During the COVID-19 state of emergency, cannabis retail has been
declared an essential service across Canada. In response, provincial
governments and the cannabis industry collaborated quickly to provide
safe access to cannabis in each province. In Ontario, cannabis retail
was removed from the list of essential services, but added again within a
few days, allowing for delivery and curbside pick up.
Fire & Flower, Merrco Payments, and RCU partnered to understand
how consumers are adjusting to the new ways to buy cannabis, and the
effect that it's having on the industry as a whole. Through a
cross-country digital campaign run by RCU between April 30, and May 16,
users were engaged in a quiz to assess what they knew about access to
legal cannabis in their province. Overall, the themes were clear: Over 75% did not know that cannabis retailers were operating
during the pandemic, and over half (58%) did not know how to tell legal
operators from illegal ones. The legal industry is still trailing behind the illegal industry, as clearly seen in the comments in this article by BlogTO.
The post shares 8 legal options for curbside pick up, and the comments
direct readers to two illegal options. Consumers that want to buy
illegally can find information about illegal options much easier than
consumers who want to buy legally. Continuing to inform consumers about
legal options in their region is a key priority for us and our
partners, said Afshin Mousavian, CEO of RCU. 21% did not know that curbside and same day delivery were available from legal retailers. Of those, 1 out of 5 said they'll continue to purchase from illegal
operators, and 4 out of 5 said they wished they were informed of the
availability of delivery and curbside options from legal operators. Once
again this highlights the legal industry's challenging restrictions
which limit its ability to connect with consumers wanting to purchase
from legal sources. When it came to preferred methods of legal purchase, 40% chose home delivery. The results show that home delivery is strongly preferred over pick
up from the post office (10%), curbside (15%), and reserve online and
pick up in store (5%). Consumers need to access legal cannabis in a way that is convenient
and comfortable for them or they will continue to purchase from illegal
sources, posing a risk to public safety and undermining the true intent
of legalization, says Trevor Fencott, CEO of Fire & Flower. It is
more critical than ever that Ontario establish a regulatory regime that
fosters a fair and competitive market capable of effectively competing
against illicit actors on price, product differentiation, quality and
convenience. Over 70% agree that making legal cannabis more accessible will help direct more consumers from illegal to legal. This has been a point that the industry has been sharing all along.
Convenience plays a large role in consumer purchasing decisions and the
illegal market has become more convenient after legalization. Conclusion The numbers show that although many Canadians are still purchasing
from the illegal market due to its flexibility, these new ways to
purchase cannabis are moving people towards the legal cannabis industry.
The response to legal cannabis delivery, online ordering, and curbside
pick up has been welcomed by cannabis consumers. It's clear that
providing Canadians with safer and more convenient options while
increasing visibility and awareness are strong weapons in the fight
against the illegal cannabis market. Provincial governments should
continue to allow businesses to make these options available to
Canadians, so that after the state of emergency is lifted the cannabis
industry is set up to successfully battle the illegal cannabis market. Upon seeing the survey results, Fern Glowinsky, President & CEO
of Merrco Payments commented, Merrco is dedicated to enabling payment
solutions for legal, compliant, licensed cannabis retailers and
producers. Allowing for additional legal methods of sale and payment,
leveling the playing field with the legacy market, is the right choice
for government. Now more than ever, while we collectively fight the
COVID-19 pandemic, all businesses are seeking ways to offer safe supply
and payment options to help protect consumers. Extending legal options
for sale and payment supports growth and the massive investments made
across the legal cannabis sector. About Fire & Flower About Merrco Payments Inc. For more information and to schedule interviews with Merrco senior leadership, please contact media@merrco.ca. About RCU - Responsible Cannabis Use This data was captured through two quiz style surveys run on social
media between April 30, and May 16, 2020. These convenience surveys
engaged 2,019 participants in the first survey and 945 participants in
the second survey. source - https://www.newswire.com/news/making-legal-cannabis-more-accessible-directs-consumers-from-illegal-21148243
Fire & Flower is a
leading purpose-built, independent adult-use cannabis retailer poised to
capture significant Canadian market share. The Company guides consumers
through the complex world of cannabis through education-focused,
best-in-class retailing while the Hifyre¢ digital platform connects
consumers with cannabis products. The Company's leadership team combines
extensive experience in the cannabis industry with strong capabilities
in retail operations.
Merrco is a payment
processing solutions provider founded in 2016 that develops and delivers
technology, financial services and payment solutions to merchant
customers to enable them to accept credit, debit and alternative
payments online and at the point of sale. Merrco is the only payments
company in Canada delivering innovative payment processing solutions
like retail, ecommerce, click and collect and gift cards tailored to the
cannabis industry. Our team of payment experts are continuously looking
for ways to creatively solve payment needs for merchants by making
payments smarter, simpler every step of the way. Visit www.merrco.com for more information.
RCU
(Responsible Cannabis Use) is a cannabis education company that brings
awareness to cannabis facts, laws, regulations, and research. Through
its products: Cann I Know and CannEd, RCU aims to educate all Canadians about responsible cannabis use.
Company Name | Contact Person | Contact Number | Email Id | Website | Address |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
MERRCO PAYFIRMA | 4168792873 | support@merrco.ca | https://www.merrco.com/ |
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