Dispensaries and cannabis brands are increasingly borrowing a page from mainstream retail by using secret shoppers to evaluate the in-store experience. Secret shoppers enter a store like any other customer, make a purchase, and observe how staff perform, without employees knowing they’re being evaluated.
Cannabis dispensaries are a bit different from other retail environments. Products are age-gated, regulations vary by state, and legal dispensaries are still relatively new. Because not every state has legalized cannabis, many customers walk in needing a fair amount of education. For first-time shoppers, especially, the experience can be overwhelming and confusing, not to mention the variety in consumption options and brands.
A brief history of secret shopping
Secret shopping didn’t start as a customer service tool, it began as a way to catch dishonest employees. Pinkerton detectives famously used secret shoppers to prevent theft during railway bank transfers. Over time, the practice evolved, and today major retail and food service chains use secret shoppers to test everything from employee knowledge to compliance with company policies. It’s also one of the best ways to see a business through a customer’s eyes.
While modern technology can track demographics, buying habits, and foot traffic, it can’t replace human interaction. It can’t tell you whether an employee asked the right questions, made helpful recommendations, or treated a customer with respect. That’s why secret shopping still has an edge.
A service tailored to cannabis
Sara Gluck saw an opportunity for secret shopping in the cannabis space and launched Above Board, a company that works with both dispensaries and brands. Dispensary owners want to know if their staff are greeting customers, making thoughtful recommendations, and upselling appropriately. Brands, meanwhile, want insight into whether budtenders are recommending their products, or worse, steering customers away from …
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Author: Debra Borchardt / High Times
