Your Best Pre-Roll Packaging Option

Why You Need a Pre-Roll Multipack
in Your Product Lineup, Backed by Number

If you’re looking to add a pre-roll to your lineup or spice up your current pre-roll offerings, there are two segments in the product category that are currently in high demand across new and established markets: infused pre-rolls and pre-roll multipacks.

We dive into the value of infused pre-rolls here. But if you’d prefer an enticing way to move more product without having to add a layer of concentrates, keep reading.

We recently partnered with BDSA, a leading global cannabis data tracking and analytics firm, and studied four recreational markets across the country:

The West Coast
Oregon
Midwest
Missouri
Great Lake Region
Michigan
East Coast
Massachusetts

What we found was, whether in a new or established market, pre-roll multipacks were always in the top 5-20 pre-roll products of choice for consumers. This wasn’t particularly surprising, considering the convenience of pre-rolls and the opportunity they provide consumers to try multiple strains. But what might surprise you is where in the country pre-roll multipacks are trending most.

Read about each market below and what the best pre-roll packaging option is for new and established markets.

The West Coast: Oregon’s Pre-Roll Market

Compare Q3 and Q4 of 2022 in This Senior Market

Man rolls joint

Overall, Oregon’s market is down, including its pre-roll category. Quarter 3 of 2022 saw $29.2 million in pre-roll sales, whereas Q4 of 2022 saw closer to $26.5 million in pre-roll sales.

However, what’s important to note is that for the $26.5 million in pre-rolls that did sell in Q4 of 2022, four out of the top five products were pre-roll multipacks. And all of them were a multipack of 10 or more, suggesting consumers in Oregon are buying pre-rolls as their main means of consumption as opposed to one-off purchases for a convenient high at a concert or event.

This is something to keep in mind if you’re considering upgrading your dispensary pre-roll packaging to a multipack—in Oregon, you’ll be marketing to more than just the canna-curious folks who are unwilling to commit to a full flower purchase, and to more than just the I-need-a-pre-roll-for-tonight-only crowd. You’ll be marketing to frequent consumers who prefer pre-rolls to whole flower.

Read more about the pre-roll market in Oregon here.

The Midwest: Missouri’s Pre-Roll Market

Explore Missouri’s First Few Months With a Recreational Market

Missouri’s insights are much different than Oregon’s as they only went recreational in February of 2023, so their recreational consumers are still learning what they like and don’t like.

We explored March to May 2023, right after they went recreational, and found that in their pre-roll market, only three of the top 20 products sold were pre-roll multipacks, and none of those multipacks landed in the top five spots. And of the three multipacks that made it into the top 20, only one was a large 10-pack option. The other two were two-pack and three-pack options.

This falls in line with what our other data suggests. Oregon’s market is established. Their consumers know what they like, so some have chosen to make pre-rolls their main consumption method. Missouri’s market is new. Their consumers don’t yet know what they like, so they’re choosing one-to-three packs of pre-rolls so they can determine what they prefer before making a larger commitment.

We suspect as time goes on and Missouri’s consumers start to learn what they like, this will be a hot market for larger multipacks of pre-rolls. Especially since their current pre-roll market is growing faster than their market is as a whole.

While Missouri’s entire market saw 105 percent growth when comparing December 2022-February 2023 (only one month with adult-use) to March-May 2023 (all adult-use), their pre-roll market saw 139% growth when comparing the same time periods. These consumers are hungry to find strains they like, and once they do, multipacks will likely be a hot commodity.

Read more about the pre-roll market in Missouri here.

The Great Lakes Region: Michigan’s Pre-Roll Market

Grow in This Middle-Aged Market

bg-michigan-site

Michigan is an interesting one. Their recreational market is five years old now (established in 2018), so their consumers are more informed than Missouri’s, though still not as seasoned as Oregon’s.

Despite the industry’s middle-aged roots, only six of their top 20 pre-roll products were multipacks from January to March of 2023. But, there are two key things to note here:

    1. None of the top-selling pre-roll multipacks are small packs. Five are five-packs, and one is a 10-pack, providing further evidence that the more established the market and informed the consumers, the more likely they are to choose pre-rolls as their main method of consumption.
    2. Five of the six multipacks in the top 20 list are infused pre-rolls. They’re expensive, though, clocking in at $36 for one infused 5-pack, or a steep $7.20 for a .5g joint. So if you’ve got an infused pre-roll multipack at an affordable price, Michigan is the place to sell it.

Read more about the pre-roll market in Michigan here.

The East Coast: Massachusetts’ Pre-Roll Market

Compete in This Established Market

Massachusetts’ recreational market was established in 2016, only a year after Oregon’s, so their consumers have pretty much nailed down their consumption likes and dislikes. And like Oregon’s, they love large pre-roll multipacks.

From February to April 2023, three of the top five pre-roll products were large multipacks—a 5-pack, a 7-pack, and a 14-pack. This further supports the idea that the more educated a consumer base, the more likely there will be a segment that chooses pre-rolls as their main method of consumption.

The thing to note here is the amount of pre-roll brands in the market. Oregon has 256 pre-roll brands, whereas Massachusetts only has 125 pre-roll brands, despite having millions more people than Oregon. So if you’re on the East Coast and looking to upgrade your pre-roll packaging to a multipack, Massachusetts is the place to do it (for now).

Read more about the pre-roll market in Massachusetts here.

bg-boston

Why Pre-Roll Joints are Tough
Enough for Tough Economic Times

Pre-roll multipacks are the go-to consumption method for many consumers in established markets, and they’re a preferred way to explore strains and inhalation consumption in newer markets. In both cases, it’s important to present the consumer with quality pre-rolls along with the quantity a multipack provides.

Single pre-rolls are less of a commitment on the consumer’s part, so if they purchase one that’s not great quality, they may be a bit more forgiving than if they purchase a multipack of low-quality pre-rolls. So instead of presenting them with stuffed cones that don’t burn well—potentially causing frustration with your brand and putting them off pre-rolls altogether—present them with a rolled pre-roll multipack, as if their buddy just twisted some up for them by hand.

RollPros’ Blackbird is the only automated pre-roll machine on the market that mimics the hand-roll process. Get in touch with us now to start crafting your perfectly rolled pre-roll multipack and upgrade your pre-roll packaging today.