Why Loyalty Matters More Than Ever in 2025
As cannabis becomes more mainstream and markets more saturated, loyalty is your competitive moat. In 2025, dispensaries are investing less in paid ads and more in building owned channels and direct customer relationships.
From AI-powered rewards to SMS-free engagement, let’s break down the biggest cannabis loyalty trends for 2025 that will shape dispensary marketing this year.
Top 7 Cannabis Loyalty Trends in 2025
1. Wallet-Based Loyalty Is Replacing Apps
App fatigue is real. Dispensary customers don’t want to download another app - they want speed, simplicity, and access from their home screen.
What’s trending:
Apple/Google Wallet passes for digital loyalty cards
Push notifications that don’t require SMS or apps
Real-time updates with current point balance, offers, and rewards
Why it matters:
Wallet-based loyalty sees 3x higher adoption and 2x repeat visit rates compared to traditional apps.
2. Push > SMS for Engagement and Compliance
In the wake of 10DLC regulations, dispensaries are ditching SMS in favor of push notifications via mobile wallets and loyalty passes.
Benefits include:
Zero SMS fees
No opt-in friction
Instant updates on lock screens
Fully compliant with carrier restrictions
2025 is the year push loyalty replaces pay-per-text marketing.
3. Tiered & Gamified Rewards Drive Retention
Flat point-per-dollar programs are fading. In their place, smart dispensaries are introducing gamified tiers and status-based perks.
Popular trends:
Bronze/Silver/Gold levels
Birthday + milestone bonuses
Tiered offers based on customer behavior
Gamification = longer lifetime value. Customers are staying engaged longer and spending more to reach the next tier.
4. Integrated Loyalty
Loyalty isn’t a separate system - it’s embedded in your POS. Whether you're on Flowhub, Treez, Dutchie, or TechPOS, modern retailers are issuing loyalty automatically:
What’s trending:
Wallet passes issued instantly
No apps or punch cards
No additional hardware or software
The result: More enrollments, less friction, and real-time engagement.
5. Data-Driven Retargeting Using Loyalty Signals
In 2025, loyalty programs double as first-party data engines. Retailers are using loyalty data to:
Retarget inactive customers
Trigger personalized promos
Segment by spend, visits, product preferences
Better data = better retention. And it's all privacy-safe, owned by the retailer - not a third party.
6. Budtender Loyalty Training Is a Priority
Your loyalty program is only as strong as your staff. Dispensaries are investing in budtender enablement to drive:
In-store signups
Upsells based on rewards
Customer education on tiers and perks
Budtender incentives tied to enrollments and usage are trending in 2025.
7. Compliance-Safe Loyalty Is a Must
With tightening regulations around advertising, data sharing, and SMS, dispensaries need loyalty solutions that check all the boxes:
SMS-free?
HIPAA-compliant?
Data privacy safe?
Solutions like Sticky Cards offer wallet-based loyalty that’s seamless, automated, and fully compliant.
Loyalty Is the New Growth Engine in Cannabis
In 2025, winning dispensaries aren't just selling - they’re retaining. They're making loyalty a seamless, mobile-first, push-enabled experience that drives visits and deepens relationships.
The best part? It's not about offering bigger discounts. It's about building smarter, stickier loyalty.
