Why Missing Descriptions & Images Are Costing You 2–3× in Lost Conversions

Writing product descriptions and finding images might seem like routine checklist items. But in cannabis e-commerce, they can make or break a sale. When customers can’t smell, touch, or ask a budtender for advice, your product content becomes the key driver of their decision-making. Despite their importance, our analysis of thousands of cannabis e-commerce menus over the past three months revealed that nearly 60% of live products are missing either a strong description, a unique image, or both.

In this GLUE series article, powered by Treez retail analytics, we’ll show how full product content coverage can drive up to 3× more conversions and the steps you can take to achieve similar results.

Analyzing the Impact

From a data standpoint, determining the true impact of product descriptions in isolation is challenging. Sales performance is influenced by many factors, including product type, price point, brand recognition, and overall popularity. To better assess the effect of descriptions and images, we narrowed our analysis to products within the same brand and product type, examining sales trends at the individual store level (within the past 8 weeks). This approach helped control for the influence of external variables and more accurately highlight the role played by content quality.

Note: The interactive graphs below include hoverable data points for deeper insights and are best viewed on desktop devices

Case Study 1 (5k+ transactions, 1 location, May-July 2025)

Case Study 2 (20k+ transactions, 1 location, May-July 2025)

Why Better Product Content Drives Up to 3× More Conversions

At a first glance,  it might be hard to believe that product content alone can double or even triple your sales. But when you dig into the psychology and mechanics of cannabis e-commerce, these improvements start to make more sense.

The Information Gap Problem

Like we mentioned before, e-commerce has a fundamental limitation: customers can’t physically interact with products or your team. This is especially important in cannabis retail, where effects and quality can vary dramatically between similar-looking items. In a dispensary, shoppers can smell the flower, ask questions, and get real-time recommendations. Online, they’re left to interpret images and product names alone.

Without descriptions and images, customers face what economists call “information asymmetry”—they know far less about the product than the seller does. That gap creates doubt and unease, leading to a lower conversion rate and lost sales.

Trust and Professionalism Signals

Descriptions and images don’t just inform; they send trust signals. When those elements are missing, it leads customers to wonder:

• Does the dispensary care about being professional and polished?
• Why do I take my business here when competition is abundant?
• Are these products produced by credible brands?
• What is this product going to do for me when I consume it?

On the other hand, a clear, well-written description paired with a high-quality image sends an immediate signal of professionalism, transparency, and care. That first impression can be the difference between a one-time visitor and a long-term customer. Since most dispensaries rely heavily on repeat business, capturing that trust early is critical to driving lifetime value.

The Fundamental Question

Most dispensaries carry hundreds of products. Many carry thousands. If half of those products do include images or descriptions, and the average cannabis consumer only buys 1–3 items per transaction, are you really missing any sales? 

Absolutely. Because discovery drives conversion.

When a customer lands on your menu and starts filtering through categories, every stock photo or blank description increases the chances they’ll leave. It’s not that they didn’t want to buy; it’s that they didn’t find something they trusted enough to add to their cart.

Even motivated customers who know what they want rely on descriptions and images to confirm they’re making the right choice. When your listings lack clarity or distinction, these shoppers second-guess themselves and look for more certainty elsewhere.

This isn’t just a content problem. It’s a conversion problem. Although the full impact shows up in traffic to conversion data (a topic we’ll cover in a future article), the takeaway is simple: the closer you get to 100% coverage on product images and descriptions, the fewer sales you leave on the table.

Common Mistakes in Action: A Real Example

RONIN ROSIN | DRUNKEN MASTER TIER 1 2G BUCKET 2 G

Product Description: Rosin is a form of concentrate that uses heat and pressure to extract cannabinoids, rather than solvents. Depending on the source material used for the extraction, rosin can vary widely in clarity and consistency

What This Image Gets Wrong

• Stock photo lacks authenticity: It doesn’t show the actual product, so shoppers miss out on important visual cues like appearance, texture, and color.
• No visual trust signals: Without packaging, branding, or a logo, the image fails to build credibility or reinforce brand identity.
• Hurts conversion: When customers can’t clearly see what they’re buying, hesitation kicks in and they abandon their cart

What This Description Gets Wrong

• Too generic and technical: It focuses on the extraction method instead of the experience. Shoppers want to know what it feels like, tastes like, and why they should choose it.
• No clear use case or context: It omits key details like potency, effects, flavor, and when or how to use it. This leaves customers guessing.
• Fails to persuade: It doesn’t answer the most important question on every shopper’s mind: “Why this product, and why now?”

