Cannabis Marketing · New York

New York's
Cannabis Marketing Agency

Queens-Based · NYC Metro · Long Island · Westchester · Upstate

Gold Standard Solutions is a New York-based cannabis marketing agency built exclusively for dispensaries. We drive revenue through email, SMS, loyalty programs, brand identity, and full omnichannel strategy, all designed for New York's regulated market.

$1.82B
Cannabis Revenue (YTD
610+
Licensed Dispensaries
19.5M
New York Residents
New York
Active Market
Market Opportunity
$1.82B
Cannabis Revenue (YTD
610+
Licensed Dispensaries
$1.82B
Cannabis Revenue (YTD 2026)
Market Revenue
610+
Licensed Dispensaries
Licensed Retail
19.5M
New York Residents
Market Size
#1
Fastest-Growing State Market
Market Position
The New York Market

Marketing cannabis in New York
requires a specialist

New York's cannabis market is one of the most competitive, and most regulated, in the country. Generic marketing agencies don't understand this market. We do.

Dense Urban Competition
NYC has more dispensaries per square mile than any other market. Standing out requires precision targeting, strong brand identity, and a loyal customer base built through email and SMS, not just foot traffic.
Strict OCM Regulations
New York's Office of Cannabis Management has specific rules on advertising, promotions, and customer communications. Every campaign we run is reviewed for OCM compliance before it goes live.
Hyperlocal Audiences
A Brooklyn customer shops differently than a Westchester customer. We segment and customize messaging by neighborhood, borough, and region so your marketing resonates locally, not generically.
Platform Restrictions
Google, Meta, and most ad platforms heavily restrict cannabis advertising. We focus on the channels that actually work for NY dispensaries, email, SMS, loyalty, SEO, and compliant programmatic display.
Proven NY Track Record
We've generated over $1M in revenue for individual New York dispensaries. Our clients include locations in Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, Long Island, and Westchester with documented, verifiable results.
Industry-Only Focus
We work exclusively in cannabis. No auto dealers, no restaurants, no real estate. Every strategy, template, and playbook we've built is specific to dispensary retail in the New York market.
Markets We Serve

Serving dispensaries across
New York State

From Manhattan flagship stores to suburban multi-location operators, we understand the unique dynamics of each New York cannabis market.

New York City

The nation's largest urban cannabis market. We help NYC dispensaries build loyal customer bases across all five boroughs with targeted email and SMS campaigns designed for high-volume, high-competition retail.

Brooklyn·Manhattan·Queens·Bronx·Staten Island

Marketing Focus

Retention-first marketing tailored to this market. Email and SMS campaigns, loyalty programs, and brand positioning built for the competitive dynamics and customer demographics unique to this area.

Long Island

Long Island's suburban dispensary market demands strong loyalty programs and repeat-purchase strategies. We've built campaigns for dispensary chains spanning multiple Long Island locations driving consistent revenue per send.

Nassau · Suffolk

Marketing Focus

Retention-first marketing tailored to this market. Email and SMS campaigns, loyalty programs, and brand positioning built for the competitive dynamics and customer demographics unique to this area.

Westchester County

Westchester's affluent suburban market responds to premium brand positioning and personalized loyalty rewards. We've delivered measurable results for Westchester dispensaries competing against NYC spillover traffic.

White Plains · Yonkers · New Rochelle

Marketing Focus

Retention-first marketing tailored to this market. Email and SMS campaigns, loyalty programs, and brand positioning built for the competitive dynamics and customer demographics unique to this area.

Hudson Valley

The Hudson Valley's cannabis market blends local community ties with tourist-driven foot traffic. We build seasonal campaigns and local activation strategies that maximize both resident loyalty and visitor conversion.

Newburgh · Kingston · Poughkeepsie

Marketing Focus

Retention-first marketing tailored to this market. Email and SMS campaigns, loyalty programs, and brand positioning built for the competitive dynamics and customer demographics unique to this area.

Upstate New York

Upstate markets have lower dispensary density but strong community loyalty potential. We help upstate operators build the kind of customer relationships that make them the go-to dispensary in their region.

Albany · Buffalo · Syracuse · Rochester

Marketing Focus

Retention-first marketing tailored to this market. Email and SMS campaigns, loyalty programs, and brand positioning built for the competitive dynamics and customer demographics unique to this area.

Multi-Location Operators

Running 2, 3, or 5+ locations across New York? We build centralized marketing systems that keep each location's messaging local and relevant while operating under one unified brand strategy.

Chains · Groups · DSOs

Marketing Focus

Retention-first marketing tailored to this market. Email and SMS campaigns, loyalty programs, and brand positioning built for the competitive dynamics and customer demographics unique to this area.

Our Services

Everything a New York dispensary
needs to grow

Four core service lines, all built for the New York cannabis market. Use one or all four.

