Welcome to the dawn of a new retail era - one that allows for the selling of cannabis on Shopify.
You read that correctly. As of September 2019, the popular ecommerce site announced that it was welcoming U.S merchants selling hemp or hemp-derived cannabidiol (CBD) to its comprehensive platform.
This announcement presents a new and exciting opportunity for U.S retailers.
For the first time, online businesses, no matter their size, have the chance to be part of this quickly growing market - one in which US sales are estimated to increase from $1.9 billion in 2018 to $20 billion by 2024.
Of course, there are federal, state, and local laws to comply with - the most important one being that you must be operating in a U.S state where hemp-derived CBD is legal.
At the moment, Shopify supports 40 states, however, with cannabis being one of the fastest-growing industries in North America, US laws surrounding hemp and hemp-derived CBD are constantly evolving.
Marketing in the Cannabis industry presents its own set of challenges. Due to the fact that many words are flagged - including “canna,” CBD, cannabidiol, and cannabinoid - running online advertising campaigns, like on Google adwords, is especially difficult.
That being said, although it is difficult and requires patience, digitally advertising a cannabis business is not impossible.
With strategic planning, plenty of research, and aligning your vision with your target audience’s expectations, there are many ways to reach your consumers - either through Instagram, BingAds, Mantis, and other networks. Rest assured, we can find a channel for your business.
While successfully entering the CBD industry may be challenging and overwhelming, it will be comforting for U.S retailers to know that their Northern neighbours have already been using Shopify to safely and reliably get hemp-derived CBD products into the hands of new and existing customers.
That’s right: Canadian CBD merchants have trusted Shopify as their go-to-platform for selling cannabis since 2018.
And it’s no wonder why. When it comes to finding the right tools and resources to sell cannabis, Shopify has it all.
The powerful platform boasts a variety of trustworthy commerce functions, such as payments processing, shipping services, and a variety of handy apps. These have allowed many of the world’s leading brands - including Josie Maran and Cannuka - to sell cannabis on Shopify to customers with ease.
And now you can too.
To learn more about how you can use Shopify to leverage your business, contact us here.
References
https://thematters.group/blog/how-to-advertise-on-google-tips-for-cannabis-businesses/
https://news.shopify.com/shopify-to-the-us-cbd-industry-welcome-to-retail
Comments will be approved before showing up.
Did you know that email lists decline by 20-30% each year? This means that up to one-third of your subscribers will never even open your carefully crafted emails or click on your call to action. In other words, it’s high time you clean your email list.