Cannabis Retailers Report Strong Sales Uplift by Rethinking Store Experience

Cannabis retailers are seeing major growth by shifting from traditional counter-based models to more inviting environments like bodega-style browsing and deli-style sensory experiences.

Retailers have adopted bodega-style layouts—for instance, Verano Holdings’ Zen Leaf store in Phoenix—where customers freely browse shelves and interact with advisers in an open space. These changes encourage lingering, sample discovery, and impulse purchases like complementary drinks. Early data shows this approach boosts basket size and overall sales volume.

In states such as Arizona, Missouri, Colorado, and Oregon, where regulations allow it, deli-style shopping is also gaining traction. Here customers smell flower samples via “sniff jars” and see open displays before making selections. For many, this sensory interaction builds trust and justifies higher spend.

Operators report that shoppers discovering products they otherwise wouldn’t try significantly drives cross-category sales. One executive noted: “When you allow people to wander or forage in a store, they will encounter things they ordinarily wouldn’t.”

However, hygiene and safety challenges arise with open displays. Industry experts emphasize the need for clean handling standards, protective gear for employees, and alternative models like scratch-and-sniff cards to limit exposure risks.

These evolving retail models align with broader consumer trends. As cannabis approaches mass-market maturity—projected to reach $45B in U.S. sales by 2025 and $58B by 2030—retailers who elevate the in-store experience are poised to outcompete cash-only, legacy dispensaries.