Looking for a way to let your brand shine this holiday season? Tune in for the Top 5 Industry Holiday Trends of 2020.

The pre-holiday shopping season is a critical time for most industries, and that most certainly includes terpenes. This is why understanding holiday trends is so important.

While customers tend to look for good deals for cannabis-specific holidays (4/20, 7/10), the Christmas cannabis shopper is looking for that perfect gift. If they’re gifting cannabis products, they’re most likely shopping with that particular person in mind. If they’re doing a bit of personal shopping (no judgment), they’re obviously looking for what they already like. 

Ultimately, this year is all about making sure you’re products are thoughtfully crafted and high-quality. So, if you want to be the brand with this year’s most popular holiday gifts, make sure you’re paying attention to our Top 5 Holiday Cannabis Trends of 2020. 

Reading Time - 8 min

Top 5 Holiday Cannabis Trends of 2020

The holidays are right around the corner, so we understand if you’re in a bit of a rush. Here’s the summary of what we’ll be covering today.

• Despite a roller coaster of a year, the cannabis industry is in a good place heading into the 2020 holiday season and consumers will be looking for that “perfect gift” as opposed to the “perfect deal.”
• Whatever industry your products are in (beauty, food & beverage, wellness, etc.) adding holiday-inspired flavors is an easy way to transform products.
• Infused cooking ingredients are the perfect gift for consumers interested in trendy cannabis cooking.
• Cannabis concentrates are always popular with savvy consumers, so make sure your products are high-quality with flavors that pop and memorable effects.
• The CBD industry is booming, and CBD-infused products are forecasted to be the stocking-stuffer of the season. 
• Overall, consumers are interested in thoughtfully crafted products with high-quality ingredients. 

2020 Cannabis Trends Are About The “Perfect Gift”

To say it’s been a wild year is putting it mildly. However, the cannabis industry adapted well and is moving into the holiday season with its head held high. Plus, if the sales during this year’s 4/20 holiday are anything to judge by, Christmas is going to do just as well--possibly even better.

Previous holiday seasons have taught us that Christmas cannabis shoppers tend to search for that “perfect gift” as opposed to just a good deal. While this may have been difficult in the past, with more states legalizing recreational and/or medicinal cannabis, there are more shopping options than ever. For customers searching for the perfect gift, this is great. However, for you, it means more competition. That’s why understanding what consumers are looking for is so important.

Gifting cannabis products requires a certain level of intimacy. It’s similar to the way you wouldn’t buy just any bottle of wine for someone. You have to know if they prefer reds, whites, or roses. With cannabis products, there are even more details to consider. Do they prefer Indica or Sativa dominant strains? Are they strictly interested in CBD products? If they like edibles, do they want chocolate or gummies? Vapes? Flowers? Honestly, it’s a pretty big list of items to consider…

Plus, cannabis use isn’t some fringe activity hidden behind closed doors anymore. More and more, we’re seeing cannabis products integrated into everyday life. That might mean someone is shopping for the perfect CBD muscle rub for their friend who’s a bodybuilder. Maybe a consumer is looking for THC-infused olive oil to use in their holiday cooking. While we hesitate to call it “mainstream,” it’s not exactly the niche industry it used to be. 

So, while you don’t need to branch out into an entirely new line of products (although we won’t stop you), whatever you’re doing, make sure you’re doing it very well. If you manufacture vape products, make the best vape products. If you offer a CBD-infused lube, make the best lube. If you create...ok, you get the picture.

To help you figure out how to do that, here are our Top 5 Holiday Cannabis Trends for 2020.

Make Cannabis Products Festive With Holiday-Inspired Flavors

While cannabis connoisseurs often reach for their everyday favorites, there’s something irresistibly nostalgic about holiday flavors. Whether it’s Candy Cane, Creme Brulee, or Orange Chai Latte, people have emotional connections to the flavors that remind them of the holidays. 

For cannabis edibles, this is fairly straightforward. You can actually MAKE candy canes, gingerbread, etc., and then infuse it with cannabis. If you’re not interested in an entirely new product formulation this late in the year (who could blame you) then simply adding holiday-inspired terpene blends to existing cannabis products is also pretty straightforward. 

This is perhaps the easiest way to put a holiday spin on products in a wide variety of industries. That means cannabis-infused beauty products, food & beverage, vapes, cones, wraps, and more. If you want to add festive flavor or scent to your products, terpenes are the best way to do it. 

