SoapBoxSample Announces Exciting Partnership with WeedWeek

Industry leaders collaborate to provide research and insights in the cannabis space

WeedWeek, the go-to media company for diverse cannabis news, announced a collaborative partnership with market research firm, SoapBoxSample, creating a council consisting of thought leaders and influencers in the cannabis space. The council will provide insight into the fast-evolving landscape allowing followers to keep their fingers on the pulse of the industry.

SoapBoxSample continues to expand its leadership and position within the cannabis space not only as a research provider, but as a collaborative influencer for brands, ancillary businesses and anyone looking to grow and build a cannabis business or brand.

“It’s so exciting working in a space driven by belief and passion. The opportunity to help businesses survive and thrive in such an explosive industry is not only fulfilling, but exhilarating.” said SoapBoxSample COO,  Jacqueline Rosales. “Every day is something new – a new challenge and a new opportunity. It’s exciting to see the immediate impact of our work helping clients.”

WeedWeek and SoapBoxSample came together on the heels of NECANN, the largest Cannabis Convention on the East Coast with more than 100 speakers, 300 exhibitors and approximately 10,000 attendees. Jacqueline Rosales’ session entitled, “When Patients Become Customers: How Understanding Consumer Types Can Help Your Cannabis Business Survive the Green Rush”, explained how business owners and decision makers can better understand consumer needs and wants through the use of research.

The WeedWeek Council’s responses and ideas will appear in a dedicated section of the WeedWeek newsletter. The council will be comprised of 25-30 people from various backgrounds and expertise in the green space and members are selected based on a competitive application process.

WeedWeek was founded in 2015 by Alex Halperin when he saw a need for a media company covering the many facets of the cannabis industry. Helperin, a successful journalist who has written for Washington Post, LA Times, Huff Post, Hightimes and Business Insider also runs ReCharge Events as well as a podcast. WeedWeek covers politics, law, culture, health and business as they relate to cannabis.

“WeedWeek Council is an exciting new way WeedWeek will share exclusive insights on the green rush with our thousands of readers,” said Alex Halperin.

SoapBoxSample has been actively conducting cannabis research since 2016 and continues to expand its offerings. Most recently, SoapBoxSample launched the CANNApinon poll, a national bi-weekly survey of cannabis consumers whose insights enable industry-specific details on consumer needs and wants for dispensaries, growers, media companies, food and beverage producers, distributors, and the cannabis beauty industry.

WeedWeek and SoapBoxSample are now accepting applications for membership to the WeekWeed Council. For information on how to join, click here.

To learn more about SoapBoxSample’s cannabis offering, visit SoapBoxSample.com/cannabis

About WeedWeek: Founded by award winning journalist Alex Halperin, WeedWeek’s free newsletters aggregate the latest developments in cannabis politics, business, health and science, law and culture. And the podcast features interviews with the most interesting voices in the space. Smart, credible and free, WeedWeek is the best way to keep up with the green rush. Subscribe at WeedWeek.net.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

SoapBoxSample Launches the CANNApinion Poll — A Cannabis Consumer Feedback Offering

To meet the growing needs of cannabis businesses, SoapBoxSample launches bi-monthly poll of cannabis consumers

SoapBoxSample announces its newest research solution for cannabis businesses, the CANNApinion Poll. With the rapid growth of the cannabis marketplace nationwide, brands need reliable consumer feedback to thrive in a crowded market. The CANNApinion Poll meets this need by providing a platform for the cannabis industry to ask their target audience relevant questions, allowing them to discover emerging  trends and areas of growth opportunity.

“As we’ve seen with other emerging industries, the brands who understand consumer segments and how to market to them are the ones who will become legacy brands. The CANNApinion Poll is a way for brands to gain direct access to their target market, and understand the why behind consumer purchasing habits,” said Jacqueline Rosales, SoapBoxSample COO.

Market experts predict that cannabis brands will soon compete for finite retail space in prime locations. Dispensaries and delivery services will be forced to make choices about their inventory. The CANNApinion Poll will help brands respond quickly to the needs of their customers, ensuring that their products are the ones that stay on the shelves.

A new wave of the CANNApinion Poll runs every two weeks to allow clients to get timely answers to their most urgent business questions. With each new wave, clients are given the opportunity to submit questions as they look to gain actionable insights into growing pains and growth barriers that are present within the cannabis consumer experience. Each wave consists of 8-10 questions to ensure cannabis consumers are actively engaged within the poll and contribute robust data. Clients can submit multiple choice questions, open-ended questions, and display product images or videos.

The CANNApinion Poll is the first cannabis-specific service within SoapBoxSample’s portfolio of products. SoapBoxSample is an early thought leader embracing the cannabis space, and has been actively conducting cannabis research since 2016. Clients rely on SoapBoxSample to develop new products, crowdsource ideas, test ads and branding, test products and concepts, track consumer habits online, and gather in-the-moment feedback.

