Since the opening of the first legal cannabis market, vapes have made up a significant share of product sales. In 2022, BDSA data shows that vapes brought in 26 percent of dollar sales across tracked markets, making the category the second best-selling cannabis form factor after flower. But not all vapes are created equal. The category includes vape cartridges, which are concentrate units sold independently of a reusable vaporizer battery, as well as disposable vapes, an all-in-one battery and concentrate product.
Vape cartridges make up the vast majority of the category, but disposable vapes are on the rise. Even just from the beginning of 2022 to the end of the year (Q1 2022 to Q4 2022), disposable vapes grew from a 13 percentshare of vape dollar sales to a 17 percentshare of vape dollar sales across BDSA-tracked markets. As with any sector of the cannabis industry, winning in the disposable vape space takes meticulous planning and a data-based strategy, so our congratulations to the top-selling disposable vape brands across BDSA-tracked markets.(AZ, CA, CO, FL, IL, MA, MD, MI, MO, NV, NJ, NY, OR, PA)
Before we get into the list, let’s set the stage with some background on the disposable vape category. How popular are disposable vapes among cannabis consumers, and what form factors are winning across the country?
- BDSA’s Consumer Insights from Feb 2023 shows that vape cartridges (510 threaded cartridges specifically) remain the most used and preferred type of vape by consumers, with 32 percent of inhalable consumers preferring vape cartridges. Preference for disposable vapes is lower at 17 percent, but the format is gaining popularity, and has about doubled (up from 9%) over just two years.
- Fifty-seven percent of consumers choose vapes for their “ease of use.” Other consumers cite “portability/convenience” (41 percent), “discreetness” (36 percent), and “taste/flavor options” (28 percent).
- According to sales data, distillate vape is the disposable vape input with the largest share within the disposable vape category, making up 55 percent of disposable sales in January 2023. Oil disposables made up 25 percent of sales, live resin disposables made up 17 percent of sales, rosin disposables made up a 2 percent share and RSO disposables made up less than 1 percent.
- Taking a closer look market by market reveals that while distillate disposables dominate in many markets, oil disposables make up a dominant share in several markets in the Midwest and Northeast.
BDSA’s top-selling disposable vape brands for January 2023
- Breeze Canna
Breeze Canna brought in over 45 percent of disposable vape dollar sales in the Michigan market in January–totally just shy of $6.3 million. This was a big jump from the previous year–the January 2023 sales were over five times the brand’s monthly sales total from May 2022. Based in Michigan, Breeze Canna brought in over 45 percentof disposable vape dollar sales in the Michigan market in January.
- Stiiizy
Founded in 2017 in the California market, Shryne Group’s brand Stiiizy has successfully expanded across the US with products currently available in Arizona, California, Michigan, Nevada, Washington and, most recently, Illinois. Originally breaking onto the scene with a line of proprietary vape pods, Stiiizy has since expanded into other categories, including flower, dabbables, edibles, and disposable vapes. With just over $5.8 million in disposable vape sales across Arizona, California, Michigan, and Nevada, Stiiizy was the second best-selling disposable vape brand for January 2023.
- Rythm
A leading brand from Chicago-based MSO Green Thumb Industries, Rythm’s disposable vape sales were strong in January 2023. Rhythm brought in $2.75 million in monthly disposable vape sales across Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, making them the number three best-selling disposable brand for January 2023.
- Good News Cannabis
A brand from Illinois-based Cresco Labs, Good News Cannabis takes the next spot on our list of best-selling disposable vape brands. BDSA Retail Sales Tracking shows that Good News Cannabis totaled $2.7 million in disposable vape sales for January 2023 across Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, and Michigan.
- Evolab
Trulieve-owned Evolab rounds out our list of the top five best-selling disposable vape brands, and is the top-selling disposable vape brand in Colorado. Evolab saw $2.6 million in disposable vape sales across Arizona, Colorado, and Maryland in January 2023.
After all the shakeups in the cannabis industry over the past year, it may be worth considering a jump into a rising category like the disposable vape. With a thoughtful, data-based approach to product formulation, pricing, and market entry strategy, disposable vapes can be a fruitful venture in today’s legal cannabis industry. The vapes may be disposable, but the potential of this rising product format shows that this is anything but a throwaway trend!
