Has convenience become the deciding factor in cannabis sales?

Cannabis shoppers are trading effort for ease.

They want marijuana products that are ready to use, work as expected and don’t require a second thought – a shift that’s reshaping which formats win and spurring a new wave of product innovation built around less prep and more access.

“With the canna-curious consumer being part of the equation, any friction point they have is always going to be amplified,” said Laurie Parfitt, a Chicago-based marketing executive with 17 years in consumer-packaged goods. “They’re not as familiar with cannabis – having to put things together is not really within their wheelhouse.”

What THC formats are performing best?

Data backs up the trend toward convenience.

All-in-one disposable vapes now generate about $2.82 billion on about 94.8 million units, up 23.8% in revenue and 22.9% in units year over year at an average price of $29.77, according to an analysis of Headset data Parfitt conducted.

Cartridges, long the largest vape subsegment at about $2.89 billion, are sliding – down 14.1% in revenue and 8% in units – even at a lower average price of $19.66.

Price isn’t driving cartridge decline. Convenience is.

“Everybody likes the all-in-one because there’s less to think about,” Parfitt said.

The pattern holds in pre-rolls. Infused pre-rolls lead at about $1.8 billion, growing 13.4% in revenue and 21% in units, according to Parfitt’s analysis. Multipacks are climbing fast, with brands like Dogwalkers gaining ground.

Who is the convenience cannabis consumer?

The draw is simple. While legacy consumers place stock in the ritual of rolling joints or packing bowls, new consumers don’t want to grind marijuana and roll their own.

“The new consumer doesn’t want to think about that,” Parfitt said. “They don’t want to think about how they’re going to do it with children sitting at the counter with them.”

The industry is responding with formats that go further than vapes and pre-rolls, drawing inspiration from adjacent categories that have already cracked the convenience problem.

Chicago-based multistate operator Cresco Labs is launching High Supply SLIPS, an oral cannabis pouch, at its Sunnyside stores around Labor Day, with a full rollout about a month later.

The product comes in two flavors and two doses – 10 milligrams and 4 milligrams per piece.

The model is borrowed from nicotine. Oral pouches like Zyn found broad consumer acceptance. Tobacco giant Philip Morris shipped nearly 165 million cans of Zyn nicotine pouches in the fourth quarter of 2025 – up 42% from the same period a year ago.

Why is Cresco launching the new cannabis consumption format?

Dana Mason, brand manager at Cresco, said the migration to all-in-one vapes and pre-rolls pointed toward something bigger.

“We saw a lot of inhalable consumers seeking out all-in-one vapes and pre-rolls,” Mason said. “That told us the trend was toward convenience.”

The pouch targets a specific and largely unserved gap – occasions where consumers can’t smoke at all. Restaurants, sporting events and public transit leave those consumers with limited options.

“There are certain places where I simply cannot smoke,” Mason said. “The same consumer who might otherwise be packing a bowl is switching to pre-rolls.

“This takes that insight one step further. What happens in those places where you can’t even light up?”

The lower-dose option matters, Mason said, because 10 mg is too much for many people.

Cresco is also extending its Wonder line into powder for beverages, offering products that encourage sleep, working out and laughter. The product is built for portability and low dosing.

A powder format travels more easily than a canned beverage.

“You can’t put a can in your purse on the go,” Mason said.

Thomas Winstanley, president of online hemp marketplace Edibles.com, described a market splitting between legacy inhalable users and newcomers who approach THC through familiar behaviors.

Many treat hemp-derived drinks as a social alternative to alcohol. Others slot gummies and chews into supplement routines alongside vitamins and sleep aids.

And it’s convenient retail access that’s accelerating that shift. Hemp-derived products now appear in Circle K and Total Wine – channels where canna-curious shoppers already spend money.

“The average consumer isn’t comfortable going to a dispensary yet,” Winstanley said. “If they go into Total Wine, which they’re going to anyway, that’s a respectable outlet. It’s an opportunity to try a product.”

What comes next?

Parfitt expects the next wave of convenience to move toward discretion. Sublinguals, tinctures and more accessible concentrates top her list, with pouches fitting into the tincture or capsule category.

In the end, consumers want less friction, and the products removing it are the ones taking market share. Parfitt expects more innovation is in store.

“There are ways to do things conveniently that we haven’t even touched on,” she said.

Margaret Jackson can be reached at margaret.jackson@mjbizdaily.com.