Sales data was released by Akerna on April 26 in a flash report, which shared that the industry collected a total of $154.4 million in combined recreational and medical cannabis sales. Akerna reports that 2021 sales records previously held the record for most cannabis sales on 4/20.
In the weekend following up to 4/20 (April 15-April 20), retail sales varied greatly. The highest sales day, other than 4/20, was Friday, April 15 at $94.3 million, and the lowest was Sunday, April 17 at $38.9 million. The entire weekend netted a total of $485.3 million.
Akerna originally released a prediction report on April 12, projecting that cannabis sales on 4/20 would hit $130 million, and that total weekend sales would rise up to $494 million. The company’s projections were very close to early sales data. “Using our historical Akerna data, we released a prediction report that the period around 420 would bring in a total of $494 million, only –1.79% variance from the actual sales of $485.3 million,” said Akerna Business Intelligence Architect James Ahrendt. “This is a testament to the power of our data analytics. By leveraging data-driven insights, cannabis businesses can make strategic predictions and decisions for their businesses.”
Akerna was formed when MJ Freeway and MTech merged in 2019, but it was initially founded in 2010 in response to the growing need for software to support “visibility, data and analytics, and robust inventory tracking that the cannabis industry requires to be successful.” Akerna’s most recent data is defined as a “flash report” that “looks at buying trends in the cannabis market as captured by Akerna’s flagship solution, MJ Platform,” Akerna shared in a press release.
The success of this year’s cannabis sales is impressive. Akerna mentions that the Iowa Alcoholic Beverages Division reported that it had the largest year for liquor sales, having surpassed $400 million for the first time, and in that perspective, showcases the strength of the cannabis industry.
More data is soon to come, it remains to be seen if Akerna’s other cannabis-related predictions were also accurate. The company projected that the hierarchy of product popularity, starting at the top with flower (48.11%), followed by cartridge/pens (31.66%), concentrates (11.63%), edibles (6.87%), infused non-edible (0.71%) and non-medicated (1.01%).
By demographic, the company predicted that 59.93% of consumers would be men, with 40.07% women. In age ranges, most consumers would be between 30-40 years old (30.43%), under 30 (28.38%), 40-50 (19.92%), 50-60 (11.49%), and over 60 (9.78%).
This data is echoed across the board with other data analytic companies, such as Headset, which shared that sales in U.S. cannabis dispensaries were up by 148% on 4/20 compared to other days leading up to the holiday. Canada sales grew as well, as the average cannabis stores increasing in sales by 65%. Headset also noted that cannabis-infused beverages rose considerably by 110% in Canada and by 176% in the U.S. as the top performing category. The “second place” product was attributed to edibles in Canada (with 83% sales growth) and concentrates in the U.S. (with 155% sales growth).
Although most states have not released any preliminary sales data, Michigan’s Cannabis Regulatory Agency Director Andrew Brisbo shared some information about the success of his state’s 4/20 sales on Twitter on April 21. “Consumers purchased over 2.3 tons of marijuana flower in MI retailers yesterday. Initial data shows overall sales of flower on 4/20 in 2022 were up 242% from the same day in 2021 (which were up 444% vs 2020).” He also followed with an estimation of pounds sold in the last three years in Michigan: 2022 (4,619 pounds), 2021 (1,912 pounds) and 2020 (430 pounds).
The post New Record Set for 4/20 Sales, According to Data from Akerna appeared first on High Times.
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