Email & SMS
Email & SMS Retention

Managed email and SMS built for NYC-density competition. Borough-level segmentation, gray-market win-back sequences, and CAURD-operator onboarding flows on Alpine IQ, SpringBig, or Dutchie. Our Brooklyn and Queens dispensary clients average $12.35 revenue per message sent.

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Identity Resolution
Identity Resolution

New York's fast-growing licensed dispensary market generates massive web traffic. Identity resolution captures anonymous visitors at $0.25 per lead across the state, from NYC storefronts to upstate locations.

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Programmatic
Programmatic Advertising

CTV streaming and programmatic display across New York's major DMAs. Geo-fenced campaigns targeting competitor dispensaries, transit hubs, and high-traffic commercial corridors from Manhattan to Buffalo.

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Direct Mail
Direct Mail & EDDM

EDDM campaigns targeting New York residential routes around your dispensary. Physical mailers that reach the neighborhoods and communities driving your foot traffic in the most competitive cannabis market in the country.

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Custom AI Tools
Custom AI Tools

Predictive analytics, automated reporting, AI-powered chatbots, and custom dashboards built for New York cannabis retailers. Real-time inventory insights, customer behavior modeling, and operational intelligence tailored to New York's regulatory landscape and market dynamics.

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ROI Calculator
Project your New York dispensary revenue
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Monthly Revenue
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Annual Revenue
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ROI on Spend
Advanced calculator with more inputs → SumWize
Proven Results

Real numbers from
real New York dispensaries

Every number below is from an actual New York dispensary we've worked with. No projections, no estimates.

Brooklyn Luxury Retail · 2 Locations
$1.7M+
Monthly marketing revenue driven across our dispensary portfolio
Long Island & Brooklyn Chain · 3 Outlets
44.7%
Top client email open rate, strict attribution verified
Williamsburg Brooklyn
5.08%
Top SMS conversion rate documented in a single month
Manhattan Flatiron District
$128
Highest strict-attribution SMS average order value
Westchester County
1,019
Monthly conversions tracked at a single dispensary location
Park Slope Brooklyn
$127K
Top single-client monthly revenue under strict attribution
New York Case Studies

How we've grown
New York dispensaries

These are real New York dispensaries in competitive markets. Every number comes from a live client platform.

Case Study · Queens

Queen's #1 Revenue-Generating Dispensary

A two-location dispensary in Queens came to us with a loyalty list they had never marketed to. We built their entire email and SMS infrastructure on Alpine IQ, segmented their audience by purchase history and visit frequency, then launched a full campaign calendar: weekly promotions, lifecycle flows (welcome, post-purchase, win-back at 30/60/90 days), and loyalty milestone nudges.

Within 12 months, that dormant list turned into a revenue engine. The dispensary went from zero marketing attribution to generating $2.83M in total revenue through our campaigns, with 181,764 email and SMS conversions tracked through the platform.

$2,829,430
Total Revenue Generated
181,764
Email / SMS Conversions
2 Locations
Queens, NY
Case Study · Manhattan

$1,919 Member Lifetime Value in Manhattan's Most Competitive Market

A Manhattan retail dispensary was competing against dozens of licensed and unlicensed shops within a few blocks. They needed a way to bring customers back after the first visit. We built a loyalty program with tiered rewards and automated post-purchase flows that followed up within 24 hours of every transaction.

The result: a $1,919 average member lifetime value and a 75% peak campaign open rate. Repeat customers now account for the majority of their weekly revenue, which means they are far less dependent on foot traffic and location alone.

75%
Peak Campaign Open Rate
$1,919
Member Lifetime Value
Case Study · Brooklyn & Long Island

$1.17M Generated Across a 3-Location Chain

A dispensary chain with three outlets spanning Long Island and Brooklyn needed a unified marketing system that could still deliver localized messaging. We built a centralized campaign architecture on their CRM that allowed us to run location-specific promotions while maintaining consistent branding and compliance across all three stores.

Each location's audience was segmented by geography and purchase behavior, so the Brooklyn customer got different product recommendations than the Long Island customer. The chain generated $1,176,624 in total attributable revenue, averaging $10.89 generated per message sent.

$1,176,624
Total Revenue Generated
$10.89
Generated Per Send
3 Locations
Brooklyn & Long Island
What Our NY Clients Say

Dispensary owners across New York
on working with Gold Standard

Working with Gold Standard has been a game-changer for our dispensary. Stephen and his team really know the industry inside and out. They've been instrumental in helping us grow and expand our brand, always bringing fresh ideas and a strategic approach to the table. If you're looking to take your retail or brand to the next level, Gold Standard is the team you want by your side.

Jeremy Rivera
Owner, Multi-Location Dispensary · Queens, NY

Gold Standard is a premium marketing agency known for growing brands in competitive industries and has been an intricate part in our development. Stephen has been instrumental in building our online and physical presence, significantly enhancing our Instagram following and developing our website to be both user-friendly and aligned with the brand's identity.

