Jeremy JacobsThe following is an interview with industry experts. Growers Network does not endorse nor evaluate the claims of our interviewees, nor do they influence our editorial process. We thank our interviewees for their time and effort so we can continue our exclusive Growers Spotlight service. As a disclaimer, this Growers Spotlight is focused on new sales technology in the cannabis space. We reached out to clients of the company for their opinions.
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Abbreviated Article
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5-Minute Snapshot
The Technology
How do you track customer behavior and responses?
We install special technology alongside the TV screens. This technology detects when customers enter the store, when they leave the store, and how long they spend in the store. It also detects return customers and provides statistical information that retailers will find useful. It works by detecting people’s cell phone signal. Cell phones regularly send out “pings” to test the quality of their connection. The pings are also embedded with information about the cell phone. Our system detects these pings and logs how long the cell phone owner lingers in the store. The system then anonymizes the data. As a result, store owners can see how many new and return visitors they get without breaching people’s privacy. Because we collect lots of data, we see ourselves as stewards of people’s privacy, and try to act in the general public’s interest. There are limitations to this technology of course. If somebody isn’t carrying a cell phone, they aren’t picked up by our system. There are other means of circumvention as well.
What have you learned from your data?
We have found that 62% of the customers that appear in the EYECHRONIC network are return visitors. As our data set has grown, we’ve been able to examine what sales really looks like for stores and advertisers. We can estimate how successful an ad campaign will be or what the ROI will be for stores joining our network.
What software is provided with the hardware?
Statistical information tracks traffic during the week, allowing a manager to optimize their staffing. It also tells you what the best time of day for sales is. The software also allows business owners to add their own slides that will appear on the TV.
Are there any downsides to this technology?
There is a potential for abuse out there. Any system that logs and records customer information can interfere with privacy. We do our best to anonymize customer information. Additionally, a retail manager might misuse the information they glean from the technology about their employee performance. That’s a line we don’t want to cross, as it is not our intent with the software package.
Point-of-Sale Systems
If I were a business owner, why would I want a platform like EYECHRONIC?
It depends on where you’re coming from in the industry. The platform can serve almost every company in the industry: If you’re a content provider, you can syndicate your content on our network to increase your viewership. Most TV networks won’t touch cannabis entertainment, but we will. If you’re a cannabis retailer:
- We’re offering the entire platform for free to any cannabis retailer. It comes with an HDTV, a computer, the statistical software package, and a few sensors.
- You can add your own advertisements and content to the screen.
- Customers will perceive a decrease in wait time if they’re in line or waiting.
If you’re an advertiser:
- We explicitly work with cannabis products.
- Advertisements are targeted, increasing your overall ROI for marketing.
- Results are measurable. Our tracking system allows advertisers to run A/B tests.
Is the platform useful for businesses other than retailers?
The platform is versatile, and can serve more than just retailers. Smoking lounges and social lounges are great places, as cannabis customers linger for longer periods of time, which is perfect for ad placement.
What results have dispensaries seen from this technology?
One of our clients experienced such success with us that she decided to become one of our product ambassadors. She’s seen an average 25% increase of product sales for whatever product she promotes.
Feedback from Rocky Mountain Blaze
RMB customers are experiencing a whole new world of information since our new EYECHRONIC TV was installed last month. Thank you EYECHRONIC for such a great opportunity to inform our customer base.
Feedback from The Marijuana Company
EYECHRONIC Network is a great tool to have in the store. We can educate our customers on in-house sales using our free ad slots. There’s great education and entertainment content provided by EYECHRONIC, as well, and it even gets updated weekly. Our customers love to see what’s new and will often just sit in the lobby and watch for a while.
Feedback from Standing Akimbo
Upsides:
- Entertains waiting customers.
- Clock/temp are nice features, although sometimes incorrect.
Downsides
- Doesn’t have ads relevant to the vendors we carry at our shop.
- Repetitive ads
About EYECHRONIC
Tell me EYECHRONIC’s story.
A friend of mine wanted me to help him install a digital menu system in his restaurant. I pulled a TV out of my living room and installed it in his restaurant, using a laptop to control the images. That’s how Eyeconic, the parent company of EYECHRONIC, started. A few years ago, Dank and Euflora reached out to us. They were interested in a digital media system. I lept at the chance; restaurant technology fits dispensaries almost perfectly. It proved to be a successful venture, and we started EYECHRONIC in full.
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The Technology
How do you track customer behavior and responses?
- How does it work?
- Isn’t it really creepy to track that sort of information?
As to the original question, our technology actually detects people’s cell phones, since almost everyone today carries a cell phone. Cell phones rely on a consistent signal from cell towers in order to work properly, so they’re always sending out “pings” to test the quality of their connection. Our system detects these pings and logs how long the cell phone owner lingers in the store.
