Creating a Friction-Free Cannabis Retail Experience

Buying cannabis products (in-store or online) can be a daunting and confusing experience for new & experienced buyers alike.

Most consumers will be overwhelmed by product choice (up to 800 SKUs in some stores), bad merchandising schemes and confusing or non-existent service from staff & budtenders.

Now add frequent out of stocks, poor product branding and onerous regulations and you have a sub-optimal retail experience.

Consumers fly blind, feel intimidated and experience unnecessary friction at the moment of purchase decision - what marketers call the Zero Moment of Truth.

Failure at the ZMOT can be significant in terms of lost revenue and a damaged brand image. The fails include abandoned carts, a disconnect between the sale and what the consumer truly needs, missed cross & upsell opportunities and frustrated shoppers who flee the store - and tell their friends.

Many dispensaries recognize these issues but are often challenged to address them because of operational, technology and staff limitations.

Help is on the way, in the form of a new, proven AI solution.

StrainBrain was built to simplify and enhance the cannabis shopping experience and streamline the retailer’s service model.

Their proprietary AI engine does the heavy analytical and UX lifting before the consumer reaches the ZMOT, helping them find the right products for their needs.

StrainBrain’s software focuses on 5 core elements:

1. Optimizing the user experience by eliminating unwanted complexity;

2. Asking the right, needs-based questions while ignoring anxiety-inducing concepts;

3. Using language and visuals that can easily be understood by a new or novice cannabis consumer;

4. Minimizing the distracting ‘noise’ from irrelevant products and marketing messages;

5. Making product recommendations via an advanced algorithm. The algo triangulates strain data & reviews from multiple sources and combines it with sentiment analysis.

To be clear, StrainBrain does not replace the budtender or other sales activities. Rather, it augments and streamlines their efforts while increasing overall store productivity and customer care.

The business results are impressive. Retailers can see increased conversion rates (+7-23%), upwards of $10 bumps in shopping cart size; more loyalty program sign ups & usage and; higher conversions of desirable cohorts (e.g., women, 55+)

I have delivered many customer experience projects. CX is one of the few areas that any retailer can compete with and win.

Shoppers, moreover, are not the only beneficiaries. Retailers can mine the available data from the POS and StrainBrain systems to optimize pricing, inventory levels and promotional schemes.

Let’s talk. I help retailers drive high revenues and profits though improving service levels, streamlining operations and enhancing their CX.

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