By Dan Mondello, CEO & Cofounder at Rank Really High
After nearly five years deep in cannabis menu optimization, I’ve learned one thing: most dispensary websites are stuck in 2019 or older. The cannabis menu experience is arguably the most important piece of your online real estate but it hasn’t evolved much. Today, I want to break down what’s working, what’s broken, and what the best retailers outside cannabis are doing better. To do this we picked 4 of the most prominent, most advanced MSO websites to compare how they handled searches (where applicable) for “Edibles” vs. clicking directly into the Edibles menu category page.
MSO Category and Search Results Page Handling is pretty much THE SAME…
The Cannabis MSO Menu Breakdown: “Edibles” Search Test
To keep it fair, I ran the same test across several major MSO dispensaries: typed “edibles” into their site search or clicked the Edibles category. Here’s what happened.
1. RISE Cannabis
Best overall experience Risecannabis.com offers a very familiar retail experience. Featuring inventory and deals on the homepage, inventory search functionality in the header as well as GEO location. Rise is a standout among MSOs.
• Geo-location: Instantly detected my location and suggested the nearest store.
• Navigation: Clean category nav with a visible search bar.
• Homepage: Featured products, nice touch.
• Search Results Page (SRP): Searching “edibles” brings up a solid, inventory-based SRP.
• Category Click: Clicking Edibles shows similar results, plus a sponsored listing up top.
Verdict: One of the most complete menu UXs in cannabis. Search, nav, and discovery all tie together.
2. Sunnyside
One of the first and most technologically advanced ecommerce experiences, but now a little outdated Sunnyside.shop has a lot of really great custom features and was one of the first native ecommerce sites to launch in Cannabis. Fast forward a few years and it does feel like there’s an opportunity to further modernize the platform.
• No search bar. Huge miss.
• Defaulted to Illinois for no clear reason.
• Manual navigation required: Shop → Edibles
• Category page = raw inventory with some banners.
Verdict: Functional, but not modern. A good 2020 site that hasn’t kept up with consumer expectations.
3. MÜV (Verano)
Confusing experience. Muvfl.com also has some nice features but the search functionality from the homepage is confusing and probably not adding value. Once you hit the ecomm pages the search becomes very useful.
• Has a search bar, but “edibles” pulls up blog posts, not products.
• Multiple “product landing pages” instead of inventory.
• To reach edibles inventory: Menu → Edibles (three-plus clicks).
• Poor connection between search intent and product discovery.
Verdict: Looks good, feels broken. If your search sends shoppers to a blog, they’re gone.
4. Curaleaf
Iffy UX offender. Check out the infinite loop at the end. Cureleaf.com has quite a few issues. The site feels like it’s poorly optimized to drive customers to ecommerce portions of the site. It also had a handful of glitches and friction just getting into the ecommerce. Of the 4 sites I reviewed, Curaleaf is the only MSO siyte with no deals or inventory on the homepage.
• Forces state selection first.
• Menu is hidden, not even in the main navigation.
• Landing on any page besides the homepage? You’re lost.
• Takes 3-5 clicks to reach a state-specific menu.
• Once you finally get there, Edibles = plain inventory.
Verdict: For a brand this big, the UX is surprisingly inefficient. If you can’t shop from anywhere on your site, you’re losing customers by the minute.
What the Big Players Cannabis Multi-State Operators (MSOs) Are Missing
Across all four MSOs, there’s one common flaw: menus are just inventory dumps.
There’s no story, no guidance, no upsells — just product lists. This is the e-commerce equivalent of a gas station shelf. Functional? Sure. Profitable? Not nearly as much as it could be.
What Smart Ecommerce Retailers Do Differently
Let’s look at how real retail pros do it.
Whole Foods (Amazon-owned)
• Search “seafood” → a clean SRP with relevant filters and suggestions.
• Category click → not a product dump, but a landing page with:
• Subcategories (salmon, shellfish, frozen, etc.)
• Seasonal promos (e.g. Thanksgiving turkey specials)
• Curated product groups and educational content.
Lesson: Landing pages aren’t just functional — they’re strategic. They drive awareness, discovery, and conversion.
Stop & Shop
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Homepage highlights seasonal searches like “Thanksgiving.”
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“Seafood” search → strong SRP experience.
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“Seafood” category → an entire curated experience:
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Items on sale
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Holiday bundles
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Sustainability callouts
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Subcategories and house brands
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Lesson: They’re not just showing inventory. They’re selling. Every click builds context, adds value, and promotes margin-rich items.
What Cannabis Retailers (including MSOs) Need to Do Next
It’s time for dispensary websites to evolve past the “menu = product list” mindset.
Here’s where the future lies:
• Smart search: Intent-based SRPs that understand “edibles” = product interest, not blog content.
• Curated category pages: Combine education, deals, and subcategories, don’t just dump SKUs.
• Seasonal storytelling: Highlight holidays, trends, and promos directly in category views.
• Data-driven personalization: Use geo, behavior, and purchase history to tailor results.
The dispensaries that start thinking like Whole Foods, not just Weedmaps, are going to win.
Final Thoughts
SEO-optimized menus aren’t enough anymore; they need to be sales-optimized.
When cannabis brands start borrowing from Whole Foods instead of just other MSOs, they’ll not only climb Google — they’ll keep customers on-site and spending more.
More on this direction soon. Stay tuned.