Cell phones are always pinging signals.In response to the second question, the pings that cell phones send out are also embedded with information about the cell phone. The information contained in each ping identifies each cell phone’s unique ID and information about the phone and its service carrier. When our system logs a new phone entering a store, it logs it internally, but anonymizes the data. As a result, store owners can see how many new and return visitors they get without breaching people’s privacy. Because we collect lots of data, we see ourselves as stewards of people’s privacy, and try to act in the general public’s interest. There are limitations to this technology of course. If somebody isn’t carrying a cell phone, they aren’t picked up by our system. Additionally, technologically savvy consumers can make their phone “spoof” the system, causing it to perceive a new customer instead of a return customer.
What have you learned from your data?
What software is provided with the hardware?
Are there any downsides to this technology?
Customer privacy is important.Additionally, a retail manager might abuse the information they glean from the technology. A manager could use the software to correlate sales representatives and their sales performance, but this would be a misuse of the software’s purpose. That’s a line we don’t want to cross, as it is not our intent with the software package.
Point-of-Sale Systems
If I were a business owner, why would I want a platform like EyeChronic?
- We’re offering the entire platform for free to any cannabis retailer who wants it. The system comes with a 48″ HDTV, enterprise-grade media player, analytics software and hardware. This network typically costs $5,000 up front. In our case, the only cost is an internet connection and the physical space.
- 2.5% of the revenue generated from advertisements displayed on our network gets directed back to dispensaries as our way of saying thanks.
- You can add your own in-house advertisements and content to the screen!
- Customers will perceive a decrease in wait time if they’re in line or waiting. This improves overall service satisfaction.
- We have an optional add-on texting system available for marketing as well.
If you’re an advertiser, the system is also a no-brainer:
- Most large venues and networks won’t touch cannabis products for advertisement. We explicitly work with cannabis products.
- Advertisements are targeted to a specific audience (cannabis consumers), increasing your overall ROI for marketing. They’re also right at the point of purchase, where all the buying decisions happen.
- New, engaging content is provided regularly like any major television network.
- Results are measurable. Our tracking system allows advertisers to see how well their campaigns are running and perform A/B tests.
- Last month, we had over 5.8 million network minutes watched by customers, and over 725,000 unique impressions during that time.
Is the platform useful for businesses other than retailers?
Social lounges provide plenty of linger time, perfect for a media network.We’re also considering adding a streaming service to the platform for online retailers and delivery services. We realize that certain states (IE Florida) may only allow for cannabis eCommerce and delivery, so we’re looking into that possibility. We’re also open to other ideas! We want to form partnerships, so don’t hesitate to contact us below if you have an idea.
What results have dispensaries seen from this technology?
Feedback from Rocky Mountain Blaze
RMB customers are experiencing a whole new world of information since our new EYECHRONIC TV was installed last month. We are excited to learn more about the system while optimizing its full potential in the coming months. Thank you EYECHRONIC for such a great opportunity to inform our customer base.
Feedback from The Marijuana Company
EYECHRONIC Network is a great tool to have in the store. We can educate our customers on in-house sales using our free ad slots. There’s great education and entertainment content provided by EYECHRONIC, as well, and it even gets updated weekly. Our customers love to see what’s new and will often just sit in the lobby and watch for a while. We still can’t believe we got it for free!
Feedback from Standing Akimbo
Upsides:
- Entertains waiting customers.
- Clock/temp are nice features, although sometimes incorrect.
Downsides
- Doesn’t have ads relevant to the vendors we carry at our shop.
- Repetitive ads
What new innovations do you see for POS systems in the future?
About EyeChronic and Jeremy Jacobs
Tell me your story, Jeremy.
How I picture Wall Street.Right around this time, a friend of mine was asking for help with his restaurant. He wanted a digital menu system and entertainment for his patrons, which was uncommon back then. I ended up pulling a TV out of my own living room and installing it in his restaurant where customers sat for long periods of times. I used a laptop to control the images, and I sold ads to local businesses. That’s how Eyeconic, the parent company of EYECHRONIC, started. As for my experience with cannabis, it began as it does for many American children: in high school. I experienced the recreational side of cannabis in my youth thanks to a few acquaintances. This opened my eyes to the backwards nature of drug laws in the US, and I’ve since been an advocate for legalization.
What’s the history of EyeChronic? How did it get started?
Who are some of your customers?
Colorado
New Mexico
And many, many more! The list keeps growing, and we’re happy to serve each and every one.
What’s in store for EyeChronic?
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Want to get in touch with EYECHRONIC? You can reach them via the following methods:
- Website: http://www.eyechronic.net/
- Phone: 1-866-777-4467 ext. 420
- Email: jeremy.jacobs@eyechronic.tv