By Tim Werth
Chris Dell’Olio and Hilart Abrahamian are two entrepreneurs who have created an innovative service for the ever-evolving cannabis business: an all-in-one cannabis compliance and marketing software for retail brands. Their company, WebJoint, provides digital solutions that help these brands sort out the growing amount of laws surrounding cannabis sales while helping them reach a significant consumer base.
Currently, WebJoint focuses on California, but the company is planning on replicating their services and business model in other states. The company helps retail brands build an integrated e-commerce website with a POS software that manages inventory and taxes. This software provides live reporting to METRC, the tracking software designed for regulated cannabis sales that is mandated by California state law. A recent launch of WebJoint 3.0 now offers marijuana customers a home delivery option.
Cannabis brands cannot obtain retail licenses to sell their products in person, as those licenses can only be issued to dispensaries. Typically, consumers must call a dispensary or go in-person to find out if they have a desired item in stock. WebJoint’s newest service will allow cannabis brands to skip the dispensary middlemen. A consumer can purchase a product on a brand’s website, and then the software dispatches a delivery driver to the nearest fulfilment partner that has the product in stock. This process allows brands to market directly to customers.
Both Dell’Olio and Abrahamian are only 23 years old, making them firmly millennial and in-tune with the current desires of cannabis customers. They recognized that on-demand delivery service has boosted the dog walking and food delivery industries and brought it to cannabis.
They also realized the shift to consumers seeking brand products after California’s policy changes on Jan 1. 2018. From Jan. 1 2018 onwards, all products cultivated in California had to be compliant with California’s Cannabis Packaging regulations.
These regulations state that packaging must be made out of certified child-resistant material, they must be heat sealed to ensure that the product was not tampered with, and that it must be resealable if it contains more than on serving. On Aug. 27, 2018, permanent regulations were introduced with slight tweaks to the original January iteration. These slight changes are expected to take effect in early December.
WebJoint helps cannabis brands keep these regulations straight by digitizing the back end of the business. Over their four years in business, they have processed $100 million in transactions. With Canada adopting more lenient marijuana laws in the coming weeks and the trend of state laws shifting across America, WebJoint will be looking to connect with more businesses.