Packaging plays a bigger role in cannabis than most people realize. It affects how products move through your facility, how they’re displayed on retail shelves, and how customers perceive your brand.We’ve pulled together the most common mistakes we see across the industry — along with straightforward ways to stay ahead of them. Here are the most common mistakes we see — and how to avoid them:
1. Total Cost Blindness
Chasing the lowest unit price for something like a pre-roll tube or CR jar can backfire fast when you account for labeling costs, inventory carrying costs, and delays from international suppliers.
👉 Solution: Model the all-in cost before committing — including label application labor, warehousing, and the cost of capital when tying up cash for 50,000+ unit orders.
2. Undefined Objectives
We regularly see companies embark on packaging changes (e.g., switching to new multipack pre-roll tins) without a clear definition of success — is the goal merchandising impact, fulfillment efficiency, sustainability, or all of the above?
👉 Solution: Define project objectives upfront with all stakeholders so you can measure success before making a buy.
3. Demand Planning Gaps
Too many cannabis operators create a demand plan but fail to monitor actual product flow rates — they often lack real-time visibility into how quickly pre-rolls, jars, or vape carts are selling, what packaging is on hand, or the lead times for replenishment. This is especially true for procurement teams at multi-state operators, where inventory is dispersed across multiple warehouses and facilities.
👉 Solution: Go beyond static forecasts. Actively monitor sales velocity, reconcile against current packaging inventory, and map lead times for every packaging SKU so you can proactively manage stock and avoid surprises.
4. Stock-Out Risk Misjudgment
Underestimating stock-out risk is a disaster waiting to happen: running out of your custom-printed doob tubes right before a 420 promotion means missed revenue and brand erosion.
👉 Solution: Maintain a safety stock buffer based on realistic lead times — particularly when dealing with overseas suppliers.
5. Forgetting What Customers Expect from Your Brand
Today’s cannabis consumer expects packaging to reflect the brand’s ethos: sustainability, authenticity, and premium quality. A craft flower brand in glass jars shouldn’t switch to cheap plastic tubs without realizing how much this damages their brand equity.
👉 Solution: Audit your packaging choices against your brand positioning and customer expectations before making any changes.
6. Lack of Merchandising Strategy
We’ve seen brands choose packaging purely on cost, only to discover that their pre-roll multipack blends in on the dispensary shelf.
👉 Solution: Evaluate packaging options in the context of a crowded dispensary environment — color, shape, size, and branding must help the product stand out and drive sell-through.
7. Short-Sighted Cost Cutting
Cutting corners on packaging might save a few cents per unit but increase damage rates, fulfillment complexity, or lead time volatility. For example, switching to a cheaper overseas supplier for child-resistant containers can introduce delays and quality issues that far outweigh the savings.
👉 Solution: Look at total impact — every cost cut should be evaluated for operational risk and downstream costs.
8. Marketing vs. Supply Chain Misalignment
When marketing picks a beautiful but hard-to-fill pre-roll tin or an unusual jar size without input from operations, fulfillment costs skyrocket. Conversely, when supply chain picks the cheapest CR pouch without thinking about the brand, the product won’t resonate at retail.
👉 Solution: Ensure packaging decisions involve both marketing and supply chain leaders to balance brand needs with operational realities.
The takeaway: Every packaging decision is a fork in the road: one path leads to efficiency, brand strength, and customer loyalty — the other to friction, waste, and missed opportunity.
At CRATIV, we partner with cannabis brands to make packaging a competitive asset — helping teams streamline fulfillment, avoid delays, and stay aligned across procurement, marketing, and compliance.
If your team is rethinking cannabis packaging, let’s talk.
