Salt Air Botanicals — Retail Growth & Marketing Strategy
Launching and scaling a community-driven dispensary in a highly competitive, regulated market.
Full-funnel marketing, merchandising, and customer experience strategy driving acquisition, conversion, and retention.
OVERVIEW
Salt Air Botanicals is a women-owned, social equity micro dispensary in Atlantic City, NJ.
As Retail Manager and Marketing Lead, I oversee both daily operations and full-funnel marketing strategy—connecting brand, promotions, merchandising, and customer experience directly to revenue performance.
THE CHALLENGE
Compete against large, multi-state operators with significantly higher budgets
Build brand awareness and customer base from zero at launch
Increase average order value and repeat visits
Operate within strict New Jersey cannabis marketing regulations
Differentiate through community and experience—not price alone
STRATEGY
Community-Led Growth
Positioned the brand as “built by locals, for locals” through partnerships, events, and neighborhood engagement.
Event-Driven Acquisition
Used in-store events and local activations as primary acquisition channels to drive foot traffic and awareness.
Retention & Loyalty
Developed repeatable promotional systems and loyalty incentives to increase visit frequency and customer lifetime value.
Product & Merchandising Strategy
Aligned product placement, pricing, and promotions to influence purchasing behavior and optimize revenue mix.
CAMPAIGNS & PROMOTIONS
Developed and executed recurring campaigns designed to drive both acquisition and repeat visits:
Weekly promotions (Double Points, daily deals)
Event-based campaigns (Open Mic, seasonal activations)
Gamified promotions (Spin-to-Win, loyalty incentives)
Holiday and culturally relevant campaigns
These campaigns created consistent traffic patterns and repeat customer behavior.
MERCHANDISING & PRODUCT STRATEGY
Designed customer-facing menus organized by category, potency, and price
Created bundled offers (pre-roll packs, edibles + flower) to increase AOV
Promoted high-demand and high-margin products through featured placements
Maintained consistent visual merchandising across digital and physical touchpoints
COMMUNITY & EXPERIENCE
Community Clean Up
Built a strong local brand identity through community engagement:
Local partnerships and collaborations
Community events and neighborhood activations
Recognition campaigns for local workers and residents
Positioned the brand as a neighborhood staple rather than a transactional retailer.
CONTENT & EDUCATION
Developed educational content to support customer decision-making and brand trust:
Blog content covering cannabis education, products, and industry trends
Messaging focused on accessibility for both new and experienced consumers
Integrated compliance-forward education (responsible use, safe storage)
RESULTS
Drove 56.37% of revenue through Flower, establishing it as the primary sales driver
Increased contribution from Pre-Rolls (20.09%) and Edibles (10.52%) through targeted promotions and merchandising
Increased average order value through bundle and upsell strategies (~$35 baseline)
Built and scaled a loyalty program to ~1,000 members
Created repeatable campaign systems driving consistent weekly traffic
Strengthened brand positioning against larger competitors through community-driven marketing
TOOLS & STACK
Flowhub
AlpineIQ
Cloudflare
Metrc
Google Analytics
Canva/Adobe