How often have you walked into a retail store and thought: “This place has no clue what I’m looking for.” Places that try to be everything to everyone sometimes forget who their core audience is.
The House of Cannabis in Barrie is looking to reverse that trend.
Instead of a “take it or leave it” approach, their dispensary often solicits customer feedback for which product offerings they should carry on the shelves.
Benjamin Tran is the founder and CEO of The House of Cannabis and he often leans on his staff and customers to suggest which cannabis products would be best to sell. It’s a unique form of crowdsourcing that benefits all parties.
“We like to talk to our customer base and see what they’re looking for, whether it’s a certain category, a certain type of product, or a specific type of product,” Tran said. “Our regulars know because they always talk to our budtenders, and we would try to get feedback from the previous purchase.”
From the Ontario Cannabis Store, there are over 1600 items available for retailers, which often makes it difficult for cannabis retailers to curate their selection. But having direct feedback and input from their customers helps with honing in on which products are best to stock.
“It’s a good mix of our core items that we know people are always looking for, and also getting feedback from our budtenders and our customers as well,” Tran said. “Seeing how they enjoyed that product they purchased previously, and seeing if there is something similar or unique we can bring in to create that unique experience for them. “
The House of Cannabis has curated their list down to 300 products, with options from flowers, to pre-rolls, edibles, drinks, concentrates, and more. A portion of those products are brought in on recommendation specifically from local customers.
From new innovations or new cannabis strains, the budtenders at The House of Cannabis have their ear to the ground when it comes to what’s new and exciting in the world of weed.
“I think that’s how you separate everybody’s store from yourself,” Tran said. “We can’t shy away that Barrie has a lot of cannabis stores in its market. For us, what we try to do is create a unique experience so that people feel comfortable coming back.
“Talking to our budtenders and figuring out what’s next. They go through a lot of training, they do their own research, so our budtenders are super knowledgeable about all the products coming into our store.”
Through The House of Cannabis’ loyalty program, customers can track previous orders to see where and what they’ve purchased in the past. It often sparks a conversation with budtenders, as they ask how the experience was, and it can lead to new recommendations in the future.
Who would know better than the people who smoke or ingest it? That’s why the product line is constantly evolving at their store, but the end game is always to bring in crowd-pleasers for cannabis devotees.
Check out what’s in store today at The House of Cannabis in Barrie, or order for same-day delivery online here.