Most dispensary operators track some version of marketing metrics, but they're tracking the wrong ones or tracking the right ones without context. Open rate means nothing without revenue attribution. List size means nothing without engagement quality. And impressions mean nothing without foot traffic conversion.
After managing marketing programs for 50+ dispensaries, we have identified the ten metrics that actually predict whether a dispensary marketing program is working. For each metric, we provide the industry benchmark, what "good" looks like among our clients, and the lever you can pull to improve it.
1. Revenue Per Message (RPM)
Revenue per message is the single most important metric in dispensary marketing. It measures the total attributable revenue generated divided by the number of messages sent (email or SMS). This metric captures the combined effect of deliverability, open rate, click rate, and conversion rate in a single number that directly ties to your bottom line.
How to improve it: Segment your audience. A message about flower deals sent to customers who only buy edibles generates $0 in RPM. Match your content to purchase history and watch RPM climb. Our clients who implement purchase-based segmentation see RPM increase 40% to 80% within 60 days.
2. Open Rate
Open rate measures the percentage of delivered emails that were opened. In cannabis, open rates tend to be higher than general retail because customers have opted in specifically to receive cannabis deals and promotions. A declining open rate signals list fatigue, poor subject lines, or deliverability issues.
How to improve it: Test subject lines relentlessly. Use personalization (first name, preferred product category). Send at optimal times based on your customer data, not generic best practices. And clean your list quarterly by removing subscribers who haven't opened in 6 months.
3. Click-Through Rate (CTR)
Click-through rate measures the percentage of email recipients who clicked a link. In dispensary marketing, clicks typically go to your online menu, a specific product page, or a loyalty program page. CTR tells you whether your email content is compelling enough to drive action after the open.
How to improve it: Reduce the number of links per email. Emails with a single clear call to action outperform those with 5 or 6 competing links. Make your primary CTA visually dominant and action-oriented: "Shop Today's Deals" outperforms "Click Here."
4. Opt-In Rate
Opt-in rate is the percentage of in-store transactions that result in a new email or SMS opt-in. This metric measures how effectively your budtenders are capturing customer contact information during checkout. It's the top of your marketing funnel, and a low opt-in rate constrains everything downstream.
How to improve it: Train your budtenders with a specific script: "Would you like to join our loyalty program? You'll earn points on this purchase and get $5 off next time." Tie opt-in performance to staff incentives. Display the value proposition on signage at every register. The dispensaries hitting 65%+ opt-in rates do all three.
5. List Growth Rate
List growth rate measures the net change in your subscriber list each month: new opt-ins minus unsubscribes and bounces. A healthy list grows every month. A stagnant or declining list means your marketing reach, and therefore your revenue ceiling, is shrinking.
How to improve it: Diversify your opt-in sources beyond the register. Add captures to your online menu, website pop-ups, event sign-ups, and social media. Run periodic "rejoin" campaigns to re-engage customers who've opted out. Target 10%+ monthly growth until your list reaches 80% of your active customer base.
6. Customer Lifetime Value (LTV)
Customer lifetime value is the total revenue a customer generates over their relationship with your dispensary. LTV is the metric that justifies your acquisition and retention spend. A customer with an LTV of $2,000 is worth significantly more investment than one worth $400, and your marketing should treat them differently.
How to improve it: Focus on visit frequency and average order value simultaneously. Loyalty programs are the primary LTV lever: members visit 40% more often and spend 15 to 20% more per visit. Automated post-purchase and win-back flows keep customers active and prevent churn, which directly extends LTV.
7. Visit Frequency
Visit frequency measures how often your customers return in a given period. Higher frequency means higher LTV and stronger brand loyalty. This metric should be tracked across segments: loyalty members vs. non-members, email subscribers vs. non-subscribers, and by acquisition source.
How to improve it: Weekly SMS campaigns with day-specific deals create habit-forming visit patterns. "Monday Munchie Deals" and "Flower Friday" campaigns give customers a reason to visit on specific days. Loyalty programs with visit-based rewards (bonus points on your 4th visit this month) directly incentivize frequency.
8. Average Order Value (AOV)
Average order value is the mean transaction size across all purchases. AOV multiplied by visit frequency equals your revenue per customer. Even a $5 increase in AOV across your entire customer base represents significant incremental revenue at scale.
How to improve it: Bundle promotions ("Buy any flower + any pre-roll, save 15%") increase basket size naturally. Product recommendation emails based on purchase history drive cross-category purchasing. Tiered loyalty rewards that unlock at higher spend thresholds encourage customers to consolidate purchases at your dispensary instead of splitting between competitors.
9. Retention Rate
Retention rate measures the percentage of customers who return within a defined period, typically 30, 60, or 90 days from their last visit. In cannabis retail, a 90-day retention rate above 60% indicates a strong marketing program. Below 40% signals a serious retention problem that no amount of acquisition spending can fix.
How to improve it: Automated win-back campaigns triggered at 30, 60, and 90 days of inactivity are the primary lever. Each trigger point should escalate the offer value. A 30-day win-back might offer double points, while a 90-day win-back might offer a direct discount. The goal is to re-engage before the customer permanently switches to a competitor.
10. Campaign ROI
Campaign ROI measures the return on investment for each marketing campaign or channel. The calculation is simple: (revenue attributed to campaign minus cost of campaign) divided by cost of campaign. A 5x ROI means every $1 spent generated $5 in revenue. This is the metric your CFO cares about and the one that justifies continued marketing investment.
How to improve it: Attribution accuracy is the first step. If your platform can't trace revenue back to specific campaigns, your ROI calculation is guesswork. Once attribution is solid, improving ROI is a function of the nine metrics above it: higher RPM, better open rates, stronger retention, and increased LTV all compound into higher campaign-level ROI.
Building Your Metrics Dashboard
Tracking ten metrics weekly sounds like a lot of work. It doesn't have to be. The right CRM platform, whether Alpine IQ, SpringBig, or Dutchie, should surface most of these metrics automatically. What you need is a simple weekly report that shows each metric, its trend over the past 4 weeks, and a comparison to your benchmark targets.
The dispensaries that win in competitive markets are the ones that make decisions based on data, not instinct. These ten metrics give you the data you need to allocate budget, optimize campaigns, and prove the value of every marketing dollar you spend.
Gold Standard Solutions provides monthly performance reporting that covers all ten of these metrics for every client. If you want to see where your dispensary stands against these benchmarks, we will run a free audit of your current marketing performance.