Michael MillerAt Cookies on Melrose, budtenders have literally turned a corner. Thanks to tablet-based point of sales (POS) applications made specifically to navigate the rules and regulations of the cannabis industry, budtenders are in a position to offer a front-and-center boutique sales experience. The friendly “meet-and-greet” approach is normal for traditional retail shops on Melrose, but “normal” to a traditional retailer can feel very new to a dispensary retailer. Implementing this technology has led to increased sales and customer loyalty and is compliant with strict regulations surrounding cannabis sales. The look and feel of a tablet-based POS-system fit seamlessly with the existing “hands-on” sales philosophy of Cookies on Melrose. The owners did not want a sterile waiting room environment but wanted an open floor plan, similar to a clothing boutique.
The fledgling sector is still learning to navigate marketing and sales regulations, which differ not only state-to-state, but also locality to locality. As with Square, which changed small businesses’ ability to accept credit cards, new mobile applications for dispensaries allow personalized salesmanship that was formerly out of reach. Why would a dispensary consider implementing a tablet-based POS system? Cookies on Melrose had an astounding 50 percent increase in both sales and customers since budtenders were enabled to come from behind the counter to the sales floor and provide a customer with full engagement. “I love that I can show the customer what they are buying real-time and provide them with the ability to comparison shop. Being able to educate customers about pricing has helped us provide a more friendly and personalized experience,” says sales associate Mai Vo.
(Courtesy of Flowhub)
Devices, such as ‘The Nug’ from Flowhub, are attractive tablets which budtenders can carry as they engage with customers. Not only does it provide immediate sales information, but the Nug also inspires confidence and has become a talking point. A simple question about product availability by a customer would have previously required the budtender to return to the counter to log into a shared desktop system. Now all of that information is available directly at his fingertips in full view of the customer. The integration of sales and inventory applications also enables a dispensary to save money on training as they provide new hires with access to the same information as long-term budtenders. Rather than struggling with pricing or inventory questions, budtenders are freed to be more creative in their sales techniques.
“We track inventory across the vault, showroom and store locations so that we know exactly where it is and where it needs to go at all times,” says store manager Vartan Kalousdian. “That level of visibility gives us confidence in our compliance reporting and helps us maximize our growth.”
Tablets also enable the customer view their total sale before the sale is finalized. Using the Nug also decreases customer check-in and waiting time enhancing their overall experience. Once a budtender scans the customer, he can immediately begin shopping. From a traceability and security standpoint, budtenders don’t have leeway with “accidentally” ringing in a wrong pair of shoes or misplacing a pair of socks. Every gram of inventory must be tracked and traced, or a dispensary can not only face hefty fines but also risk the loss of its license. The Nug assists staff with complete inventory accountability.
As dispensaries such as Cookies on Melrose can have more than one location, they must ensure that customer information is shared accurately between stores. While a logistics issue for the dispensary, to the customer it makes for a very unpleasant buying experience when he goes to an alternative location of his preferred dispensary and informed that his information does not exist.
Says Vartan, “We want our customers to be able to feed off the knowledge we are delivering to them throughout the entire sales consultation process on the show floor so they leave satisfied. We pride ourselves on our customer service and this new technology helps us deliver that high expectation.”