Leafly and Jane Partner for Enhanced Cannabis Shopping

A New Era for Cannabis Retail: Leafly and Jane’s Join Forces

A significant collaboration is underway between two leading companies in the cannabis sector, poised to revolutionize the retail experience for both consumers and dispensaries. This partnership integrates the technological capabilities of Leafly and Jane, offering dispensaries robust tools to synchronize their online storefronts with real-time inventory levels – a crucial improvement currently missing within the cannabis marketplace.

The Current Challenges for Cannabis Shoppers

Consumers familiar with legal cannabis purchasing are well aware of the frustrations. Numerous applications claim to display dispensary inventories, yet these online menus frequently diverge from the actual products available in-store. Furthermore, inconsistencies in product listings across different dispensaries add to the confusion.

This discrepancy stems from the lack of a standardized UPC barcode for cannabis products, coupled with the large number of rapidly moving SKUs that dispensaries manage from a multitude of vendors.

How Leafly and Jane’s Partnership Addresses the Issues

The alliance between Leafly and Jane’s aims to alleviate these difficulties for all parties involved. Jane’s technology empowers dispensaries to establish contemporary e-commerce platforms through automation and the application of machine learning.

This technology will be integrated into Leafly’s Menu Solutions, which currently interfaces with over 30 point-of-sale (POS) systems. The anticipated outcome is reduced administrative burden for dispensaries and a more reliable online shopping experience for customers.

The Scale of Leafly and Jane’s Reach

Both Leafly and Jane’s have established a strong presence within the cannabis industry. Recent data indicates that Jane’s platform facilitated over 17 million orders and $2 billion in cannabis sales in the past year.

Currently, more than 1,800 dispensaries and brands utilize Jane’s services. In 2020, Leafly’s platform was used by over 4,500 cannabis retailers, attracting 120 million visitors to its online marketplace.

Leafly’s Recent Transformation

Despite past successes, Leafly navigated a challenging 2020, marked by workforce reductions and changes in leadership. Yoko Miyashita assumed the role of CEO in August 2020, and has since prioritized enhancing the online cannabis shopping experience.

Moving Towards Modern E-Commerce

As of early 2021, a true “Amazon of weed” or even a “Shopify of weed” remains elusive, primarily due to ongoing federal prohibition. This collaboration represents a significant step towards a more streamlined e-commerce model for the cannabis industry.

By leveraging Jane’s capabilities in standardizing and automatically populating product listings, alongside Leafly’s extensive POS integrations, both consumers and dispensaries stand to benefit.

CEO Perspectives on the Partnership

TechCrunch interviewed the CEOs of both Leafly and Jane’s regarding this partnership. Both leaders expressed considerable enthusiasm, viewing it as a pivotal moment for the retail cannabis sector.

“Dispensaries don’t have a solution that can be seamless like a Shopify or Amazon,” stated Socrates Rosenfeld, CEO of Jane’s. “I think, together with Jane’s ability to cleanse information in real time, and essentially automate e-commerce for large brick and mortar selling sellers, combining that with Leafly’s consumer marketplace, we are making shopping for cannabis as simple as shopping on Amazon.”

Rosenfeld further elaborated that this partnership extends beyond simply replicating the Amazon shopping experience. He envisions it as a means of restoring value and supporting local dispensaries by equipping them with advanced technology.

Leafly CEO Yoko Miyashita emphasized, “The problems in cannabis are unique enough, and the plant has a complexity that we want to honor. We don’t think we can get there with antiquated ways of doing things. It’s bringing the intentionality around shared values to innovate and ultimately empower the communities that we serve.”