Methodology
How CannaiQ collects cannabis market data
CannaiQ is a cannabis market-intelligence platform built on observed public dispensary menu data. This page explains what we measure, how freshness and coverage work, and how our data differs from physical inventory, POS, and distribution sources.
What we measure: observed menu presence
CannaiQ records what dispensaries publish on their public menus: listed brands, products, options, categories, prices, and availability signals. We use shelf presence as shorthand for this observed menu presence. It is not proof of physical inventory, a completed sale, or an upstream shipment.
How we collect it
For each tracked dispensary, CannaiQ reads the store's public menu on a recurring schedule and records the source-reported listings, prices, categories, and availability signals. Accepted complete menu snapshots can be compared to detect what was added, removed, or repriced online. No POS integration, retailer login, or hardware is required.
How often it updates
Refresh cadence varies by source, market, store activity, and the success of the latest collection attempt. Data pages show the timestamp of the latest successfully incorporated source evidence or governed rollup. A stale timestamp is a coverage warning; it is not evidence that a menu or business stopped existing.
Shelf data vs POS data vs distribution data
- Shelf / menu data (CannaiQ): what a dispensary currently reports on its public menu at the latest successful observation. No retailer participation is required.
- POS / transaction data: what actually sold, sourced from point-of-sale systems. Requires retailer participation; typically lags by days to weeks.
- Distribution data: what a brand shipped to retailers. Upstream of the shelf; does not show what's actually listed for sale.
The three are complementary but not interchangeable. CannaiQ reports the public-menu view of the market and labels modeled or inferred measures separately from observed source facts.
Coverage
CannaiQ tracks public dispensary menus across the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. Coverage is limited to sources and stores successfully observed within the page's freshness window. Counts are derived from those observations; missing menu evidence is not proof of no physical inventory, no sales, or no market activity.
Key terms
- Share of shelf: a derived ratio of observed menu presence within a defined, disclosed comparison cohort; it is not sales share.
- Distribution / door count: the number of distinct observed dispensary menus currently listing a brand.
- Category shelf presence: a category's share of observed brands or listings across the stated menu cohort; it is not transaction market share.
- SKU: a distinct sellable product variant (e.g. a specific strain at a specific weight).
Citing CannaiQ
When referencing CannaiQ data, please attribute to "CannaiQ (cannaiq.co)" and link the relevant market page. Figures reflect the most recent available menu reads at the time of citation.