Technology Drives Legalized Marijuana Sales
Denver, CO (PRWEB) September 29, 2014 -- Leveraging its vast experience in interactive marketplace technologies, point-of-sale media specialist Eyechronic (http://www.eyechronic.tv) is a new catalyst in the burgeoning cannabis industry, shaping sales, branding and the customer experience.
With less than a year to play in the space here, diving in just as recreational cannabis sales became legal in Colorado, Eyechronic can already point to several examples of game-changing projects for dispensaries, product suppliers and the industry at large.
Before its April launch, Denver-based dispensary Euflora (http://eufloracolorado.com) envisioned a new way to sell cannabis, allowing experienced users and the previously uninitiated to review products and shop at their own pace. Eyechronic delivered the technology design, hardware and back end support to Euflora, which has earned its nickname as the “Apple store” of dispensaries.
According to CEO Pepe Breton, Euflora’s clean, tech-centric floor plan in the city’s prominent 16th Street Mall has surprised many visitors - along with a slew of news journalists and broadcast media from every major network. Breton and store owner Jamie Perino aimed to set a new standard for dispensary design. With features like 20 interactive and custom-branded computer tablets, easy to navigate menus, an in-store promotional TV network, and a system for utilizing customer reviews, Eyechronic’s expertise has helped to create an immersive, engaging shopping experience. “They’ve been on point in every case,” says Breton, who added kudos for the tech company’s responsiveness. “I think we gave them a two-week lead time before we opened.”
Importantly, the new information delivery systems are influencing buying decisions at the point of sale.
Justin Jones, equal partner at Dank Colorado (http://www.dank-colorado.com) - one of 15 dispensaries in Denver ready to expand beyond medical sales on Jan. 1 - was an early adopter of branding. Dank utilizes the tablets and big-screen digital menu systems, and Jones is excited for the benefits of cohesive storytelling. “We use PSAs to help educate, and we can input promotions for edibles and concentrates and other products,” he says. “It all works together.”
Jones gives credit to the branding, used in step with the high-tech, high-touch devices, for boosting sales of marijuana products by $5 to $7 per transaction, and he says sales of Eyechronic designed logo wear products, like hats and T-shirts, equate to over $15,000 in revenue each month. “Eyechronic builds value by having systems dedicated to the marijuana industry,” he says. “It’s much more than a computer program.”
“Eyechronic also brought us the in-store digital menu and digital advertising screens, which are wonderful because they’re bright and big, and they show what’s for sale and how much each variety costs,” adds Jones of Dank. “It helps with marketing, and also keeps everyone on the same page for what matters most - the cannabis.”
Edible products specialist Edipure (http://edipure.com) is leading the charge by investing in brand awareness, targeting advertising opportunities related to the explosion in cannabis tourism, first in Colorado, and with an eager anticipation for Washington and other states to follow.
Prior to the legalization of recreational sales, suppliers, naturally, preferred to lie low. “Edipure was a word of mouth brand only,” says Nate Weinberg, who is responsible for sales, distribution and marketing. “Now, our marketing strategy has to align with the tourism market. We want to expose tourists to our brand and products when they are online, doing their R&D, before they arrive in Colorado.”
To that end, Edipure first worked with Eyechronic to create interactive banner ads for placement on dispensary and media outlet websites. The banner ad is a dynamic tool that lets viewers click thru various screens containing information and branded videos. “This is a unique way to market digitally, without removing the prospective customer from the retailer’s website, which is important.” adds Weinberg. “We were looking for the next big thing and felt this was it.”
Subsequent phases involve reaching the customer repeatedly at the point of purchase, with a host of other powerful digital branding initiatives under way, including brief video ads for Eyechronic’s in-store video screens and menu systems. Edipure supports the online and in-store efforts with traditional media buys as well. Weinberg believes they are the first cannabis products supplier to be fully committed to a branding and marketing plan. “We want to be perceived as the main player in the edibles market,” he says. “What Eyechronic brings us is a brand awareness platform.”
While Eyechronic has taken cues from other retail segments, the company views the budding cannabis marketplace as an ideal space for branding where none have gone before.
“We’re building a unique sales and supply branding ecosystem for an uncharted industry,” says Ted Tilton, chief operating officer, Eyechronic.
ABOUT EYECHRONIC
Eyechronic is the leading point-of-sale media and technology solutions company dedicated to the cannabis industry. Founded by a team of media veterans, Eyechronic is focused on bringing best-of-class media products and strategies to dispensaries and brands. Eyechronic has sales offices in California, Washington, Oregon and Colorado and will expand representation as legislation in the industry continues to progress. For more information, visit http://www.eyechronic.tv or contact Ted Tilton, COO, at 303-725-4088 or ted.tilton(at)eyechronic(dot)tv
Ted Tilton, Eyechronic, http://www.eyechronic.tv, 303-725-4088, [email protected]
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