Ordering inventory is one of the hardest—and most important—decisions in cannabis retail.

Order too much, and you tie up cash in products that sit. Order too little, and you miss out on sales and disappoint customers.

The best dispensaries don’t rely on instinct or last week’s sales—they use data-driven ordering to stay ahead of demand.

Why Cannabis Ordering Is So Challenging

Cannabis inventory moves fast, but not always predictably. Dispensaries deal with:

• Rapidly changing customer preferences
• Short product life cycles
• Inconsistent vendor availability
• Constant pressure on margins

That means every purchase order is a balancing act between risk and opportunity.

The Cost of Poor Ordering

Without a clear strategy, dispensaries often:

• Overstock slow-moving products
• Run out of top sellers
• Lock up cash in the wrong inventory
• Rely on reactive, last-minute reorders

The result? Lower margins, lost revenue, and operational stress.

What Smart Dispensaries Do Differently

Top operators treat ordering as a continuous, data-driven process. They:

• Monitor sell-through rates daily
• Reorder based on real demand signals
• Double down on top-performing products
• Build strong relationships with high-performing vendors

But doing this manually is time-consuming—and often inaccurate.

Smarter Ordering with Paper Planes

Paper Planes takes the guesswork out of cannabis ordering by telling you exactly what to buy and when.

With Order Now, you can quickly identify products that need to be reordered immediately based on real-time sales and inventory—so you stay in stock on top sellers and never miss demand. Order Soon helps you plan ahead by flagging items that are trending toward low stock, allowing you to avoid last-minute rush orders and keep operations running smoothly.

On top of that, Paper Planes highlights your top vendors and top brands, so you can confidently reorder from proven partners, double down on what’s already selling, and reduce risk when placing orders.

Instead of reacting to inventory problems, you’re staying one step ahead.