“It’s an electronic payment system that lets us do cashless transactions before orders go out for delivery. It works well, is easy for customers, and gives them a reliable, safe alternative to using cash,” Denzer said.

AeroPay’s technology was designed for businesses lacking access to traditional payment options, and for those preferring an alternative to branded card networks. Abaca is building an ecosystem of best-in-class financial tools such as AeroPay that are meeting the unique and particular needs of the cannabis industry, in this case by offering customers the kind of omnichannel shopping experience they’ve become accustomed to elsewhere in their lives.

Purchasers simply pay from their bank accounts. There are no prepaid amounts, cryptocurrency or other weird workarounds. Onboarding is fast and easy for patients, and first time purchasers can make a payment in less than 30 seconds.

For operators, with the AeroPay gateway linked directly to their Abaca bank account, setup is painless. Jane users can take advantage of direct integration; or, if dispensaries have developed their own bespoke online shopping experience, they can build using AeroPay’s SDK and API. Then, when customers access the dispensary’s website, they can order and pay online via the embedded gateway, enabling compliant delivery.

Deliveries are picking up in Missouri, and that looks to be a growing trend (no pun intended). Riverside Wellness, in Riverside, north of Kansas City, officially started delivering August 9, after a month-long test run.

“It’s been exciting to start delivery, and it’s something that we’ve been working toward since the beginning,” Denzer said. Delivery will be crucial to many patients with mobility issues or those caring for children, for example, who find it harder to make a run to the dispensary for their medication.

Denzer’s biggest headache in launching delivery was balancing compliance with patient-friendly service. “It was our job to figure out the legalities, and we found technical solutions that are coordinated and intuitive. We wanted a positive and easy path for patients ordering from home, and that was essential,” she said.

For convenience, Riverside also offers drive-through pickup, also managed compliantly with Abaca, AeroPay and Jane.

Businesses and customers have learned much so far through the COVID-19 pandemic, and one lesson was that delivery and preorder capabilities are not just a convenience. In times of crisis, for many patients and dispensaries, they are now a health imperative.

“One thing we learned was that having a delivery strategy can significantly impact the ability to sustain a retail operation,” Denzer continued. “Now as numbers climb again and mask mandates begin to resurface in our communities, delivery is something that every retail operation should be evaluating heading toward fall.”

If you are interested in learning more about how to compliantly deliver medical marijuana in Missouri, get in touch with the Safe Harbor Financial team now.