5 Ways to Speed up Dispensary Checkout Experiences

Nothing ruins a shopping experience like a long line—or a cumbersome checkout process in general—it’s the retail equivalent of dropping a touchdown pass. 

Dispensaries may be spaces for folks to chat and learn, but there are always going to be shoppers looking to get in and out quickly. 

You can optimize your dispensary’s in-store checkout experience so everyone is satisfied. 

This post explains 5 key ways to make the checkout flow for a cannabis purchase, smooth, efficient, and enjoyable. 
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1. Accept multiple (compliant) forms of payment
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This step is the most important because it’s common for cannabis shoppers to be limited to either cash or clumsy card processors that either break down or charge exorbitant fees. 

By accepting a modern, compliant cannabis payment option, like digital ACH payments, you’ll accelerate checkout in three ways: 

1. Money is sent faster. Customers pay by scanning a barcode on their mobile devices and sending money straight from their bank to yours. It’s an instant process utilizing bank accounts, especially compared to counting change or swiping cards. 
2. Bank transfers don’t get shut down or crash. ACH payments are the ONLY compliant payment solution for dispensaries (besides cash). Anything else runs a risk of suddenly not working. Plus, they are one of the top preferred payment methods. 
3. Customers pay how they like. Offering options means each customer can choose how they’d like to pay. Some may have cash ready in hand, while others will opt to pay digitally and avoid having to run back to the ATM. 
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2. Integrate payments with your POS system
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When your cannabis payment system is integrated with your dispensary’s POS system, information is passed between the systems seamlessly. This means budtenders don’t need to manually enter each sale quantity into the POS. 

It also means dispensary transactions are much faster and entirely seamless. 

Aeropay’s ACH payment solution is integrated with the best POS systems in cannabis, including:

• Flowhub
• Flourish 
• Weave

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Here’s how Aeropay’s POS integration works: By simply scanning a QR code, customers can complete their purchase without cash or cards. They simply link to their bank and pay.

3. Add an express checkout lane
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You can enhance the shopping experience for every customer and considerably speed up the process by adding a specific checkout terminal for customers who fit certain criteria, like: 

• They already know what they want

• They’re all using a faster payment method (like Aeropay) 

• They placed their order online

• They’re specifically shopping for medical products (this is a requirement in some states, like Massachusetts)

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For example, Capitol Wellness in Louisiana created a “Fast Pass Lane” for their patients using Aeropay. This lane bypasses all other orders and gives priority to those using Aeropay because it’s a much faster payment method. 
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What were the results? Aeropay adoption is over 60% at Capitol Wellness, and their average checkout time has dramatically decreased. The patient experience is more like grabbing a cup of coffee, you can stay and chat or get in and out.

4. Allow customers to buy online, pick up in-store
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A pre-payment, or buy online pickup in store, means a dispensary customer pays for their order online, then visits the store to pick it up. When they arrive to grab their items in-store, they can skip the line, pick up their order, and leave. 

Buy online, pick up in-store has a number of advantages for cannabis retailers, the biggest being it drops checkout time to near zero for pre-paying customers. For those customers looking to get in and out, offering (and advertising) pre-payment is a game changer. 

Learn about the other advantages of buy online, pick up in-store. 

5. Email receipts 
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Anyone working in retail has dealt with a dreaded receipt paper jam. In a digital world, the wasteful receipt feels more and more useless—which is why email receipts are gaining popularity. 

Email receipts don’t just save paper, they also speed up the checkout process because budtenders aren’t refilling paper or waiting for the receipt to print. 
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Plus, if you’re capturing customer emails to send them a receipt, you can also connect with those customers after the sale with promotions, discounts, and more (just don’t spam them).

Final thoughts
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Even though not all of your dispensary customers want to get in and out of your store quickly, there is still a group who do. To satisfy their desired shopping experience, consider (at a minimum) trying the tips we’ve compiled in this post. 

With a smooth, fast checkout process, you’ll notice increased daily transactions, more return customers, and a much more organized business.

Speed up dispensary checkout flow with Aeropay digital payments
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Not only is ACH the most stable and affordable payment solution for dispensaries, it’s also the fastest way for shoppers to pay for cannabis. 

Customers and businesses love using Aeropay for ACH cannabis payments because they’re fast, secure, and don’t require any sensitive information.

Book a demo to learn more about adding Aeropay at your dispensary.