Designed to be vandal-proof with membership authenticated by fingerprint and facial recognition, the 24/7 self-service GreenBox24 automated budtender is out to modernize customer experience, wait times, and productivity.
Just as large pharmacy chains have drive-through windows and order kiosks, the cannabis industry soon will have a self-serve solution for consumers. GreenBox24 is the world’s first fully secure and fully automated marijuana dispensing solution.
Like many cannapreneurs, Clint Ayler, chief executive officer for MJ Dispensing Solutions Inc., is new to the business. He’s no stranger to self-service technology, though. An electrical engineer for almost twenty years, he worked in the tech industry as a component design and validation engineer. His MJ Dispensing partners also come from the engineering and business sectors, where they cut their teeth in the vending machine world by starting an automated DVD rental business. Security and reliability are paramount in the cannabis industry, so having significant, relevant technical background and experience means the development team is uniquely qualified.
“The precursor to GreenBox24 was developed for the pharma industry in Europe and has been in production in both pharmacies and dispensaries in countries including the United Kingdom, Holland, and France since 2008,” said Ayler. “It’s now being showcased at industry trade shows in the United States.”
GreenBox24, which retails for $55,000, will debut in California and Colorado in the first quarter of 2016. The company is working with various state and local regulatory agencies to ensure the product meets all requirements. Although the European units are through-the-wall models, their U.S. cousins will be freestanding kiosks located inside dispensaries, enabling 24/7 access.
Although Ayler believes machines can never replace humans, GreenBox24 promises to help balance customer wait times and give dispensaries a way to cost-effectively expand their operating schedules to provide more convenient hours. And, well, we know 21st Century business is all about efficiency.
“If a customer has pre-ordered or knows what he wants, the system can fulfill the order, allowing people who have questions to spend more time with a budtender without holding up the line,” Ayler said. GreenBox24 does, however, offer an optional Remote Budtender™, a two-way video-chat. “The focus of GreenBox24 is to improve the customer experience, and many budtenders have embraced the concept when they’ve seen it.”
Designed to be vandal-proof, the system has alarms and locks on all doors and is bolted to the wall and floor, just like an automated safe. Membership cards will use EMV-type security chips, authenticated by fingerprint, driver’s license, and facial recognition. All products are pre-packaged and labeled with a unique product identifier. The system has the capability to track and limit the amount of THC being dispensed. GreenBox24 can be integrated with the dispensary’s seed-to-sale tracking software, too.
“Short of the product being mislabeled, minimal room for error exists in this system,” Ayler said. “If a customer needs assistance, he simply needs to hit the Remote Budtender button. If a mechanical failure occurs, the kiosk sends a notification to the dispensary operators, ceases operation, and will not unlock the product pick-up door until the issue is resolved.”
If dispensary owners decide to embrace the GreenBox24, they will have to come to terms with the machine’s sheer size: 98.22 inches wide, 35.43 inches deep, and 79.50 inches high.
IT’S IN THE WAY YOU — — USE IT: THE FEATURES
*PAYMENT BY CASH OR CREDIT CARD
*CHIP MEMBERSHIP CARD WITH PRE-PAID CAPABILITY
*BIOMETRIC CUSTOMER CONTROL
*COMPATIBLE WITH DISPENSARY MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE
*TOUCH SCREEN
*CAN STORE MORE THAN 400 PRODUCTS
*TWO-WAY VIDEO-CHAT
FOR ORDERS
MJDispensing.com
844 277-6605
