By Chris Guthrie, Director of Go-to-Market, Innovia Consulting
Jason Agouris of iTristan and I have spent the past few weeks building a webinar
together, and we kept coming back to a single product page. It’s for a 1g Tangie-infused pre-roll, and it shows a lot number, a THC percentage, an expiration date, a price, and a button that says “Order.” It looks simple and trustworthy, which is exactly what a product page is supposed to do.
The question we couldn’t stop asking was where every one of those numbers came from. For a lot of cannabis operators, the honest answer is a file named something like Item_List_EXPORT_FINAL_v3 (2).xlsx. (We’re walking through the alternative live on
October 6, and I’ll share the details at the end.)
Nobody sets out to run a business on a spreadsheet. It happens a little at a time.
Cultivation tracks plants in one place, production logs batches in another, lab results
arrive as PDFs in someone’s inbox, and sales keeps its own price list, because of course it does. Eventually someone, usually the most organized person in the building and usually on a Friday afternoon, pulls it all together. That file becomes the item master, and the item master becomes what your customer sees.
Open one of those files and the symptoms are familiar. The same preroll is entered three different ways. There’s “TBD” where a potency number should be, a price cell that just says #VALUE!, and a tab called “Item Master” sitting next to one called “Item Master (2)” and another called “DO NOT EDIT.” Nobody did anything wrong here. It’s simply what happens when four teams, working in four systems at four different times, get reconciled by hand.
Then you load it into your store. Some rows fail, which is annoying but is actually the good news, because at least you know about them. The bad news is the rows that
went through before the import stopped. Now some listings are live and some aren’t, a few are showing last month’s potency, and somebody gets to spend an afternoon working out which is which. Next week, when inventory changes, you get to do it all again.
Your buyer never sees any of that. They just see a wrong number on a product page, and in a regulated industry, a wrong number is never just a typo. It’s a compliance question, a customer service call, and a small withdrawal from the trust your brand has been building.
Before I worked on the software side, I held a cannabis license in Washington, and what Jason and I will show on October 6 is the predictive ERP flow I wanted in those early
days. It isn’t a better spreadsheet. It’s a different starting point.
The idea is to record everything once, where the work actually happens. The grow is planned in the same system that orders the materials, so cultivation and purchasing work from the same numbers. Every plant gets an ID on day one, and harvest weights are scanned straight to the plant instead of copied off a clipboard. When flower becomes distillate and distillate becomes a preroll, every input carries its lot along with it. Lots sit in quarantine until testing clears, and they’re released with their results attached.
By the time a product is ready to sell, everything a customer needs to know is already on record. Nobody exported it, nobody cleaned it up, and nobody guessed. That’s the foundation 365 Cannabis is built on, running on Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central.
Clean data is only half the job, though. You still have to sell the product, and your buyers expect ordering from you to feel as easy as the rest of their online shopping.
That’s where SellStack comes in. Built by iTristan Group, it connects to 365 Cannabis and turns lot-level data into a storefront buyers actually enjoy using. Products can be
offered by lot, the oldest inventory sells first, and buyers only see what’s approved for
their state.
Those features only work if the data underneath them is right. A storefront that sells by lot needs lots it can trust. Put a great storefront on top of a messy item list and you get a beautiful way to show customers the wrong number.
So here’s a question worth asking before your next import: is your storefront reading
from a record, or from a reconciliation?
On Tuesday, October 6, at 2 PM ET / 1 PM CT, Jason and I will follow a cannabis
product’s journey from the plant to the page your customer buys from. We’ll show where every number on that page comes from, and what it looks like when your storefront reads from the same record your grow created. No spreadsheet required.
Register for the webinar →Register Today!
The cannabis industry continues to evolve faster than most operators can comfortably plan for. In just the past month, businesses have faced new developments around federal
rescheduling, heightened compliance enforcement, hemp market uncertainty, and
increasing pressure to prove operational maturity. For many companies, the question is no longer how quickly they can grow. The question is whether their systems, controls, and data can keep pace with a more demanding market.
For cannabis operators, the common thread connecting these developments is simple: businesses with repeatable processes, reliable inventory controls, and accurate operational data are positioned to adapt more effectively than organizations relying on spreadsheets, disconnected systems, or manual reconciliation.
