as SMS, but it remains a critical channel for 420 promotions – especially for reaching the widest base of customers. Many dispensaries have larger email lists than SMS lists, simply because email sign-ups have been collected for years. Don’t forget to leverage email to hype your 4/20 deals. In fact, industry data shows that email is the most widely used method for retailers to communicate with customers before 4/20​. 

Successful dispensaries often send a series of emails before, during, and after April 20 to drum up excitement, drive traffic, and then maintain customer interest even after the big day.

Email complements SMS nicely: you might use email to provide more detailed information (since you’re not character-limited) and use SMS for the urgent calls-to-action. Your email can showcase a full menu of 420 deals with nice graphics, while the SMS says “check your email for full 4/20 menu and hurry in for our doorbuster deal.” By coordinating the two, you hit customers through multiple touchpoints – which is proven to increase overall engagement.

A pro tip: segment your email list if possible. Reward your best customers (loyalty members, VIPs) with an exclusive offer in their email – perhaps access to a “preview sale” on 4/19 just for them, or a higher discount tier. Newer subscribers might get a different incentive, like a special welcome deal if 4/20 will be their first purchase. Personalization can boost results, and email systems make it easy to tailor content to different groups.

A huge portion of customers will read your 4/20 email on their phone on the go (perhaps on the way to the dispensary!). Use a clean design, large fonts, and obvious buttons/links for shopping or directions. You want to remove any friction between the customer reading the email and acting on it.

3. Display Advertising : Broaden Your Reach

Some ad networks allow cannabis ads by targeting only legal states and age-verified audiences. For example, you can serve ads on mainstream websites and platforms like ESPN, New York Times, Barstool Sports, and more. This geofenced, highly targeted approach lets dispensaries advertise online safely despite broader restrictions.

For a 4/20 campaign, programmatic display ads can significantly expand your reach beyond your existing customer list. With SMS and email, you primarily hit people who already know your store. With display ads, you can get in front of new audiences or even competitors’ customers – for instance, a cannabis enthusiast reading an article on a music or lifestyle website might see your 420 sale banner and be enticed to visit your shop for the first time.

4. Leverage Your Mobile App

If your dispensary has a mobile app or uses a third-party cannabis shopping app, this is the time to leverage it fully. A mobile app offers a direct line to your most engaged customers – those who have downloaded it likely shop with you frequently or at least want to. Through push notifications and in-app messages, you can deliver 4/20 promotions straight to their phone similar to SMS.

If you don’t yet have a dedicated mobile app for your dispensary, you might consider developing one as part of your long-term retention strategy. But for the immediate 420 season, focus on the channels at hand. Many dispensaries successfully use a combination of SMS, email, and a strong presence on menus/ordering apps to cover the mobile audience.

Increasing Lifetime Value: Retaining Customers Beyond 4/20

While 4/20 is fantastic for a quick boost in sales, the savviest dispensaries use it as a launchpad for long-term customer retention. The goal is to turn those one-day shoppers into repeat visitors for the rest of the year and beyond. By nurturing relationships with customers acquired or reactivated during 420, you’ll see them coming back all year.

– Loyalty Programs and Rewards: If you don’t have a loyalty or rewards program yet, implement one before 4/20! A customer loyalty program helps retain VIP customers and enables personalized marketing via text and email​. Sign up as many 4/20 shoppers as possible into your loyalty program – many will gladly join if it means immediate savings or points. For those already in your program, give them extra love on 4/20. This incentivizes larger purchases on the day and gives them a reason to return (to redeem those points). Some dispensaries even hand out free merch or goodies to loyalty members who visit on 4/20, as a thank you. The message is: we appreciate your loyalty, and we reward it.

– Post-420 Follow-up Offers: We mentioned this in the SMS/email sections, but it’s worth emphasizing: what you do after 4/20 can determine if customers come back. Prepare some post-420 offers exclusively for those who shopped with you on the holiday. A common tactic is the bounce-back coupon – e.g., every customer on 4/20 gets a coupon (printed or digital) for 10% off in May. You can also send these offers via email/text as a reminder. The key is to give customers a reason to choose you the next time they’re ready to buy cannabis. Even a small discount or freebie on the next purchase can tip the scales in your favor.

– Personalize and Segment Communications: Use the data from the 4/20 rush to personalize future outreach. If you captured that a customer bought, say, a particular strain or product type, follow up with related recommendations. This level of personal touch can greatly increase engagement and loyalty, as customers feel the dispensary understands their preferences. Modern marketing platforms make it easy to segment customers by purchase history for targeted campaigns.

– Year-Round Engagement: Treat 4/20 as just the start of an ongoing conversation. Plan out a retention marketing calendar beyond April. Keep the customers you gained engaged with valuable content and offers throughout the year. Consistent touchpoints – monthly newsletters, periodic SMS deals, and invites to in-store events – will remind them that your dispensary is always there with something special. Businesses that excel at retention often see far greater profitability.

Make This 4/20 Your Best Ever with DispoJoy

Planning and executing such a comprehensive campaign can be daunting, especially when you’re also juggling inventory, staffing, and the operational chaos that 4/20 can bring. DispoJoy are experts in dispensary marketing and retention strategies, and we’re here to help you shine. Let our team handle the heavy lifting – designing those perfect text message blasts, crafting conversion-driven emails, and managing your digital ad placements. With DispoJoy as your marketing partner, you can focus on serving customers and running your dispensary, while we drive the traffic and engagement to make this 4/20 a record-breaker.

Contact us today and let us supercharge your 4/20 marketing campaign. We’ll help you attract more customers, generate more sales, and build the kind of loyalty that lasts far beyond April 20.