The August 2020 issue of mg magazine features an article co-authored by Adriana Hemans, Director of Demand and Special Projects for SoapBoxSample. In the spring of 2020, two consumer insights companies, SoapBoxSample and KNow Research, joined forces to explore consumer behaviors, needs, and preferences around the gifting and sharing of cannabis products for special occasions, including holidays. They gained rich insights into the category—ones that can provide gifting options at a wide array of holidays and for a variety of recipients. Here they share what they learned about what brands and retailers can do to make their products relevant, appealing, gift-able, and share-able.
Defining A Gift
Throughout the course of the study, we heard many definitions of “gifting” and what constitutes a “gift.” We came across three main cannabis gifting attitudes:
- Traditional Gifter: Some define a gift as something presented, typically in a package with a bow. “I got some chocolate-covered cannabis strawberries for Valentine’s Day from my husband,” one participant said. “There weren’t many. I kind of wanted to save them for myself, so he didn’t get any.”
- Shared-experience Gifter: Purchasing something to enjoy together was not necessarily a gift, even if the item was purchased with the holiday in mind. Rather, cannabis often can be a component of a shared experience that makes the holiday special. When asked why they wouldn’t consider cannabis a Valentine’s “gift,” one of these gifters clarified: “It’s more routine than a gift, because my husband and I smoke on a regular basis.” For these gifters, experiencing the cannabis gift together is part of the giftgiving experience.
- Altruistic Gifter: Some give without an expectation of sharing. Some used cannabis as a “hostess gift,” so the host or hostess could decide whether he or she wanted to share with guests or save the gift for later. Other altruistic gifters gifted with only the recipient’s pleasure in mind. “My friends and I took a road trip and the driver brought some candies for everyone to have, so she kind of gifted us a little bag of hard candies for each of us, for fun,” one participant revealed.
To gain more cannabis gifting insights, download the full issue of mg Magazine.
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