Recent developments across the industry highlight an increasingly important trend. Regulators, investors, and business partners expect greater transparency and operational rigor than they did last year.
Federal cannabis rescheduling efforts continue moving forward through legal and administrative channels (however murky), while industry leaders are preparing for the
possibility of increased federal oversight and compliance expectations. At the same time, discussions throughout the sector increasingly focus on governance, audit readiness, and operational controls rather than simple market expansion.
Meanwhile, hemp operators are navigating significant uncertainty surrounding evolving federal definitions and product requirements. Businesses are being forced to reevaluate inventory strategies, production plans, long-term investments, and even the viability of certain product categories while responding to opaque and contradictory regulatory expectations.
In a more mature market, successful operators cannot depend on favorable market conditions to cover operational weaknesses. They need infrastructure that supports
consistent decision-making regardless of what regulators, legislators, or markets do next.
One of the most notable industry stories this month involved significant enforcement actions tied to inventory tracking, testing requirements, and recordkeeping failures.
Regulators cited repeated issues involving product tracking, missing inventory, and
inadequate documentation.
Stories like these reinforce an important lesson: compliance challenges often originate as process challenges.
Missed inventory transactions, delayed data entry, disconnected systems, and
inconsistent procedures can appear manageable when volumes are low. As teams scale with success, these gaps quickly become chasms. During busy production periods or harvest seasons, these small gaps can quickly multiply into larger operational and regulatory risks.
That reality aligns closely with what many cannabis operators already experience. Real-time visibility across cultivation, production, inventory, and compliance activities helps
reduce the need for reactive corrections later. Capturing operational events as they occur creates a stronger foundation for audit readiness while improving day-to-day decision-
making, and give teams confidence when regulators come calling.
The industry's newest challenges are also creating a greater need for timely, trustworthy business data.
Whether operators are evaluating production costs, managing inventory, responding to regulatory changes, or preparing for future expansion, they need information they can trust. Yet many organizations still struggle with fragmented data spread across multiple systems.
Recent industry discussions continue to highlight how investors and business leaders
increasingly reward disciplined organizations with auditable processes, reliable reporting, and operational consistency. Businesses that cannot quickly produce accurate operational and financial information often find themselves at a disadvantage when pursuing growth opportunities or responding to market shifts.
Canadian operators are especially interested in EU-GMP compliance standards, as well as GACP level reporting capabilities to ensure the European markets are open to export.
This is why the industry's strongest operators are moving beyond basic compliance and focusing on connected operations with proved track records.
When cultivation, manufacturing, inventory, compliance, and finance teams share the same source of truth, organizations spend less time reconciling information for boards and regulators, and more time acting on it.
Mature cannabis markets are providing a preview of what the industry's future may look like nationwide.
Operators in long-established markets are confronting tighter margins, increased competition, evolving consumer expectations, and more selective capital environments. Businesses can no longer rely on market growth alone to create success.
Operational efficiency has become a competitive differentiator.
This shift is influencing decisions throughout the sector:
The operators who thrive in this environment will likely be those who make operational discipline part of their daily workflow rather than treating it as a separate compliance exercise.
Cannabis businesses cannot control regulatory decisions, market fluctuations, or broader economic conditions. They can control how prepared they are to respond.
The companies best positioned for future growth are investing in connected operations, reliable inventory management, accurate costing, and real-time compliance visibility.
These capabilities reduce risk while creating the flexibility needed to adapt as the industry evolves.
As the cannabis market continues maturing, operational discipline is becoming more than a compliance requirement. It is becoming a strategic advantage.
Organizations that build strong foundations today will be better equipped to navigate whatever comes next, whether that involves new regulations, new opportunities, increased competition, or accelerated growth.
Inventory management in cannabis is not just about knowing what is in stock. It requires tracking products across multiple stages, from cultivation and processing to distribution and retail, all while staying aligned with strict compliance requirements. Every movement matters, and even small discrepancies can create larger issues down the line.