What It Looks Like Done Right (Feat. Elevated Herb)

HAPPY BALANCE | CBD ENHANCED (1:1 RATIO) - 10 PACK - 100 mg

Product Description: Flavor: Strawberry & Cream Available in: 100 mg THC / 100 mg CBD 10 mg THC / 10 mg CBD per gummy The Best of Both Worlds! Happy Balance gummies are the perfect way to find your zen. These double-layered Strawberries & Cream gummies are formulated with a custom 1-to-1 blend of THC and CBD. The result is a balanced, milder effect — ideal for both new and experienced cannabis users. Good For: Outdoor adventures, Balance, Socializing, Uplifting"

Why This Image Works

• Colorful and high-energy: The bright, punchy backdrop with exploding strawberries and cream visually reinforces the flavor story and captures attention instantly.
• Brand-forward: Prominently features the Ogeez! logo and product name, reinforcing brand recognition.
• Professional and polished: High-resolution and stylized for ecommerce, this image builds legitimacy and sets a clear quality standard.

Why this description works

• Clear and informative: Breaks down dosage, expected effects, and the ideal customer in a way that’s easy to understand and directly useful for decision-making.
• Sensory appeal: Descriptive phrases like “double-layered Strawberries & Cream” and “mouthwatering flavor” create a craveable, enjoyable depiction of the product.
• SEO-friendly: Integrades SEO-friendly terms like “CBD-THC ratio gummy,” “1:1 edible,” and “Strawberries & Cream flavor,” boosting search engine discoverability.

Take a second to browse Elevated Herb’s full catalog powered by Treez Ecommerce. You'll notice that every product features this same level of detail: high-quality images and thoughtfully crafted descriptions. Talk about a first impression.

What You Should Do About It

If you're a cannabis retailer, you’ve hopefully realized that optimizing your product content should be a top priority. Here’s how to get started:

1. Audit Your Catalog
Start by identifying which of your active products are missing strong descriptions or unique images. Your goal should be 100% coverage across your entire menu.

2. Prioritize Descriptions That Promote Discoverability and Conversion
Create product descriptions that answer key questions shoppers care about:

• What are the effects?
• How potent is it?
• How do I use it?

Aim for descriptions that are clear and informative. Including some background or story about the product can also engage shoppers and build a stronger connection. Keep in mind that well-written descriptions also improve SEO and help your products appear in relevant search results.

3. Use Accurate, High-Quality Images
Avoid generic or stock photos. A high-quality, product-specific image builds trust and helps your listings stand out. 

4. Track and Measure
Monitor how content changes impact metrics like sales velocity, conversion rate, and return rate. Take note of what resonates best with your customers and drives the strongest results.

How Treez Aims to Streamline this Process (Launching Soon)

For most operators, writing product content is a manual, time-consuming task that takes away from serving customers and managing daily operations. Retailer surveys show that on average, it takes 90 minutes to fully intake an invoice with 10 products. At Treez,  we're investing in driving that time down by half or more, while increasing the quality of the product content on your online menus.

We’re introducing the first of Treez AI features that help generate clear, compliant, and conversion-ready product descriptions and images at the click of a button.

Intelligent Use of Existing Content

Rather than creating content from scratch on the fly, our AI pulls from a rich baseline of existing images and descriptions, ensuring accuracy and relevancy. This foundation is built from a decade’s worth of product data and verified retail information, allowing Treez AI to suggest descriptions that are not only precise but also aligned with industry standards and compliance requirements.

Incorporating Human Expertise

Treez AI uses a human-in-the-loop approach where your team reviews and approves generated content.  With your feedback, the AI learns your brand tone, preferences, and product focus, getting smarter and more personalized with every use. As the system learns and improves over time, it consistently delivers high-quality, on-brand content.

Treez AI in Action

Just the Beginning of a Smarter Retail Future

By automating the content creation workflow, these new Treez AI features save you time and money. Product description and image tools are just the start. They’re part of a much larger ecosystem we’re building that’s designed to optimize every corner of the cannabis retail experience. Subscribe to the GLUE playbook to be the first to hear what’s coming next. You won’t want to miss it.