Weedmaps debuts 'Year of Weed' experience capturing consumers' cannabis habits

Light up a joint and rejoice, cannabis users, because there’s an experiential platform from cannabis tech company Weedmaps launching today: a deep-dive into individual users’ toking habits that will reveal their very own pot profile, detailing everything from their most-used marijuana strains to their state’s legalization status. Debuting just in time for 4/20 (April 20—many stoners’ herb-themed holiday of choice), Weedmaps’ new “Year of Weed” feature illustrates user activity and engagement on the site via a clickable, colorful interactive platform. Think "Spotify Wrapped," but for cannabis consumption. The “Year of Weed” feature will be accessible on Weedmaps’ website as well as its iOS and Android apps starting today at 9 a.m. on the West Coast, noon on the East Coast. It will be available in select states that have legalized cannabis and currently have listings on the site’s platform. Logged-in users will be able to view a range of reefer statistics including their go-to strains and products, their percentile ranking as an active Weedmaps user and their most active time on the site. Registering above-average activity on Sunday mornings, for example? “You like to wake and bake,” the company’s summary might say. “The last 12 months have been transformational for the cannabis industry,” says Juanjo Feijoo, chief marketing officer at Weedmaps. “We wanted to find a way to leverage our core strengths: data and technology to create a unique consumer experience that highlighted a user's habits over the last year.” And for consumers who don’t have a Weedmaps account, or aren’t active users, fear not: The tech company has put together a similar albeit less personalized year-in-review for the general public that details each U.S. state’s cannabis habits. Non-members will still be able to access information such as their state’s favorite marijuana strain, top product category and whether their state has a per-capita preference for indica or sativa. It also includes a smattering of fast facts, such as that two-thirds of Americans now support broad legalization of pot, according to Gallup polling. Both versions share common elements, such as a graphic listing the handful of states that Weedmaps “can’t wait to join the party,” a.k.a. those that have recently legalized or plan to legalize marijuana, including Arizona, South Dakota, Virginia and, as of two weeks ago, New York, which some herb advocates have hailed as a steppingstone toward federal legalization. For many cannabis businesses, the Empire State’s population of nearly 20 million will likely be worth the taxes brands will pay. Marijuana Business Daily projects that market alone could generate $2.3 billion in annual sales in four years, while MPG Consulting has an even higher evaluation, estimating the total cannabis market in the state to be $4.6 billion—or 747,000 pounds of flower. “Public perception of cannabis has ultimately shifted—for the better—as it becomes more attainable and approachable to the mainstream,” Feijoo says, noting that the weed is on the brink of “reaching a certain industry threshold” that will allow cannabis brands to ultimately have a wider impact beyond the formerly narrow confines of its sector.

Weedmaps debuts 'Year of Weed' experience capturing consumers' cannabis habits

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