Many operators still rely on a combination of spreadsheets and disconnected systems to manage inventory. While this may work in the early stages, it becomes increasingly difficult to maintain accuracy as the business grows. Inventory counts fall out of sync, data gets duplicated, and teams spend more time reconciling numbers than actually managing operations.
The challenge is not just visibility, it is timing. When inventory data is delayed, decisions are made based on outdated information.
When inventory is not updated in real time, issues start to surface across the business. Production teams may not have an accurate view of available materials, leading to delays or overproduction. Sales teams may commit to inventory that is no longer available, creating fulfillment challenges and customer frustration.
Compliance also becomes more difficult to manage. Cannabis operators are required to report inventory movements accurately, often in alignment with systems like Metrc. When internal records do not match compliance data, it increases the risk of discrepancies and audit issues.
These problems are often not caused by a lack of effort, but by systems that are not designed to keep up with the pace of operations.
Real time inventory tracking means that every movement, adjustment, and transaction is recorded as it happens. Instead of relying on delayed updates or manual reconciliation, the system reflects the current state of the business at all times.
This level of visibility allows teams to make better decisions. Production can be planned based on accurate material availability, sales can operate with confidence, and compliance reporting becomes more straightforward because the data is already aligned.
It also reduces the need for manual corrections. When inventory is tracked continuously, discrepancies are easier to catch and resolve before they become larger issues.
365 Cannabis uses Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central to provide real time inventory tracking across cultivation, manufacturing, and distribution. By centralizing data in a single system, it ensures that every department is working from the same, up to date information.
Inventory updates automatically as production activities occur, whether that is harvesting plants, processing batches, or fulfilling orders. This removes the need for manual updates and reduces the risk of inconsistencies.
The system also integrates with compliance platforms like Metrc, helping operators maintain alignment between internal records and regulatory reporting. Because data flows directly between systems, teams can spend less time reconciling information and more time focusing on operations.
With built in lot and batch tracking, operators can trace products throughout their lifecycle, providing a clear and accurate view of inventory at every stage.
When inventory is tracked in real time, the benefits are felt immediately across the business. Teams no longer need to pause operations to verify counts or correct discrepancies. Instead, they can trust the system to reflect what is actually happening.
This improves coordination between departments, reduces delays, and allows for more efficient use of resources. Managers gain better visibility into inventory levels, making it easier to plan production and manage supply.
Over time, this level of accuracy leads to stronger compliance, fewer errors, and more predictable operations.
As cannabis businesses grow, inventory management becomes more complex. More products, more locations, and more regulatory requirements all increase the need for accurate and timely data.
Without real time tracking, these complexities can slow down operations and create risk. With the right system in place, operators can scale with confidence, knowing that their inventory processes are built to support growth.
Harvest time should be about operations, not endless data entry. Cultivators already juggle tags, weights, compliance, tracking, and timelines — the last thing you need is another screen to update.
That’s why 365 Cannabis built the Touchless Harvest feature: a simplified harvest workflow inside your ERP that gets rid of repetitive manual updates so teams can focus on what matters — harvesting.
Watch how it works below:
Touchless Harvest is an automated harvest workflow inside the 365 Cannabis cultivation module that:
In short, it speeds up harvest processes while reducing manual data entry, which means fewer errors, less labor time, and cleaner compliance records.
Harvest workflows are heavy on repetitive work:
That takes time — and time during harvest equals labor cost and risk of mistakes.
Touchless Harvest eliminates that friction by combining scanning and automated weight capture, letting your team:
Cultivation tech scans the plant tag with a barcode or RFID reader.
The system captures weight automatically with your connected scale.
No manual field updates, no copy/paste — just accurate harvest data flowing into 365 Cannabis.
This workflow is especially powerful for large-scale cultivators who process hundreds or thousands of plants per session.
Here’s what teams see right away:
Touchless scanning and weight capture means teams move through harvest lines quicker.
Fewer fields to type, fewer screens to navigate, fewer mistakes to correct.
Accurate weights and timestamps update directly into the system so compliance reporting is ready when regulators ask.
Your harvest crew spends less time on screens and more time in the canopy.
Cultivation is fast and data heavy. The last thing your team wants is to slow down during a peak harvest window to update screens.
