Loyalty matters more than ever in cannabis retail, but does it have to be expensive? Absolutely not. Whether you're a single-location dispensary or a growing multi-store brand, affordable cannabis loyalty solutions exist that don’t drain your budget.
Here’s how to build a loyalty program that keeps your customers coming back - without overspending.
Why Loyalty Is Critical for Dispensaries
With fierce competition and high customer acquisition costs, keeping your existing customers is where real profitability lies. Loyalty programs can:
Increase purchase frequency
Boost average order value
Improve customer retention
Encourage word-of-mouth marketing
But traditional loyalty solutions, especially SMS-based ones - can come with unexpected costs like 10DLC compliance fees, carrier surcharges, and monthly texting charges.
What Makes Loyalty Expensive?
Here’s where loyalty programs typically rack up costs:
SMS marketing: Carrier fees, compliance costs, and per-message charges
Complex integrations: Time-consuming POS syncing or custom tech stacks
Staff workload: Manual enrollment, explaining promotions, and managing redemptions
That’s why many dispensaries are looking for low-cost, automated loyalty options.
Smarter, More Affordable Alternatives
Let’s look at budget-friendly loyalty tactics dispensaries can implement now:
1. Use Digital Wallet Passes Instead of SMS
Instead of sending multiple SMS messages that charge per text, wallet passes sit directly in a customer’s Apple Wallet or Google Wallet. You can push updates, offers, and loyalty rewards for free, no per-message costs, and no 10DLC headaches.
Sticky Cards offers this exact solution, allowing dispensaries to send push notifications via wallet passes - a smart, scalable alternative to SMS.
2. Automate Loyalty Enrollment
Don’t rely on your budtenders to manually enroll every customer. Use:
QR codes in-store for instant signup
Links via email or receipt
Geofence-triggered links when customers visit your store
Sticky Cards integrates with dispensary POS systems and automates this flow with zero extra staff time.
3. Set Simple Rewards Tiers
You don’t need a complex point system to start. Offer:
A free pre-roll on the third visit
Double points on slow days
“Show this wallet pass for 10% off”
Simple, easy-to-redeem offers are both effective and cost-efficient.
4. Track Loyalty Value, Not Just Spend
Use loyalty to track:
Who your repeat customers are
What campaigns drive repeat visits
Which customers refer friends
Affordable loyalty isn’t just about rewards - it’s about data.
Avoid These Loyalty Budget Traps
Don’t overpay for SMS-only platforms. They can cost 3–5x more per month once you scale.
Skip generic punch cards. They're easy to lose and don’t collect data.
Avoid loyalty apps that customers have to download. Friction = abandonment.
Affordable Loyalty with Sticky Cards
Sticky Cards helps dispensaries run affordable cannabis loyalty programs with:
No SMS costs
No apps
No manual work for your staff
Push notifications through wallet passes
Real-time POS sync for accurate tracking
And it all costs less than a single SMS campaign per month.
Final Thought
You don’t need a big marketing budget to build loyal customers. With wallet-first tools and automation, you can create a standout cannabis loyalty experience at a fraction of the cost.
