During the calm before the Thanksgiving feast, many people have embraced an unexpected holiday ritual: stocking up on cannabis.
Sales on “Green Wednesday” – the day before Thanksgiving – regularly eclipse Black Friday, with consumers looking for creative ways to entertain guests at the dinner table or just to get through that much time with relatives or myriad other reasons.
With that in mind, many retailers prepare for the day with discount deals and promotional campaigns designed to lure regulars and casuals alike.
This year continued the trend of pre-holiday sales. According to new data released by Weedmaps, total order volume on Green Wednesday was 42% higher than the average Wednesday in November this year. Sales volume also outstripped Black Friday, which is traditionally a huge day for retail sales, and accounted for 21% of the week’s gross market value.
The rising popularity of edibles also shined through the data. Weedmaps recorded an 81% increase in orders for edibles on Green Wednesday, surpassing traditional flower products. In 2023, edibles represented 60% of the top 10 product spots, up from 50% in the previous year.
Part of that growth trend could be linked to new edibles technology and format types, such as fast-acting or CBN-included offerings. Thanksgiving, whether with family or friends, centers around all things edible, so cannabis you can eat becomes an easier, more attractive proposition.
It also doesn’t hurt that more people have access to legal cannabis this year. Households in Maryland, for example, probably had a more interesting holiday this year than ever before.
Corroborating Weedmaps’ findings, Flowhub, a cannabis data aggregator, reported that sales on Green Wednesday more than doubled the average for other Wednesdays, with a 94% increase in transaction numbers. Flowhub data also showed that Black Friday saw a notable increase, with sales 47% higher than a typical Friday.
Additionally, Jane Technologies, which analyzes both recreational and medical cannabis sales, noted an 18.12% year-over-year increase in recreational sales on Green Wednesday this year, while medical sales saw a slight decrease.
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