e-commerce Archives - Green Market Report

StaffApril 7, 2020
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12min00

Editors Note: This is a guest post.

When cannabis became legal in Canada for recreational use in July 2018, the path to legal weed seemed simple. When the Government of Canada appointed ex Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair to head up the legalization process is when the train came off the rails. 

Numerous delays along the legalization process started raising red flags in the budding cannabis industry. Later it became clear that the Canadian Government was not going to release its grip on the fledgling cannabis industry. The inexperienced parliamentarian’s designed complicated laws and regulations which they believed were going to allow for a smooth transition to legalized cannabis.  

Complicated Licensing and Regulations Force Boutique Growers Out

By the time the Liberals finished with the legalization process, it was almost instantly clear that the regulations encouraged large corporations to own the market. At the same time, smaller boutique growers wouldn’t be able to afford the extreme costs of licensing and meeting regulations. 

Many of the regulations designed by the Government to ensure that the medical-grade bulk CBD oil producers were providing customers with clean, quality cannabis products seemed to go by the wayside when the corporate weed companies took over. “Corporate weed,” as I like to call it, is lower quality and contains more contaminants and costs more than cannabis available from any other market, including the illegal market.

If that wasn’t enough to turn customers off the legal cannabis bandwagon, the Government also staggered the release of dry herb, edibles, and concentrate products. 

The Start of Really Bad Cannabis Products

While our Government’s incompetence was creating a market full of overpriced, low-quality cannabis products produced by corporate cronies, consumers got wise quickly. They went back to their black-market dealers who provided cheap, better quality weed. Even with a lack of product selection, consumers have made it clear that government corporate weed isn’t going to cut it. 

 Based on the poor experience, cannabis users had to accept and the fact that most consumers prefer to shop online as a matter of convenience, online dispensaries began to explode online. 

As the average person reads this article, most of you won’t be aware that people have been buying cannabis products online from BC dispensaries for over a decade. That’s a fact, and I know because I’ve been illegally purchasing cannabis from online dispensaries in British Colombia for as long as I care to remember. 

Ordering Cannabis Online is the Clear Choice 

The benefits of ordering online from BC have always been clear and haven’t changed much in a decade. British Columbia started its road to legalization many years ago. Since the beginning, growers and dispensaries in BC have been figuring out what the market wants, the quality they expect, and the price they are willing to pay. That head start allowed competition to grow and develop over time, naturally leading to better products, more product variety, and fair prices. 

Edibles and concentrates have been available online from BC for as long as I can remember. The market has matured in BC, and products have improved during that process. A healthy level of competition has stabilized the price per gram and created higher product quality demands. 

There are several reasons why I buy my cannabis products online and will continue to do so. We’ve already discussed the convenience of shopping anywhere and anytime using your phone or computer. Still, there are better reasons why I won’t change my ways. 

I Care About My Privacy

For me, privacy is a big deal! I don’t like people knowing my business, and I certainly am not interested in the American Government knowing my purchasing habits when I cross the border. Shopping at online BC dispensaries does improve your privacy over shopping at a legal government store such as the OCS store in Ontario. 

Small private dispensaries do require you to upload a photo of your driver’s license to prove that you are of age. Still, they don’t digitize your driver’s license and enter your information into a database like Government stores are doing. 

Government Stores are larger targets for hackers seeking to steal information or credit card data. At the same time, small dispensaries remain too small to justify a hacker’s time.

 Buying Cannabis Online is Easy and Secure

I like that I don’t need to go anywhere or talk to anyone when making my cannabis purchase online. I want to do my research and answer my own questions as much as possible. Still, if I do have a problem, I want fast and easy access to customer support services via email, phone, or live chat support. 

 Are you wondering how you could buy cannabis online and know that it will be a good quality product? I know it seems strange at first not being able to smell or touch the product before you buy it, but online dispensaries have this sorted out too. 

Use Cannabis Review Sites to know what you Are Buying

Most good online dispensaries, like the dispensaries listed on this cannabis review site, provide very detailed descriptions and details about all the products they stock. Excellent quality closes up images are used to show you every aspect of the bud’s character. The closer to knowing what product to buy is the honest user reviews that are collected by the customers who are purchasing the products. Any dispensary I shop at will have a lot of reviews from many users that is the only way I make my final buying decision.

Online Dispensary = Choice and Savings

Price is also a significant factor in where I purchase cannabis products. As a consumer, I’m searching for a perfect combination of quality and price when purchasing online. Having many dispensary options to choose from helps consumers by allowing price and product comparison shopping. 

If you’re looking for a common strain, you should be able to locate it at multiple dispensaries. Having that particular strain available at numerous dispensaries offers the consumer more opportunity to select the quality/price option they want.

Generally, online dispensaries have a more extensive customer base than traditional brick and mortar shops. Having a more extensive customer base allows online dispensaries to purchase their product in larger discounted volumes. Those savings are passed on to the customer to ensure that the store is competitive and busy.  

 How to be safe when buying weed online in Canada?

Buying online cannabis has been a fantastic option for me. Still, when I first considered purchasing online, I was understandably nervous just like you are right now. A bunch of worrisome thoughts popped into my head. Is this dispensary legit, will the product be as advertised, will the package be confiscated by Canada Post or worse would the police come knocking on my door?