Touchless Harvest helps teams:
When harvest is running smoothly, operations look better — and that matters for productivity, labor cost, and audit readiness.
Watch the walkthrough and see how effortless harvest workflows become with touchless scanning and weight updates.
Schedule a live demo with a 365 Cannabis expert
Still have questions about how Touchless Harvest works in real cultivation workflows? Here are the most common questions cannabis operators ask when looking to reduce harvest labor, speed up weight capture, and improve compliance tracking.
Touchless Harvest is a feature within the 365 Cannabis cultivation module that streamlines the harvest workflow by reducing manual data entry. It allows teams to scan plant tags and record weights faster with fewer clicks.
Touchless Harvest works by letting cultivation staff scan plant tags and capture weight data quickly, without needing to manually update each plant record. The system updates harvest tracking in the ERP automatically, making the process faster and cleaner.
Yes. Touchless Harvest is designed specifically to eliminate repetitive manual updates during harvest. It speeds up weight entry and reduces the amount of typing and clicking required.
Touchless Harvest is especially useful for large scale cultivators harvesting high volumes of plants. It helps teams move faster, reduce labor time, and keep harvest data organized.
Touchless Harvest helps improve compliance by capturing plant tag and weight data more accurately and consistently. Since fewer steps are manual, there is less risk of missing or incorrect harvest records.
Yes. By streamlining harvest workflows and cutting down on manual data entry, Touchless Harvest helps teams complete harvest faster, which can reduce labor hours and improve productivity.
Yes. Touchless Harvest is built directly into the 365 Cannabis cultivation module, so harvest data flows directly into your ERP system without needing separate tools or manual reconciliation.
You can watch the Touchless Harvest walkthrough video on YouTube, or reach out to your account manager to see how it works in your environment and how much time it could save your cultivation team.
In cannabis, everything moves fast. Harvests do not wait. Manufacturing schedules do not pause. Compliance deadlines do not care if your team is short staffed. And if someone gets stuck inside your ERP system, it is rarely just a minor inconvenience.
It can throw off inventory accuracy, slow down production, delay shipments, or create compliance headaches that nobody has time for.
That is why 365 Cannabis introduced the Virtual Agent, an AI powered chatbot designed to help cannabis ERP users get answers quickly and keep operations moving. Because in this industry, waiting around for support is not an option.
The 365 Cannabis Virtual Agent is an AI chatbot that takes user inquiries, automatically searches for answers, and responds instantly when it finds a clear solution.
If the chatbot cannot identify a clear answer, it escalates the issue by creating a support ticket automatically.
This gives cannabis teams a smoother support experience without forcing users to dig through documentation or wait in line for help.
Cannabis companies deal with a level of complexity most industries never touch.
You are tracking regulated inventory. You are managing cultivation workflows. You are running manufacturing production. You are monitoring compliance requirements. You are trying to keep costs under control while scaling.
And all of it has to stay accurate.
That means when ERP users run into questions, even small ones, it can quickly turn into a bigger operational issue. The Virtual Agent helps reduce that friction by giving users quick answers when they need them most.
Most cannabis ERP support requests are not emergencies. They are everyday workflow questions that pop up while teams are trying to get work done, like:
How do I post a harvest? Why is inventory not updating correctly? How do I close a manufacturing batch? Where do I check available inventory by location? How do I correct a transaction error?
These questions are normal, especially during onboarding or process changes. But in cannabis, they usually happen at the worst possible time. During harvest. During packaging runs. During production reporting. Or right before compliance deadlines.
And when someone cannot get an answer quickly, the team starts improvising. That is when mistakes happen, and mistakes in cannabis are expensive.
The process is simple.
A user types a question into the Virtual Agent the same way they would ask a coworker. The Virtual Agent automatically searches for the best answer and responds right away.
If it can confidently identify a clear answer, it provides guidance immediately.
If it cannot identify a clear answer, it creates a support ticket automatically, ensuring the issue gets routed to the right support team without extra steps.
That means cannabis teams always get one of two outcomes, either a fast answer or a ticket created instantly.
A lot of chatbots only work if you already know exactly what to ask. They send users in circles, point to generic documentation, or respond with vague suggestions that do not actually solve the problem.
