August 16, 2023

Virginia Maggiore Speaks on Retail Design Institute’s First Webinar

The Retail Design Institute of Southern California hosted their first webinar last month in a one-hour session that drew operators, designers, and professionals from across the cannabis industry. Titled, Cannabis Dispensary Design: A Virtual Symposium, this webinar explored the unique design process of building a dispensary store, from the seedlings of an idea to the flowering of a new industry.

This captivating webinar was lead by seasoned cannabis industry experts, including Virginia Maggiore, Principal of RDC and Vice President of RDI SoCal, Michael Hale, Founder & Creative Director at retail REHAB and Treasurer of RDI SoCal, and Suzanne Sottile, Owner of Visualeyes Design and Director of Visual Merchandising + Design at Noble Herb.

Featuring case studies from some of the most innovative dispensaries in the U.S., including Green Goddess, The Artist Tree, South Bay Canna Clinic, and more, this webinar shared invaluable information for both current and prospective operators, as well as anyone involved in the designing, branding, or merchandising of a dispensary.

Site Selection, Store Design, and Compliance for Cannabis

Virginia Maggiore kicked off the webinar with a discussion on site selection, store design, and compliance, focusing on the attributes that make a good retail store and how the regulations that govern dispensaries impact store design and customer flow

“The product on the floor that you see in most dispensaries is fake. It’s typically bags of rice or beans, or just empty cardboard boxes. Anything that is a controlled substance is going to be behind glass or locked in some way,” said Virginia. “But regulations are changing and some cities are now allowing [cannabis] to be on the floor.”

As the industry matures, a wider customer-base is also accepting cannabis. Virginia explained how owners need to consider both inexperienced and veteran cannabis consumers when designing their dispensary layouts.

“Some customers are not going to be familiar with cannabis yet, so wayfinding, like signage on the walls, digital screens, or some sort of digital tablets to help educate [customers] on the product are really great features in dispensaries,” said Virginia.

Additionally, the cannabis industry is becoming more saturated, and Virginia touched on how dispensary design can help set a store apart from competition.

“I think there is a level of sophistication that is coming to dispensaries across the country,” said Virginia. “Customers are coming in and dropping a lot of money on product, so they really want to see some unique features to the brand. And with the quantity of dispensaries in every city growing every day, you really have to differentiate yourself – find what’s going to set your brand apart.”

Dispensary Theming, Branding, and Marketing

The second webinar panelist was Michael Hale, who discussed the importance of creating an experience for customers.

“You want that experience to not feel like it’s the bare minimum,” said Michael. “It’s not about mass merchandising. It’s much more about being a showroom.”

Modern dispensaries are looking for ways to elevate the customer experience, and Michael educated attendees on how this can be accomplished by incorporating the theme into the store’s branding, marketing, and merchandising.

“A lot of clients will already have a theme that’s centered around what their store or brand’s identity is,” said Michael. “You want to take that theming into the merchandising [by] integrating elements that make sense to that theme.”

Michael provided examples of a few dispensary case studies that did this well, including The Set’s use of movie studio elements and marquees in the store design and product displays. He then spoke on the use of technology in dispensaries as a meaningful way to educate and engage customers.

“It really makes sense to have digital screens as menu boards because the products will change constantly, the prices and grams available will change constantly, as well as the vendors supplying those,” said Michael. “[Customers] really are looking for dispensaries to up the ante when it comes to store design and integration of marketing materials within the space.”

Cannabis Visual Merchandising, Soft Goods, and Accessories

The last segment of the webinar was led by Suzanne Sottile who began with a talk about visual merchandising of cannabis products, including branded items and accessories.

“The biggest challenges that I have found [are] theft and keeping empty product boxes looking good. Even if they are glued down, people will still try to rip them up and then they aren’t always looking so great,” said Suzanne. “A lot of dispensaries have everything under glass so that’s a little easier to merchandise because people aren’t touching it.”

Suzanne also discussed the opportunities provided by dispensary shop-in-shops, or fixtures and display areas rented out by product or accessory brands within the cannabis retailer.

“A great way to make more revenue for your dispensary is to lease out spaces,” said Suzanne. “[But] the dispensary may want to limit vendor fixturing to leased spaces to keep the aesthetic. We want to keep the look of the store without it getting too crazy with all kinds of vendor displays in it.”

The conversation continued to the merchandising of house-branded items to promote the dispensary, such as hats or t-shirts, as well as the display of cannabis accessories.

“With paraphernalia and accessories such as glassware, we’ve found that they really need to be in a locked case because things get broken in a dispensary,” Suzanne. “It’s just better to have the on-floor staff come, unlock it, show them the items, and talk to them about it. It’s better for the dispensary and it’s a better experience for the customer.”

Following a slideshow which included case studies and examples of the expert’s work, the webinar concluded with an opportunity for attendees to ask questions.

How Can RDC Help?

RDC’s team of architects and designers have worked extensively with retailers in the cannabis industry. Our team works with dispensary owners to design and buildout optimal user experiences and aesthetics!