Offer Infused Cooking Ingredients for Trendy Cannabis Recipes

It should come as no surprise that cooking is quickly becoming one of the trendiest ways to celebrate both food and cannabis. With shows like Bong Appetit from Vice or Cooked with Cannabis from Netflix, people in homes all over the world are getting more comfortable with the idea of cooking with cannabis.

One of the biggest hurdle to cannabis becoming a mainstay in the culinary world (aside from legal issues) is the act of infusing your own ingredients. Honestly, if you know what you’re doing, it’s not that hard. However, those who are new to the cannabis-culinary world, or even chefs who just want to save time, are often more comfortable working with familiar ingredients that have already been infused. 

On top of that, these products are a great option for consumers who want to make their own edibles but perhaps aren’t as confident with their dosing. Within the cannabis-cooking world, there’s tons of room for variety as well. 

Some consumers might want a plain ingredient, like butter, that’s been infused but doesn’t have any additional flavor. Others may be looking for something a bit more boutique that offers a unique flavor they can’t get anywhere else. We’re imagining a sweet and smoky Master-Kush infused barbeque sauce...is anyone else’s mouth watering right now?

You Can’t Go Wrong With Cannabis Concentrates

The world of concentrates encompasses a wide variety of products, each one more exquisite than the last. Think shatter, wax, rosin, hash--even the words themselves are exciting. These products aren’t usually for the faint of heart, which is why concentrate consumers tend to be savvier than your average cannabis lover. 

Since there’s so much variety when it comes to concentrates, it’s hard to say if there’s a particular type that will be more popular. However, since the concentrate consumer usually already knows what they’re looking for, it’s important to make sure that the flavor and effects of your products are of the highest quality. 

This is particularly important for any concentrates created with processes that tend to strip the natural terpenes from cannabis. Since terpenes are what give strains their unique flavors, scents, and effects, adding terpenes back in ensures your customers will have the experience they’re looking for. This is one of the best ways to ensure your concentrates stand out from the competition. 

New Cannabis Consumers Feel Comfortable With CBD

With the passing of the 2018 Farm Bill, CBD became readily available in almost every state. This has led to a massive increase in CBD use by consumers who might never have been interested in THC products in the first place.

Even before the holiday season started, CBD has been on everyone’s top trend list for 2020. According to Data Bridge Market Research, the “CBD Oil Market is expected to witness growth at a rate of 31.90% for the forecast period of 2020 to 2027.” It should come as no surprise then, that CBD products are going to be one of the trendiest gifts during the 2020 holiday season. Like concentrates, the trick here will be making sure that your products beat the competition when it comes to flavor and effects.

Whether you’re producing cannabis-derived or hemp-derived CBD, your consumers are looking for an experience. For Broad-Spectrum and Full-Spectrum CBD products, the best way to ensure that experience is with high-quality terpenes. So, whether you’re offering CBD edibles, beauty products, vapes, or even beverages, make sure you’re giving your customers an experience they can’t get anywhere else.

Unique Cannabis Products with High-Quality Ingredients Will Reign Supreme

If you haven’t picked up on it by now, the most popular items this year are going to be unique products with high-quality ingredients. This year, more than any other, wellness is on everyone’s mind. That means people are taking note of what goes into their bodies and what’s in their products. 

That’s not the only reason though. In an interview with Forbes, industry consultants discussed the boom in craft/connoisseur products. 

As cannabis, along with the knowledge of what craft cannabis means, becomes more accessible, we've seen a growing class of educated consumers. Once prohibition ends in a given state, there tends to be a rush to purchase any type of product. Once this novelty wears off, people want a product that tastes good, looks good, and something that’s created with ethical and thoughtful practices by a company they can believe in. 

What does that mean for you? 

It means ensuring strict quality assurance for your products. It means relying on ingredients from sources you trust and that consumers will thank you for. If you have a unique product, give competing brands a hell of time recreating them by only using the best ingredients. If you’re competing with a hundred other brands, using high-quality ingredients means consumers are more likely to choose your products over the competition.

Get Ready to Spread Some Holiday Cheer

We don’t know about you, but we’re pretty pumped for this holiday season. It’s the time when we get to see all our ideas and hard work come to fruition. There’s no better gift than that.

Contact us if you have any questions or if you’re interested in unique product formulations. Plus, don’t forget to follow us on Instagram for all the latest updates and subscribe to our newsletter for early access to limited blends and exclusive discounts.