That does not work for cannabis operators.
The 365 Cannabis Virtual Agent is designed to support real ERP users in real scenarios. It provides immediate answers for clear questions and escalates automatically when the issue needs real support.
No guessing. No wasted time. No frustration.
For cannabis operators, the value shows up fast.
Teams get faster answers during cultivation and production. Support departments see fewer tickets for simple questions. ERP adoption improves across departments because users feel supported instead of overwhelmed. Downtime drops because teams are not stuck waiting for help. And when a problem is real, escalation is cleaner because the Virtual Agent creates the support ticket automatically.
This is not just a nice feature. It is a real operational advantage.
Cannabis businesses do not need more software tools that look good in a demo but fall apart in day to day use.
They need solutions that reduce friction and keep the business moving.
That is exactly why 365 Cannabis built the Virtual Agent. To help customers get faster answers, reduce workflow disruption, improve user adoption, reduce support friction, and keep cultivation and manufacturing operations running smoothly while staying compliant.
If you want to see how the Virtual Agent fits into cultivation, manufacturing, inventory, compliance, and finance workflows, we would love to show you.
Schedule a demo with 365 Cannabis today:
Support should be simple. Whether you’re trying to resolve a posting date error or need to create a work order, you deserve answers fast. That’s exactly why we built our Virtual Service Agent. It’s designed to connect you to the right solution in seconds, using the same knowledge base our internal team relies on every day.
The Virtual Service Agent lives right in your support portal. Ask a question, and it immediately searches through verified knowledge base articles to find your answer. You can see which resources it pulled from, read the steps directly on screen, or click into full articles for more detail.
No waiting in a queue. No back-and-forth emails. Just answers when you need them.
If your question is vague, the agent will ask for more details before it serves up results. That means fewer mismatches and faster resolutions. Each interaction improves the accuracy of future responses, helping every customer get better service over time.
Sometimes you need a real person, and the Virtual Service Agent knows when to make that call. If your issue can’t be resolved through self-service, the agent automatically generates a support ticket that goes straight to our team. From there, your ticket is triaged and handled just like any other case, complete with your previous conversation history.
You can rate your experience, start new conversations, and track ticket progress right from the same screen. Whether it’s a five-star chat or a complex issue that needs follow-up, your feedback helps us refine and improve how we serve you.
Every minute you spend troubleshooting is a minute away from running your operation. With the Virtual Service Agent, we’re giving that time back. Faster answers mean fewer bottlenecks and more confidence that your system is supported around the clock.
Log in to your support portal and try the Virtual Service Agent today.
California cannabis operators are facing a major compliance update with the launch of Metrc’s direct to consumer recall tool. This new feature was announced on Wednesday, August 20th and changes how cannabis product recalls are managed in California. The tool shifts responsibility from dispensaries to a system driven notification that alerts consumers directly. For operators, the Metrc California recall system represents both an opportunity to build trust and a challenge to manage increased compliance pressure.
Metrc is the state system for California’s cannabis industry. In California, Metrc is used to monitor cannabis from cultivation through retail sale. Historically, product recalls were communicated through dispensaries and regulators, with operators relying on store staff or email chains to notify customers. Metrc is utilizing their partnership with Retail ID to communicate product information. This creates a direct channel straight to consumers from Metrc themselves. By streamlining middle steps, California regulators can deliver faster and more reliable alerts when a product is identified as unsafe or mislabeled.
An interesting side effect of this movement will be the direct visibility users have when interacting with brands and products. Dispensaries have reached varying levels of effectiveness when relaying product updates to customers. Some can be very effective or proactive with recalls while others may slap a sign up on the show floor and call it a day. This initiative thankfully reduces the workload from dispensaries and refocuses the recall discussion to the products and brands. Here are some high-level benefits we anticipate from this pivot:
On the flip side of this initiative, brands can anticipate an increased level of visibility with any potential recalls. Brands that have recurring recalls will be repeatedly brought to the forefront of the conversation which may (and should) impact their brand affinity and even market share. The Metrc California recall tool makes transparency unavoidable, meaning operators must be prepared to respond quickly and clearly to prevent brand damage.
