Android Users Are Ready to Spend. Is Your Dispensary Ready?

At Digital Awesome, we’ve seen how often Android gets overlooked – and how much revenue dispensaries lose because of it. Let’s break down the biggest reasons retailers struggle with Android apps, and what you can do to fix it.

Why Android Gets Overlooked

So why do dispensaries and developers often push Android to the back burner? There are four main reasons:

Perceived Lower ROI

Since iOS tends to dominate in higher-income urban markets often overlapping with cannabis retail’s target customer base. Some people assume (sometimes incorrectly) that Android users always represent a smaller or less profitable share.

The iOS Assumption

Because iPhones dominate the U.S. market, many retailers assume “most of our customers are on Apple anyway.” But this assumption ignores the fact that nearly half of U.S. smartphone users and more than 70% of global smartphone users are on Android. By not serving them well, dispensaries are cutting off access to a massive customer base that is ready and willing to spend.

Frustrating E-commerce Experience

Android places restrictions on facilitating sales directly within cannabis apps. This forces many developers into awkward workarounds, like kicking users out of the app and into a web browser just to complete checkout. That extra friction frustrates shoppers, drives up abandonment rates, and makes the app feel redundant.

Because of these limitations, frustrated users shop elsewhere. That’s the exact opposite of why a company would invest in an app in the first place. If customers have a bad experience with the app, they carry a bad impression of the brand. The dispensary then lose loyalty and trust, even if they do everything else right.

Distribution & Maintenance Anxiety

For dispensaries that offer ordering or delivery, getting approved in the Google Play Store is almost impossible since the platform prohibits cannabis sales. That leaves operators with tough choices. Many end up pushing their apps through APK files on third-party app stores or even hosting downloads on their own websites.

On paper, this gets the app into customers’ hands. In practice, it’s a headache:

• Updates stall out. Without ongoing development support, pushing bug fixes or new features requires users to manually reinstall the app something most won’t bother with.
• Customer trust drops. Shoppers are hesitant to download from unfamiliar sources, worrying about malware or security issues.
• Maintenance costs spike. Teams spend more time troubleshooting outdated versions and fielding customer complaints.

Ultimately, this distribution anxiety makes it much harder to keep Android apps fresh, functional, and reliable.

Creating Parity Across Devices

For years, iPhone users have enjoyed sleek, fully-featured cannabis shopping apps. But Android users often get the short end of the stick, with apps that only let them browse or redirect them to a website to finish shopping.

But customers now expect the same app experience no matter what phone they use.  Shoppers should be able to search, browse, add to cart, and check out smoothly without any clunky workarounds.

And with the right mobile app partner, you can deliver the same great app experience to both iPhone and Android users.

Conclusion

Android shoppers are too valuable to ignore. The dispensaries that invest in a smooth, fully shoppable Android app will win loyalty and revenue, while the rest get left behind.

With Digital Awesome’s cost-effective Android cannabis mobile app development, you’ll get:

• A fully downloadable and shoppable app on the Play Store
• All future updates included
• Plug-and-play sales and marketing tools that grow revenue and customer loyalty

Schedule a demo with Digital Awesome today to give Android shoppers the seamless experience they expect and capture the sales your dispensary is missing.