Edgar Kleydman
Owner, NYC Dispensary · New York

Working with Steve has been the best choice we could have made for our dispensary. He's always responsive, quick to answer questions, and truly cares about helping us succeed. His advice has been spot-on and has really helped bring our vision to life. We couldn't ask for a better advisor.

Renee Lee
Owner, NYC Dispensary · New York
Why Gold Standard

What makes us different from
other cannabis marketing agencies

Most agencies that claim to do cannabis marketing are generalists who added cannabis to their client list. They run the same playbook they use for restaurants or fitness studios and hope it works. It does not, because cannabis has restrictions those industries do not face, and the customer behavior patterns are completely different.

Gold Standard Solutions was built from day one exclusively for cannabis retail. Our founder's experience in cannabis goes back to 2014, launching one of the first online deals platforms for dispensaries in Oregon and Washington at the start of legalization. Before founding GSS, our team helped drive over $30M in annual recurring revenue at a leading cannabis technology platform and managed brand and growth strategy across 30+ MSO locations.

We are based in Astoria, Queens, in the middle of the New York cannabis market. We are inside dispensaries in Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, Long Island, and Westchester every month. We attend every major cannabis event in the state. That physical presence means we know your market from the inside: what Astoria customers respond to versus what works in Park Slope versus what drives traffic in White Plains.

Since 2023, we have served 23 cannabis dispensary clients, managing $170M+ in client revenue, with loyalty programs totaling over 370,000 members. Every engagement is month-to-month with no long-term contracts because we are confident enough in the results to never need one.

$170M+
Revenue Generated for Clients
23
Cannabis Clients Served
370K+
Loyalty Members Built
30+
Years Combined Experience
Compliance & Regulations

We know New York's
cannabis advertising rules

The OCM sets strict guidelines on how, where, and to whom dispensaries can market. We handle these so you don't have to.

Age-gated communications only. Every email and SMS list we manage is verified 21+ before any campaign goes out. No exceptions.
No health or medical claims. We write copy that drives urgency and loyalty without making any claims that could trigger OCM enforcement or platform flags.
Compliant promotional language. New York restricts certain types of discount advertising for cannabis. Our team knows exactly what's allowed and what isn't.
Platform-approved creative. Email and SMS platforms have their own content rules on top of state law. We build creative that passes review on Alpine IQ, SpringBig, and Dutchie without delays.
Paid social is unreliable for cannabis. Meta and Instagram cannabis product ads are frequently flagged and removed. We focus on the channels that consistently work without platform volatility.

NY Cannabis Marketing: What's Allowed

Email Marketing (21+ list) Allowed
SMS Campaigns (opt-in) Allowed
Loyalty Programs Allowed
SEO & Organic Search Allowed
Programmatic Display (geo-fenced) Allowed
Google / Meta Paid Ads Restricted
Billboard / OOH Advertising Restricted
Frequently Asked Questions

Cannabis marketing in New York:
what dispensary owners ask us

Our services start at $1,500 per month for single-location dispensaries, which includes fully managed email and SMS campaigns, loyalty program management, and monthly reporting. Multi-location operators and clients who add omnichannel advertising or identity resolution typically invest $3,000 to $7,000 per month depending on scope. Every engagement is month-to-month with no long-term contracts.
Yes, but with restrictions. The Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) sets rules on age-gating, health claims, and promotional language. Google and Meta heavily restrict cannabis ads, but channels like email, SMS, loyalty programs, SEO, CTV streaming, programmatic display, and geofencing all work for New York dispensaries when managed with proper compliance. We handle all compliance review so nothing goes live that could trigger enforcement.
We work with whatever platform you are already on, including Alpine IQ, SpringBig, Dutchie, Klaviyo, and others. If you are starting from scratch, we will recommend the right platform based on your POS system, list size, and goals. Most of our New York clients run on Alpine IQ or SpringBig. We handle all the setup, configuration, and ongoing campaign management.
Most clients are fully onboarded with their first campaign live within two weeks of signing. We handle the platform setup, creative, audience segmentation, and compliance review. You point us to your customer list and POS system, and we handle the rest.
The gray market competes on price and convenience. Licensed dispensaries win by building customer relationships that unlicensed shops cannot replicate: loyalty programs with real rewards, personalized communications based on purchase history, and a trusted brand that customers return to week after week. Our entire strategy is built around turning first-time visitors into repeat customers with measurable lifetime value. We wrote a full guide on beating the gray market if you want the detailed playbook.
Yes. We serve dispensaries across all of New York State, including Long Island, Westchester, the Hudson Valley, and upstate markets like Albany, Buffalo, and Syracuse. We also work with dispensaries in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and Massachusetts.

Ready to grow your
New York dispensary?

Queens-based. Cannabis-only. No contracts. First campaign live in 2 weeks.

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