Q-insights Announces the Launch of Driven by Q-insights™, a New Automotive Research Division

To meet the growing need for innovative automotive research, Q-insights has expanded to include Driven by Q-insights™ in their portfolio of products

The official launch of Driven by Q-insights™ was announced today. To meet the growing needs of clients and the automotive industry as a whole, Q-insights has developed a division dedicated specifically to all types of automotive research.

For over a decade, Q-insights has consistently demonstrated outstanding performance in the automotive research space due to their unprecedented ability to recruit a wide spectrum of owners — from basic entry-level vehicles up to exotic and high-performance sports and luxury vehicles. The team has distinguished themselves with their ability to recruit hundreds of car owners (and intenders) over a short period of time, and their aptitude for gathering open and honest feedback. Driven by Q-insights™ will solidify the company’s continued commitment to exceeding the expectations of their current and future automotive clients.

“We are very proud to launch Driven by Q-insights™, a division that grew simply by listening to our clients’ evolving needs. Our team’s proactive approach to difficult data collection and wide range of coordination skills has enabled us to successfully execute some truly unique research,” said Linda Giniewicz, Senior Vice President of Q-insights.

Engineered to provide targeted access, the Driven by Q-insights™ suite of automotive research solutions includes car clinics, usability tests, focus groups, online research, quantitive telephone interviews, qualitative telephone interviews, quantitative telephone-to-web interviews, and ethnographic in-home research. By creating a division built around the unique needs of the automotive industry, Q-insights is able to successfully execute automotive projects of every size and scope.

Recognizing the ever-changing needs of the market, and building a portfolio around those needs, is the foundation of Q-insights’ business strategy. Earlier this year, they officially opened their second focus group facility in Marina del Rey, California. This creative and comfortable space has been a favorite among clients because of it’s convenient location near the beach and LAX and it’s state-of-the-art facilities.

Emerging Thought Leadership from USCC Reveals Urgent Need for Consumer Research in the Cannabis Space

SoapBoxSample Announces the Launch of a New Cannabis Consumer Research Service

As competition heats up in the cannabis market, what factors will determine whether brands can survive “the green rush”?  One clear takeaway emerged from thought leaders at the US Cannabis Conference (USCC) in Phoenix last week – know your customers; they may not be who you think they are.

Business owners, investors and experts gathered at the USCC for an event focused on the new era of cannabis. SoapBoxSample led a session in partnership with Jupiter Research and ProGrowTech titled, “Will You Survive the Green Rush?” The session focused on how consumer research can help companies get the right message to the right audience at the right time. At the start of the session, Jacqueline Rosales, SoapBoxSample COO, took questions from the audience that were sent out to respondents in real time, providing attendees with immediate feedback from real consumers.

SoapBoxSample presented data collected from cannabis consumers – much of what they uncovered contrasted with current assumptions. One example was the startling statistic that while 1/3 of cannabis consumers are purchasing in dispensaries, only 12% trust dispensary employees as a source of information about new products. Companies that distribute their products in dispensaries left the event with a clear directive that opportunities to educate consumers are being left on the table.

To demonstrate their commitment to cannabis research and their passion for the cannabis industry, SoapBoxSample announced the launch of their new product — a bi-weekly survey of cannabis consumers built around the research needs of growing cannabis businesses. Clients will be able to tap into a custom-built resource, ask questions, and access insights – all at a low cost.

Kaila Strong, Dir. of Marketing for Jupiter Research, a vaporizer technology company, urged business leaders to take a more conscious approach in their marketing. “This type of research is useful for product testing, product development, allocation of budget and also our own internal understanding,” said Kaila. “The golden rule of marketing is that you don’t assume that you are your consumer.”

Andrew Myers, CEO of ProGrowTech, a company that builds high-end lighting solutions for large-scale grow operations emphasized the importance of research for his company as they move into direct-to-consumer sales and unveil new products for 2019.

Brands that are able to gather feedback from their customers in order to improve their products and marketing are the ones that will survive and emerge as leaders in the industry. “People are invested in this space because they believe in it, and they’re passionate about it,” said Jacqueline Rosales.

Read Another Cannabis News Release – Age, Gender Play a Role in Cannabis Consumer Habits

Cannabis Use and Buying Habits Influenced by Age/Gender, According to New Findings from SoapBoxSample

Generational Differences Play  a Role in the Cannabis Products Consumers are Choosing, and How They Describe Their Experience

New cannabis companies are launching everyday, and their success or failure will hinge on their ability to attract a loyal user base. SoapBoxSample conducted a comprehensive nation-wide survey of cannabis users, to find out whether demographic factors are influencing buying habits. It turns out that gender and age both play a role in users’ motivations and purchasing habits.

Women are more likely than men to use cannabis as an anxiety or stress reliever (60% of women reported using it for this purpose compared to 53% of men). More men reported using cannabis for enjoyment (49%) than women (35%). The biggest difference between the genders is among those who say they consume cannabis to socialize. While 31% of men say they are social users, only of 17% of women are.

