Budtender education is one of the most impactful investments a cannabis retailer can make. As the cannabis industry grows, dispensary owners who prioritize training, engagement, and career development for their frontline staff see stronger sales, higher customer loyalty, and better staff retention.
Budtenders are the face of every cannabis retail store, and in-store digital signage helps budtenders communicate product information more effectively to customers. They serve as the direct connection between a dispensary and its customers, driving sales, building consumer loyalty, and shaping the store’s reputation. Supporting, educating, and rewarding budtenders is not optional — it is a core business strategy.
What Budtenders Want: Education, Engagement, and Advancement
Frontline budtenders are the backbone of your business. Skilled budtenders keep customers happy, drive repeat purchases, and build the loyalty that sustains long-term revenue.
As Jay Rosethal from Business of Cannabis said in a recent interview with Marigold PR, “The critical gap between brands and consumers is that front line budtender.” If your frontline employees don’t have the skills, passion, and support to do their job, it will immediately impact your bottom line.
In early 2022, Tether, an online budtender community created by Marigold Marketing & PR, released the results of their industry survey. The survey set out to learn what budtenders want from their employers and the brands they sell and a little more about the demographic.
In February Cannabis Prospect Magazine reported the results from more than 300 Canada-wide responses and 70 in-store, in-person visits. According to the survey, budtenders want:
- Education through experience
- Industry advancement and improvement
- Community engagement
During the pandemic-related “Great Resignation,” cannabis retailers face increased pressure to retain frontline staff through meaningful investment in budtender education and engagement.
Supporting Your Budtender: What it Looks Like in Practice
Budtender-Specific Support Beyond Pay and Benefits
Beyond the traditional methods of keeping staff happy (increased hourly rates and benefits), what are budtender-specific means of supporting your frontline staff?
Education Through Experience
So, let’s take a look at the first discovery from Tether’s survey, the “Education through experience” component. Seventy percent of budtenders agreed that there is a need for more in-depth product and industry education.
How can you teach your staff more about the products they sell, cultivation methods, and the industry as a whole?
Canadian cannabis brands increasingly offer educational trips, farm tours, and industry parties to dispensary staff. These sponsored events give budtenders hands-on product knowledge and insider industry exposure. Budtenders who attend these events learn more about the brands they sell and build networks with others across the cannabis sector. Cannabis retailers can also explore analytics tools that track dispensary sales performance to measure the impact of staff training on revenue.
Katie Pringle of Marigold PR understands sending staff away on brand trips can be a challenge. She details, how “You are a small retailer. How many [staff] can you send to a career development opportunity? Probably all at once, probably on a Saturday, on the busiest day of the week?” It’s a balancing act, but one that helps budtenders sell better and develop stronger loyalty to your store.
Community Engagement
According to the Tether survey, 80 percent of budtenders want to connect and build community within the industry and among other budtenders. Much like there is an established culture and community for bartenders, budtenders crave something similar.
Industry parties, conferences, and exhibitions help budtenders integrate into the cannabis sector at large. Major events like MJBiz Con and Lift give dispensary staff direct exposure to new products, trends, and professional contacts.
Sending top-performing budtenders to industry events gives dispensaries a direct return on investment, as staff return with product knowledge and industry insights that improve customer service on the floor.
Career Advancement
Finally, more than 50 percent of budtenders reported wanting to advance in the cannabis space. Another reported 25 percent seeking management or ownership roles. While not every employee will be a perfect candidate for career advancement, it is well worth investing in those who show potential.
Career Plans That Retain Top Budtenders
Cannabis retailers benefit from creating formal career advancement plans for high-performing budtenders. Identifying shared short- and long-term goals strengthens the employer-employee relationship and gives budtenders a clear path forward. Budtenders who see a future with a store are more likely to stay, which directly improves staff retention, loyalty, and job satisfaction.
A Few Additional Takeaways for Keeping Budtenders Happy
The Tether survey also elucidated additional industry facts about job perks worth mentioning. For example, 24 percent of Canadian budtenders are paid $20 an hour or more, with 24 percent receiving health benefits.
Combined with the fact that sampling is the number one way budtenders educate themselves on new products — this is a valuable and relatively affordable tool to use with your staff. As subject matter experts, budtender knowledge gets translated to your curious customers and converts into sales.
Investing in budtender training programs — whether through online certifications, brand-led workshops, or in-store product demos — builds the product knowledge that turns curious shoppers into repeat customers.
Invest in Budtender Education & Experience: Benefits Across Your Business
As Pringle stated, Canadian Budtenders “love the consumer, the product and the industry,” in a way unique to a retail position. This means, as a cannabis retailer you need to recognize, reward, and support this passion and consider it a critical business investment.
Make a Budtender’s Job Easier, With TechPOS
Efficient dispensary operations also play a role in budtender satisfaction — when cannabis retail software handles compliance reporting and inventory automatically, budtenders spend less time on admin tasks and more time serving customers.
TechPOS simplifies business operations, with a cannabis POS software built for dispensaries to facilitate cannabis store management through a one-stop software for various business processes. Help your staff save time, boost efficiency, and increase profit for your business with TechPOS.