Cross-Shopping Is on the Rise: How Dispensaries Can Keep Customers Loyalty

If you’ve noticed fewer repeat faces in your store lately, you’re not alone. Across multiple cannabis markets, data is pointing to the same trend: cross-shopping is rising.

Instead of sticking to a single store, more consumers are visiting multiple dispensaries each month. In fact, the latest numbers show that the average “dispensaries per visitor” is climbing in states like Arizona and Colorado, a clear sign that loyalty is getting tested.

So, the real question is: why are customers walking into your store once, then spending their dollars somewhere else? And what can you do about it?

Why Cross-Shopping Is Growing

Let’s look at a few recent insights:

Arizona: Visitors dipped from 490K → 474K, with visits per dispensary also falling. That’s two weeks in a row of cooling traffic. Translation? Demand is flattening, and customers are spreading their spending across multiple shops instead of deepening loyalty.

Colorado: Fewer shoppers overall (900K → 872K), but dwell time rose slightly from 11.5 → 12 minutes. Fewer people are shopping, but those who do are staying longer, likely comparing options and being intentional about their purchases.

New York: Visits fell from 1.8M → 1.7M and dwell time slipped from 18 → 17 minutes. Still, New Yorkers remain the most engaged shoppers in the country. That means loyalty is up for grabs, but only if retailers move fast to secure it.

What does all this mean? Cannabis consumers are exploring more, committing less, and forcing retailers to fight harder for wallet share.

Why Cross-Shopping Matters More Than You Think

It’s easy to shrug and say: “Hey, as long as customers come in sometimes, it’s fine.” But here’s the risk:

Every visit to another dispensary is a missed upsell you could’ve captured.

Every comparison shop means your price advantage shrinks.

Every spread-out wallet makes loyalty harder to build.

Think about it: if a customer visits you once, but your competitor twice that same month, who do you think they’ll remember when it’s time for a bigger purchase?

How to Turn Cross-Shoppers into Loyal Regulars

Here’s the good news, cross-shopping isn’t the end of the story. It’s simply the new normal. Dispensaries that adapt can not only protect market share but actually grow it.

1. Stop Competing on Price Alone

Discounts may bring people through the door, but they rarely keep them. Instead, focus on unique product curation or exclusive drops that make your store the destination, not just an option.

2. Turn Dwell Time Into Loyalty Time

Colorado and New York are proof: customers are willing to spend 12–17 minutes in-store. That’s your window to educate, upsell, and connect. Train staff to start conversations, not just transactions.

3. Build a Real Loyalty Program (Not Just Points)

Generic discounts are forgettable. Instead:

• Offer personalized recommendations based on purchase history.
• Create tiers (Silver, Gold, Platinum) that reward frequency and basket size.
• Give loyal customers early access to events, drops, or promotions.

4. Track Where You Actually Stand

You can’t manage what you don’t measure. Tools like shopEQ show whether your visit frequency is on par with the rest of your state, or if you’re losing ground to competitors. If cross-shopping is rising in your market, shopEQ lets you see it before it eats into your bottom line.

Rethinking Cross-Shopping

Cross-shopping isn’t just competition; it’s evidence of demand. Customers are active, curious, and willing to shop. The opportunity lies in whether your dispensary is just one of many stops or the one that becomes the stop.

The market is telling us something loud and clear: in late 2025 and perhaps early 2026, volume-driven growth is out, value-driven loyalty is in.

So, ask yourself: what’s one change you can make this quarter that gives customers a reason not just to walk in, but to come back again? And again?

Conclusion

Dispensaries in markets like Arizona, Colorado, and New York are all learning the same lesson: traffic might dip, but loyalty is where the real wins happen. Customers may shop around, but if you can capture and grow your slice of their wallet, you’ll thrive, even as cross-shopping increases.

The challenge? You can’t improve what you can’t see. That’s where shopEQ comes in.

shopEQ is a retail intelligence platform built for dispensaries like yours. It gives you clarity on questions every operator should be asking:

What percentage of your customers are coming back?
Is your dwell time above or below the state benchmark?
How much of your local market share is slipping to competitors?

Instead of guessing where you stand, shopEQ shows you the full picture, so you can make smarter decisions, build stronger loyalty, and secure your competitive edge.

Don’t let loyalty slip away. See how shopEQ can help… View a demo at HERE.

FAQ for Cross Shopping

1. What does cross-shopping mean in cannabis retail?
   It means customers visit multiple dispensaries in the same month, splitting their spending across stores.
2. Why is cross-shopping growing now?
   As markets mature, customers compare prices, products, and experiences. New markets normalize, while competitive states see leakage.
3. Which states show the highest dwell time right now?
   As of September 2025, New York (17 min), Texas (17.5 min), and Colorado (~12 min) lead in engagement, making them prime loyalty and upsell opportunities.
4. How can dispensaries reduce competitive leakage?
   By building loyalty programs, improving in-store experiences, and tracking market benchmarks with ShopEQ.
5. Does cross-shopping always hurt sales?
   Not always, it signals strong demand. But without a retention strategy, your store risks losing share to competitors.