Why do cannabis retailers in legal states choose to offer delivery in addition to the typical storefront dispensary experience? The answers are obvious, as delivery in legal states allows these businesses to increase their volume, improve the customer experience, and ultimately lead to increased ROI. Adding delivery to your dispensary enables more customers to purchase your products, even when you need to temporarily close your storefront.
What may not be so obvious are the important aspects to consider when opening your delivery business. What style of delivery business should you operate? What software systems will you use to manage compliance, operations, route planning, and driver management? What information do you require to be able to make informed, data-driven decisions?
How is cannabis delivery different from a traditional storefront?
Pizza Delivery Style
The pizza delivery style where inventory is kept and orders are taken and processed from a centralized location, such as the main dispensary (kind of like a pizzeria). Because the inventory is kept within a secure location for as long as possible, this makes the pizza delivery style model safer against theft or crime. The downside to this model is that it is not efficient to have to drive back and forth between the hub and the customers. Compliant route optimization software can make the difference between a profitable operation or an inefficient operation in this model.
Ice Cream Truck Style
The ice cream truck style takes decentralized inventory and places it on trucks that drive within given areas. These trucks can package inventory for a fulfilled order onboard the truck. They are also able to be mobile mini-storefronts that can allow customers to decide on-spot, like at a typical storefront experience (or similar to ordering ice cream from a truck). Any number of trucks can be utilized, if within compliance of local and state cannabis regulations. This model can be more efficient than the pizza delivery style model, however, there is ultimately more risk when there are thousands of dollars of inventory out on the road for hours at a time.
What functionality should my marijuana delivery software have?
- Metrc and Metrc Delivery API Access Points – Ensure the Seed-to-Sale software provider you use is certified by Metrc or your local state Track-and-Trace software as a certified third-party vendor. In California, a Metrc Delivery API has been opened which is an additional compliance endpoint required for delivery businesses. MJ Platform is integrated with nearly every track-and-trace system, so click here to learn more about MJ Platform.
- Online Ordering – Create the most convenient experience for your customers by offering online ordering through your website.
- Route Planning and Optimization – Use route planning and optimization software to reduce the time your drivers must spend on the road and to allow for more legal sales in a day.
- Driver-specific Order Tracking – Track orders by driver to group together multiple delivery opportunities in the same area.
- Driver-specific Inventory and Inventory Transferability – In the ice cream truck model, there will be times where it may make sense to have two trucks transfer inventory rather than having a truck have to go back to the inventory hub to restock and risk losing potential sales.
- Web-based software for on-the-road fulfillment – Allow your drivers to fulfill orders and update inventory on-the-road with a compliant software solution that offers web-based activity.
- Driver-specific Functionality (Reconciliation) – Reconcile inventory specific to each driver at the end of the night to ensure inventory counts match across the board and there is no diversion.
MJ Platform has several integrated delivery partners
Below are a few of the MJ Platform integrated software vendors that are specifically helpful for delivery businesses.
- iHeartJane – Ecommerce/online ordering
- OnFleet – Delivery Management Software
- Weedmaps – Digital Listing Service
- Leafly – Digital Listing Service
- Springbig – Loyalty Management Software
- Baker – Loyalty Management Software
MJ Freeway offers more than delivery
Beyond delivery-specific solutions, MJ Freeway offers compliant seed-to-sale software for the entire cannabis supply chain. Our supporting services consulting team offer compliant solutions for other very important aspects of cannabis business software including:
- Full standard operating procedures services
- Custom labeling
- Cost tracking
- Genetics tracking
- Custom business intelligence tool
- Extensive training/implementation options, both live and virtual
Together, all these solutions provide the comprehensive services needed by today’s legal cannabis delivery business. Discover your solution with MJ Freeway and click here to talk to our software experts today!
