The pandemic catalyzed the implementation of ecommerce in the cannabis industry, and the significant number of consumer purchases completed on ecommerce platforms each year demonstrates the continued popularity of online shopping. Ecommerce in the cannabis market makes shopping more convenient, enhances the user experience, and often provides personalized benefits for customers.
A key component of ecommerce — in fact, any kind of dispensary operation — is an integrated point-of-sale (POS) system, which allows brands to centralize all their sales on a single platform. Whether a sale is made online or in a brick-and-mortar store, valuable data stays in sync across the entire system to adhere to compliance regulations and support brands’ marketing strategies and campaigns. POS systems like the recently released Dutchie POS offer businesses the opportunity to streamline their operations and continuously benefit from analysis of their centralized sales data.
From the outset, the cannabis industry has been fraught with fragmented technology ecosystems. To run a business effectively, dispensaries often are forced to manage and integrate numerous disparate digital systems and hardware. When attempting to connect software applications from different providers, traditional open application programming interfaces (APIs) can pose overwhelming challenges for businesses without appropriate support. Dutchie offers dispensaries a POS system, including a full retail register kit with an integrated payment terminal, that works as a key part of a single operating system. When used in concert with Dutchie’s ecommerce, payment, and insurance solutions, the POS system functions as an all-in-one interconnected platform to help retailers maximize operational efficiency.
“Dutchie POS is the latest product to launch from our $100 million industry research and development commitment. For over a year, the Dutchie team compiled customer feedback highlighting ongoing industry constraints in retail and built a powerful and easy-to-use platform that meets the exact needs of small dispensaries, delivery services, and large multistate operators,” said Dutchie Chief Product Officer and cofounder Zach Lipson.
The POS system offers configurable options, automated compliance, and ample data reporting customizable to any cannabis retailer’s requirements. With dashboard and data customization options, dispensaries can configure Dutchie POS to support almost any operational design.
In an industry where many retailers are overwhelmed or improperly trained in the use of their technology solutions, a software provider with a strong commitment to customer service is a necessity. When a retailer chooses Dutchie POS, dedicated implementation strategists work closely with teams and their leaders during the kick-off process. Through a series of live training sessions customized to client needs and workflows, shared training collateral, and a live help center, Dutchie helps dispensaries begin operating with confidence and efficiency.
Training sessions cover everything from platform configuration and site navigation to inventory operations and retail administration. Dispensaries are able to configure the Dutchie system and adjust settings to add new required data fields for customers, determine how transaction data is curated, customize inventory updates, and tailor budtender-facing screens.
While the onboarding time and training can vary, Dutchie ensures customers can be ready to make full use of the POS solution independently in six weeks or less.
Because cannabis is still a Schedule I drug under federal law and state regulations vary significantly, retailers must remain both compliant with legislation and familiar with their operational data to achieve long-term success. Dutchie POS integrates with every major seed-to-sale tracking system and automatically tracks everything, including individual transactions, overall sales, and new inventory in all legal markets. Automating compliance safeguards businesses and provides invaluable peace of mind for owners, managers, and employees.
Automated data tracking and analysis serve as a different type of safeguard, helping businesses stay aware of sales patterns, operational inefficiencies, and inventory status. With customizable data reports, retailers may establish specific settings for data fields, choosing which information to automatically collect and analyze from each transaction. With Dutchie POS, retailers have access to more than 200 reports that provide visualizations and contextualized data. The reports undergo continuous updates and feature a strategic grouping of key metrics so operators can leverage their data.
“Many of our customers are further maximizing revenue by using Dutchie data to optimize sales floor team structures,” said Lipson.
While ecommerce is exploding in popularity, a smoothly operating storefront is still a key part of a sustainable retail plan for most businesses. Dutchie POS is accessible from any device in any location and centralizes all data in one easily accessible platform. The system’s hardware design improves the experience for both budtenders and consumers, providing everything needed to set up registers and begin operation. On the consumer side, customers easily can follow along with their orders as transaction costs are broken down to streamline tax and discount information. And on the budtender side, the system offers intuitive features and helpful information that can assist budtenders in enhancing the customer experience and driving more sales.
Cannabis consumers demand efficiency and convenience, and dispensaries need integrated solutions. Industry providers like Dutchie have responded to the demand for a better solution, so dispensaries no longer have to piece together disparate software systems to create a desirable user experience. Dutchie POS was developed and released shortly after Dutchie Pay, the company’s digital payment solution, which allows payment to flow instantly into the POS. With a full ecosystem of intuitively designed, automated software, Dutchie offers a simplified solution for retailers.
