Women are driving innovation and shaping cannabis market trends, which could be the way to reinvigorate the struggling industry.
As more women embrace cannabis for wellness purposes such as stress relief, sleep improvement and pain management, some brands are pivoting to meet their needs, creating products that are tailored to a health-conscious audience.
From wellness-focused edibles to beauty and self-care cannabis products, the industry can tap into this growing demographic to drive sales and innovation in a competitive market.
“Women are leading the way in purposeful cannabis use, focusing on wellness goals like stress relief and improved sleep,” said David Kooi, CEO of Los Angeles-based cannabis discovery app Jointly.
“They’re seeking out products that fit into a healthier lifestyle, and cannabis is becoming an important tool in their wellness tool kit.”
Jointly, which reports that 55% of its users are women, found that women are more likely than men to consume marijuana with their significant other (28% versus 19%).
Also, among Jointly users, women experience a nearly 10% higher success rate than men when using cannabis for recovery and pain management.
“In our experience, women are increasingly sophisticated consumers of cannabis, using it with intention,” Kooi said.
In 2023, women between the ages of 19 and 30 reported consuming more cannabis than men for the first time since 1975, when the University of Michigan’s Institute for Social Research began its “Monitoring the Future” study.
Formulating products that support women’s lifestyles in formats they already incorporate into their daily routines, such as lotions, balms and low-dose beverages, is key, said Chloe Steerman, chief operations officer at Denver-based cannabis marketing and public relations agency Grasslands.
“Labeling something for women or throwing a pink or purple package on it is not enough anymore,” Steerman said.
“Women consumers see right through that stuff, and we know what we want.”
The trick is getting executives for cannabis brands to listen. It’s not always easy, but it’s not impossible.
“I know that there are countless brilliant marketing and business leaders who are women in the cannabis space with really great ideas about what women want and need and the passion to bring those products to market,” Steerman said.
“But at the end of the day, it’s the men in the leadership role who make the final call.”
Products for women’s specific needs
As chief development officer at Michigan-headquartered Exclusive Brands, Narmin Jarrous was able to create Neno’s Naturals, a product that helped relieve her endometriosis symptoms.
Jarrous said her situation at Exclusive Brands is different than what most women in the cannabis industry experience because she was the one making decisions. She knew she was addressing a need beyond just creating a product for herself.
“You think it’s obvious, and then you walk into a room and start pitching to someone and you realize that it’s not,” she said.
Jarrous encourages cannabis businesses to start thinking more about what women are looking for to treat conditions such as endometriosis, menstrual cramps and pain.
“It was really empowering to be able to create that when all the doctors and acupuncturists and holistic medicine people failed me,” Jarrous said.
“If they’re not already targeting women, they’re really missing the mark.
“Not only do women make up more than half of consumers of cannabis, but women also make the purchasing decisions at homes in America. They’re picking out groceries and appliances.
“Why wouldn’t you be catering to them?”
Ancient wisdom meets modern cannabis
Smrita Choubey, founder and CEO of New Jersey-based Veda Warrior, said her company’s line of artisanal cannabis-infused cooking oils and butters use the principles of Ayurveda to promote healing.
About 65% of Veda Warrior’s customers are women.
The company’s packaging is gender-neutral because Veda Warrior wants to be viewed as a wellness company rather than as a cannabis company geared toward women.
“Our whole mission is to research the ancient Ayurvedic scriptures to understand references to cannabis,” said Choubey, who is taking over her family farm in northern India, where the plant grows wild.
Veda Warrior is hosting a women’s health cooking class that will focus on ingredients to use if you’re pre-menopausal or post-menopausal.
While Veda Warrior currently offers gender-neutral wellness products, the company is developing a line of gummies and balms aimed specifically at women.
The products include Cramp Relief gummies and balms, Joint Comfort gummies and balms and Deep Rest gummies.
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Enhancing the female experience
California-based Connected Cannabis Co., a leader in premium marijuana flower, doesn’t specifically target women, but it supports women-owned businesses that do, said Ayumi Hanaoka-Osipova, the company’s senior director of marketing.
“You look at edibles and the way people will dress up their packaging to cater to certain demographics,” she said.
“Flower is different. To the consumer – men or women – the appeal is the quality of the flower.”
Connected Cannabis is collaborating with Olivia Alexander, CEO of California-based Kush Queen, to celebrate International Women’s Month in March.
The companies have created the Queen of Diamonds box, which includes a lubricant, bath balm and two of its Jack of Diamonds sativa strain infused pre-rolls.
“Sativa plays a big role in enhancing sex, and Olivia mentioned that sativa played such a big role in the women’s experience,” Hanaoka-Osipova said.
“Women have always been such a dominant portion of the flower market, but we didn’t want to do International Women’s Month in a contrived way, so it made sense to partner with Kush Queen.”
Women gravitate toward beverages at higher rates than men, said Kayla Weier, sales manager at Denver-based Fable, which makes intoxicating hemp beverages.
At a recent tasting event the company held, 36 of the 49 people attending were women, and all who purchased the canned drinks were women.
“We’ve seen a lot of people referring to women cannabis users as soccer moms, but we don’t really like that term,” Weier said.
“Our demographic is young, middle-aged professional women. We really consider that in our language, and we want our product design to focus on females.”
H/T: mjbizdaily.com
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