Marketing Your Mobile App

You have a branded app. The next job is getting customers to download it and keep using it. The good news: as a dispensary, your single best marketing channel is already right in front of you, your store. This guide covers how to drive downloads, get customers opted in to notifications, and keep them coming back.

Start In Your Store

Your customers are already walking through your door, which makes the counter your highest-converting place to promote the app. Make downloading fast and obvious:

• Put a QR code everywhere customers look. At checkout, on counter cards, window clings, and receipts. A quick scan should take them straight to the download. (Your DopeTech rep can provide your app's download link and QR code.)
• Have your budtenders ask. A simple "scan this to download our app and get [offer]" at checkout converts better than any ad you could buy. Consider a small incentive for staff who drive downloads.
• Make it visible. Signage and counter displays that show the app and a clear reason to get it.

Give Customers a Reason to Download

A download needs a payoff. Give customers something they only get in the app:

• An app-exclusive deal or a first-order discount for downloading.
• Loyalty points for downloading or ordering in-app.
• App-only specials and early access to new drops.

The goal is simple: make your app the best place to shop with you.

Use the Channels You Already Have

You likely have an audience already. Point it at the app:

• Email and SMS lists: tell your existing customers to download, with a reason why.
• Your website: add a clear "Get the App" call to action so site visitors become app users.
• Social media and your Google Business Profile: wherever customers already find you, link the download.

Get Customers to Turn On Notifications

Downloading is step one. Getting customers opted in to push notifications is what keeps them. Your app prompts customers to turn on notifications each time they open it until they opt in, so give them a reason to say yes: "Turn on notifications for first dibs on drops and deals." Push is your most direct line back to customers, so the bigger your opted-in audience, the more your campaigns can do.

Keep Customers Coming Back

Downloads only pay off if people keep using the app. Build the habit:

• Send timely push campaigns. Check your Peak Ordering Times in Analytics and send when customers are most active. See Sending Push Notifications.
• Run app-exclusive collections and specials so there's always a reason to open the app.
• Target the right customers with audiences. Win back lapsed shoppers, reward your VIPs, and welcome first-timers with the right message. See Audience Recipes That Drive Engagement.
• Keep it relevant. Personalized, well-timed messages keep customers engaged; constant blasts train them to tune you out.

Track What's Working

Let your numbers guide you. In Analytics, watch New Users to see downloads converting into customers, Orders Over Time to see app ordering grow, and your campaign results to see what drives activity. Lean into what works and adjust what doesn't.

A Quick Compliance Note

Cannabis advertising is regulated and the rules vary by state. Many mainstream ad platforms restrict cannabis, which is exactly why your owned channels (your store, your opted-in email and SMS lists, your website, and the app itself) do the heavy lifting. Keep promotions compliant with your local rules, avoid health or medical claims, and follow your state's requirements on advertising deals and discounts.