Well, I can assure you everything worked out, time and time again. I have run into the odd minor issue when trying out a new dispensary, mostly problems with receiving the wrong product or the product not being exactly as advertised. Not once has a package gone missing, or a police officer showed up to arrest me. 

Today you have no reason to feel anxiety over ordering online. The legal status of cannabis has changed in Canada and the rules that govern the way Canada Post screens in-country packages. It’s legal to send marijuana through the mail and against our constitutional rights for privacy. 

In 2020, the online dispensary market has matured and become the leading access point for legal cannabis products. Having better prices and more selection than local legal dispensaries or online government options such as the OCS store continues to drive cannabis users online. 

The Only Real Options for Accessing Cannabis are Online or Black-market

Black-market cannabis remains the most significant section of the cannabis market and is showing little sign of change anytime soon. Calling your local “guy” is easy and fast and, most of all, the cheapest option, which is what the average cannabis user is looking to access. In time cannabis users will be forced to look to the online marketplace if they are interested in edibles, concentrates, top-shelf quality, and variety. 

 

 

 


Jack SmithJune 6, 2018
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3min00

The effects of legalized marijuana are being felt far and wide across different sectors of the economy, especially media, as cannabisMD.com has officially launched, aiming to be the destination for consumers to learn about medical marijuana and how to treat particular ailments.

Described as WebMD meeting cannabis and CBD, cannabisMD.com will provide potential patients a plethora of curated and original content, including peer-reviewed research, original video content and more, to give readers the opportunity to make better-informed decisions about medicinal marijuana.

“We created cannabisMD.com to meet the educational needs of the marketplace,” said Rory Millikin, co-founder of cannabisMD.com in a statement. “Though the majority of Americans (61 percent) favor the legalization of cannabis for medicinal use, many of those consumers lack awareness of the ways in which cannabis may address ailments and diseases, and don’t know where to go to find credible information on the plant and its derivatives.”

Up to this point, Millikin added that the cannabis media market has largely consisted of companies that provide reviews, dispensary mapping technology or e-commerce, but little about the scientific information about the plant itself.

“cannabisMD.com has been designed with the patient and caregiver in mind,” Millikin said.

In the U.S., 29 states have legalized some form of marijuana use, making reputable content (such as that from cannabisMD.com and Green Market Report, the publisher of this website), more important than ever. Nine states, including the District of Columbia, allow it to be used for recreational use, though it is still illegal at the federal level.

Canada is expected to legalize marijuana across the entire country sometime this summer. However, recent industry reports have noted that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his team could push that back to the fall, as opposed to July, as had been previously thought.

In addition to the aforementioned content that will run on cannabisMD, readers will also see patient testimonials, various patient and clinical forums and content from a “best-in-class medical staff with multiple Ph.D. degrees and experts in biomedicine, psychology and Western medicine.”


William SumnerMay 7, 2018
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4min017

It’s safe to say that the cannabis industry is growing up. Less than a decade ago, the majority of cannabis users were still purchasing from black market dealers. Fast forward to today, where recreational cannabis is legal in eight U.S. states and medical cannabis is legal in most of the country. People are no longer buying cannabis in parking lots, they’re buying it in dispensaries and they’re buying it online.

For cannabis companies hoping to make their mark in the industry, setting up their own e-commerce shop is a great way to gain visibility and get more customers. But as they say, the devil is in the details, and for those that lack the acumen for web design, there is a bevy of B2B cannabis companies that can help you set up your e-commerce shop.

Here are the Top 4 Cannabis Companies that offer e-commerce solutions:

  1. Baker
    Baker is an extremely popular e-commerce platform. Like many B2B e-commerce platforms, Baker can help dispensaries monetize their website through the addition of a digital menu, online checkout, and customer loyalty programs. But what makes Baker shiner brighter than most is its ability to integrate and communicate with other digital cannabis platforms, which is made possible through its recently launched API. Baker currently integrates with over 20 digital cannabis platforms, including FlowHub and Leafly.
  2. WeedHero
    WeedHero is a small company based in Portland, Oregon, that aims to smooth out interactions between medical cannabis dispensary owners and their consumers. Its full-featured marketing software is designed to make it easy for dispensaries to turn their websites into an e-commerce marketplace. With WeedHero, customers can browse search-engine friendly menus, choose between pickup or delivery, and even categorize their favorite product. WeedHero also offers free installation and a risk-free 15 day trial.
  3. Green Marimba
    Green Marimba offers a wide array of web-based services, including e-commerce services. Like Baker, Green Marimba offers multiple integrations with various web platforms. Unlike Baker, however, most are not directly related to the cannabis industry, with the exception of metrc. Green Marimba also offers services such as cannabis legal compliance, supported by a team of Colorado-based attorneys, and seed-to-sale inventory tracking.
  4. 365 Cannabis
    365 Cannabis offers a suite of digital tools for medical cannabis dispensary owners, from built-in POS software to e-commerce solutions. With 365 Cannabis, dispensary owners can set up their own e-commerce shop and customers can order cannabis online for pick up or delivery. From the dispensary side of the equation, employees can track which patients use their dispensary as well as the kinds of products they purchase. 365 Cannabis also features both B2B and B2C configurations, so that individuals can sell to both businesses and patients.

Did we miss something? Who is your go-to for e-commerce solutions? Sound off in the comments below!


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