Men have different motivations for using cannabis. According to SoapBoxSample’s study, they also have different considerations when it comes to choosing new products. Men are more concerned about the potency of products than women (57% of men say this is a consideration when choosing new products to try, compared to 50% of women). Quality of construction is another factor that men (30%) are more likely to consider than women (25%) when choosing a new cannabis product.

A whopping 91% of Milennials who responded to SoapBoxSample’s survey said they have used cannabis in the last 90 days. They are more likely than other age groups to say they use cannabis for social reasons. 26% of Millennials say they use cannabis to socialize. 19% of Gen Xers and 18% of Baby Boomers reported the same. The generation most likely to use cannabis simply for the enjoyment of it – Baby Boomers (44%).

When it comes to assessing new cannabis products they might like to try, every generation reports that price is their biggest concern. Every generation cited potency as their second greatest concern, with the notable exception of Millennials — who reported a greater concern over safety than potency.

SoapBoxSample was also interested in learning if there is a significant difference between age groups in the way they describe using cannabis. Overall, “weed” is the most popular slang term for cannabis. However, Baby Boomers are also partial to the term “pot,” 31% prefer this term, compared to 20% of Gen Xers. “Pot” did not even crack the top three for Millennials, who like to call cannabis “weed”(35%), “marijuana”(16%), and “bud”(10%).

The survey results presented in this press release are part of a larger study of cannabis users (N=1,003) and non-users (N=502), fielded between June 28, 2018 and July 2, 2018, with a margin of error of +/- 3%.

Read Another Cannabis News Release – In the Cannabis Market, Big Spenders Plan to be Bigger Spenders

Asian Americans More Optimistic About the American Economy Than Hispanic Americans

According to a recent poll from Los Angeles based SoapBoxSample, 32% of Hispanics believe they will be worse off next year compared to this year

 

Accurate forecasting for the 2018 midterm election requires a broad view of the American electorate. SoapBoxSample conducted a nation-wide poll to find out how Asian Americans and Hispanic Americans are feeling about what’s happening in the national political scene. It should be noted that there are many sub-groups within both categories, and people with vastly different experiences. However, the poll revealed that there are some notable differences among Hispanics and Asians in their sentiments about the current political climate.

Overall, Americans as a whole are optimistic about the state of the economy. Asians (41%) are more likely than Hispanics (28%) to say they are somewhat optimistic about the American economy. When it comes to assessing how they will be affected personally, Hispanics are more pessimistic than Asians. When asked if they think they will be better off next year compared to this year, 32% of Hispanics said worse while 18% of Asians said they believe they will be worse off. Nearly half of everyone polled said they would be about the same next year.

According to The Gallup Poll, congressional approval has been hovering steadily between 15% and 20% for the last 17 months. (Down from the average of 30% from the time Gallup began measuring Congressional approval.) Feelings about Congress vary slightly among Hispanics and Asian Americans. Asians (24%) are more likely than Hispanics (13%) to somewhat approve, while Hispanics (33%) are more likely than Asians (19%) to strongly disapprove.

Compared to Asian Americans, Hispanics are more disapproving of the job that President Trump is doing and Hispanics are less likely to support Republican candidates in the November election. Among all respondents, 59% somewhat/strongly disapprove of the job President Trump is doing. Hispanics (56%) are more likely than Asians (40%) to strongly disapprove. Asians (20%) are more likely than Hispanics (9%) to somewhat approve. Hispanics are the group least likely to vote Republican. While 23% of all respondents said they would support Republican candidates in the upcoming election, only 10% of Hispanic respondents said they would support Republicans.

The survey did not reveal a significant difference between ethnic groups in their sentiments toward Brett Kavanaugh, the Supreme Court nominee accused of sexual misconduct. Based on what they know so far about Brett Kavanaugh, 32% of people who took our survey said they do not support his confirmation to the Supreme Court. 24% said they do support his confirmation, 18% are not sure and 26% have not been following the topic. (This poll was conducted prior to the testimony of Dr. Christine Blasey Ford.)

Television came out on top as the preferred source of information, with 52% of respondents reporting that TV news is their primary news source. For Asian Americans, this number is lower. While 55% of Hispanics say television is their top source, 39% of Asians prefer TV news. Asians (20%) are more likely than other groups (8%) to read content/articles posted on social media.

In November, Democratic candidates will have a strong opportunity to mobilize Hispanic and Asian voters who are disappointed with Trump and unsure about the state of the economy. However, voter participation rates will play a big role in determining the final outcome, as voter turnout is traditionally lower in midterm elections. As political scientists and the media seek data to help predict the 2018 election, SoapBoxSample, part of the ISA Family of Companies, is working to provide the most accurate data about general and niche populations for richer analysis and insights.