15 million women have bought cannabis so far in 2021 – these are the products they are looking for

In all areas of culture and society, the shift towards greater diversity is shifting the needle as to what and who is considered “typical”. This is as true in cannabis use as anywhere else, with the stereotype of surfer-dude-stoners and glazed and confused couch-potatoes giving way to women as the fastest growing segment of cannabis users.

Manufacturers pay close attention to what these women want and how best to achieve them with thoughtful branding, high customer service, product design, and retail experience. Not only are women increasingly driving cannabis sales, but they’re also changing the way they use it in ways that push the industry to get more creative and innovative in order to meet their needs – a trend that cannabis technology company Akerna (NASDAQ: KERN) is in its own Semi-annual report.

Photo by Elsa Donald via Unsplash

According to Akerna’s report, nearly 15 million women have purchased cannabis so far in 2021, up 3.2% from 2019. Their market share, which was 35% in 2019, is now 38.2% and growing. In addition, concentrates have overtaken edibles’ popularity for the first time with younger women, a change driven by lower stigma and increased consumer education. Edibles used to rank third in female product preferences while concentrates ranked fourth, but that has changed since 2020, with 10.2% of women reporting a preference for concentrates over 8.9% who prefer edibles. Flowers remain the most popular product among female consumers, with 44% still rating them as their first choice, but the industry is watching this closely as new product innovations inspire new loyalties.

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According to Akerna’s report, 27.53% of female consumers fall into the under 30 category and 29.40% are between 30 and 40 years old, with both demographics preferring flowers, cartridges, and concentrates in that order. Both age categories took infused edibles and “other” in fourth and fifth place. For these women, cartridges result in concentrates by 20% or more, with edibles being about half as popular as concentrates. Edibles still beat concentrates for the 13.6% of female shoppers in the 50-60 age group and the 10.33% who fall in the 60+ category. The greatest presence in edibles was in the oldest population group studied (60+ women), with 18.39% preferring edibles and only 5.31% preferring concentrates.

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The trend of younger consumers becoming more concentrated and older people loyal to edibles continues in the male population as well, although this is not getting as much attention in the industry as the rise in female consumers. Although men still account for 61.8% of cannabis sales in Akerna’s semi-annual report, women are steadily filling that void and challenging the industry to improve their game to compete for their business.

This article originally appeared in the Green Market Report and was republished with permission.