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Welcome to our analysis of MedBud traffic data for August. It has been our most interesting month so far and clearly shows that the data we analyze is an accurate representation of the sector’s performance in real time. The MedBud site currently averages over 1 million search results per month through Google, with 57,700 click-throughs in August. In general, traffic increased by 1.8% compared to July. It’s been another memorable month for this site.
As expected, we’ve seen a big shift in clinic rankings, with high THC strains continuing to dominate the flower distribution. It’s no secret that this field has some challenges, especially when it comes to THC strength and strain names. We’ll be rolling out this data and analysis on Volteface and MedBud in the coming months, so be sure to bookmark both sites and follow us across social media.
Section 1: UK medical cannabis clinic data
Top 5 clinic rankings for August 2024:
Alternaleaf®: 23.28% (-) Mamedica®: 16.01% (-) CB1 Medical®: 11.59% (-) Curaleaf®: 8.64% (-) Integro®: 5.12% (+1)
Alternaleaf, Mamedica®, CB1 Medical and Curaleaf® have held the top four positions since July and continue to dominate clinic traffic. Integro rose from 6th to 5th place, pushing Life Clinic down to 9th place. It’s a big drop for Lyphe Clinic, as Alternaleaf now appears to be falling out of favor after a successful few months of offering subscriptions.
The Jorge Emerson Center fell from 7th to 10th place, likely due to a failure to honor the concerns raised by patients online about the center’s services (and poor framing in my opinion). ) This is thought to be due to the poor reputation of the “patient statement.” Both Lyphe Clinic and Jorge Emerson Center need to quickly reassure patients about the quality and stability of their services before more patients move on to other clinics.
reflection
The top three clinics have established themselves in the rankings, and Alternaleaf has somehow managed to hold onto the top spot for two consecutive months. There are currently 45 medical cannabis clinics in our database, of which 35 receive less than 1.6% of total traffic.
There are some interesting additions to this month’s top 10, with the newly launched and boldly named The Plug Medical Group coming in at #6 this month, and Releaf coming in at #7. These two teams have the potential to upset the well-established top five.
We did not see any attempts at traffic bot manipulation in August, which is welcome news and a positive sign that such tactics are coming to an end.
Section 2: UK medical cannabis dispensary data
Top 5 Pharmacy Rankings for August 2024
Mamedica®: 24.85% (-) Curaleaf®: 21.19% (-) IPS: 15.17% (-) Montu®: 11.80% (-) Specials Pharma®: 5.43% (-)
Mamedica® maintained its top position, but its share decreased slightly from 26.7% to 24.85%. Curaleaf closed the gap and increased its share to 21.19%. IPS and Montu maintained consistent positions, while Specials Pharma remained in fifth place despite losing some traffic.
reflection
In the pharmacy sector, Curaleaf® closed in on Mamedica® in August. The consistency of the top five pharmacies suggests that patient loyalty is strong, while smaller pharmacies see opportunities to increase market share. Mamedika continues to demonstrate the power of big PR dollars (or at least agency deals), securing mainstream coverage every month. Anyone entering the clinic or pharmacy space and trying to overtake Mamedica will need a strong PR and marketing budget.
Section 3: Medical cannabis flower data
Top 5 flower rankings for August 2024
Aurora® Pedanios T31 Cosmic Cream: 2.66% (-) Tyson 2.0 TM T28 Tiger Milk: 2.62% (+49) Curaleaf® T21 High Silver: 1.85% (+16) Aurora® Pedanios T27 Pink Diesel: 1.63% (+34) ) Tyson 2.0 HH T28 Haymaker Haze: 1.51% (+60)
Reseller analysis:
Number of products in top 20:
IPS Pharma: 11 companies
Curaleaf: 6 pieces
Cantourage: 2
Canmart: 1
While Aurora® T31 Cosmic Cream maintained its lead, Tyson 2.0 products experienced rapid growth, taking second, fifth, and 11th positions. Curaleaf® T20 Tripoli dropped from 7th to 8th place, but T21 High Silver and T20 Lavender Cake returned to the top 10.
reflection
The flower market is often dominated by new varieties that come onto the market, so it’s interesting to see both T21 High Silver and T20 Lavender Cake make significant appearances in the top five. That being said, the flower market (unlike the clinic market) is very competitive. The difference between 2nd and 29th place is only 1%.
Flower markets will come under increasing scrutiny in the coming months due to devastating journalism, including a potential BBC Panorama documentary and a CQC investigation. High THC strains are consistently the most popular choice for patients (not just here in the UK but around the world) and it is important to consider patient choice and experience when it comes to potency.
Stay tuned to www.volteface.me for further discussion, discussion and analysis of this development.
Section 4: Medical Cannabis Oil Data
Top 5 oil rankings for August 2024
Curaleaf® T100 Full Spectrum Oil: 4.24% (+2) Grow® Pharma T100 Isolate Oil: 3.46% (+3) Curaleaf® T50 Full Spectrum Oil: 3.42% (+3) Curaleaf® T20:C10 Full Spectrum Oil: 3.28 % (-1) Somay Pharmaceuticals T20:C1 Full Spectrum Oil: 2.74% (+16)
Curaleaf® T100 Full Spectrum Oil remained the top oil and maintained its dominance in the category. Grow® Pharma T100 Isolate Oil remained in second place reflecting strong demand for isolate formulations. Somaí Pharmaceuticals T20:C1 Full Spectrum Oil makes a significant appearance in the top five for the first time.
reflection
August saw more changes in the oil category than usual, with Curaleaf® rebranding its Adven® oil range to Curaleaf®. Somaí Pharmaceuticals and Circle by Montu both made the top 10 for the first time, demonstrating growing patient interest in balanced cannabinoid formulations. Meanwhile, Mamedica®’s Althea and Clearleaf® narrowly missed the top 10, and GrowPharma lost two of its three previous top 10 spots this month, reflecting changing patient preferences.
final thoughts
The August 2024 data shows interesting changes across all data points. Especially the changes in clinic rankings. In a small and competitive market with such high-level online discussions and debates, it is critical that clinics carefully consider their communication strategies. It’s important to listen to patient concerns, be proactive, and be heard, and unfortunately, patient backlash is currently being felt (and reflected in the rankings) when it comes to the Jorge Emerson Center. I feel that there is.
Lyphe Groups’ decline also signals that some changes may be needed to solidify its top-five spot. While our recent subscription model was well-received, our traffic has been declining month-over-month since we introduced it.
On the flower side, IPS Pharma dominates in the number of “top 20” strains sold, currently accounting for over 50% (11) of the list. Over the coming months, we will be keeping an eye on what other distributors are doing and will include this in our reports as a regular feature.
The debate over strain names and THC potency is likely to unfold over the coming months. This data and similar reports will not only help you better understand patient preferences, but also allow you to observe market impact in real time. We’ll be back next month, but in the meantime, keep an eye out for Volteface and MedBud.