Operators with increased concerns about Metrc California’s recall tool need to zoom out and bring compliance to the forefront. There are a few options but optimizing compliance tools is essential. Many Seed-to-Sale software options focus on solely connecting to Metrc as a safeguard. A full suite ERP, however, goes past the Seed-to-Sale compliance and delivers compliance safeguard across every element of the business. A software tracker that brings in all departments into one source of truth can be leveraged for accurate inventory, batch tracking, and stopping issues before they arise.
Being proactive is the best defense against the potential disruption of a recall.
365 Cannabis helps operators manage recalls seamlessly by combining compliance, finance, and operations in one ERP system. With centralized inventory and batch tracking, compliance integrated reporting, and financial impact visibility, 365 Cannabis equips operators to handle recalls quickly and effectively. Instead of scrambling during a recall event, operators using 365 Cannabis can act with confidence, minimize losses, and protect their brand.
The new Metrc California recall system raises the stakes for cannabis operators across the state. Businesses that rely on spreadsheets or disconnected software will struggle to keep up with the speed and transparency regulators now demand. With 365 Cannabis, operators gain a trusted ERP partner that ensures recalls are managed with accuracy, efficiency, and accountability.
Learn how 365 Cannabis supports California operators here.
Oversupply in the cannabis industry has fueled the infamous “race to the bottom,” pushing prices lower and squeezing margins for operators nationwide. Too many cannabis businesses focus on sheer output and overlook a key business practice: selling through inventory at a healthy margin.
Because cannabis is a regulated product with strict expiration dates, operators must not only produce efficiently but also turn product quickly. The reality is that many overproduce which forces them to slash prices just to get product onto shelves. This cycle of oversupply and discounting has accelerated falling wholesale prices across the U.S. According to Cannabis Benchmarks, the weighted average price for a pound of cannabis dropped from $1,328 in August 2019 to just $1,093 in August 2025—a 17.7% decrease—while inflation rose by 26.36% in the same period.
With rising costs of living and operating facing off with a race to the bottom, cannabis operators need smarter strategies to protect margins and stay competitive.
Spoilers: we got your back on this but keep reading.
A major factor in the race to the bottom is discounting product pricing. Common reasons for discounting products are upcoming expiration dates and having too much product on hand and needing to make space. A solution that we have seen success with is Available to Purchase (ATP) in cannabis software.
ATP is a live tool in cannabis inventory management software that delivers data to operators on how much cannabis can be legally and operationally committed to a sale. Basic inventory counts will only show how much finished product is ready to sell at that moment- just what's on hand. An APT program is a comprehensive look at what you have on hand, what you have allocated to customer orders, what’s quarantined, what’s in the production cycle, and what’s pending testing. Where basic inventory reports give a surface-level snapshot, ATP provides a comprehensive, real-time picture of what’s actually sellable.
ATP capabilities for cannabis management extend past sales availability; it can also be a compliance safeguard. The accurate numbers inclusive of products in testing or to be finished soon deliver accurate inventory across the board. This ensures alignment with the state compliance system and avoids unnecessary compliance penalties. Many ATP solutions also offer FIFO capabilities to ensure, true to form, product is sold on a first in, first out basis.
ATP also prevents accidental oversell situations that may be costly and labor inducive to fix. Aside from oversells, there may be fees or penalties within state compliance systems for inaccurate product numbers. The ATP tool becomes a single source of truth for cannabis sales commitments and streamlines operations for your sales team.
When paired with a cannabis ERP system that includes sales projection reporting, ATP gives operators the insights they need to forecast demand, control output, and maintain profitability.
The fastest way to bring ATP into your cannabis operation is by using a cannabis ERP system designed for compliance and inventory management. With 365 Cannabis, ATP is powered by SellStack and can be built directly into cultivation, manufacturing, distribution, and retail workflows. That means operators can see, in real time, exactly what inventory is legally and operationally available to sell, without worrying about overselling, compliance discrepancies, or wasted product.
By combining ATP with 365 Cannabis’ sales forecasting, costing, and compliance integrations, operators can finally take control of their inventory, protect profit margins, and stay competitive, even in an oversupplied market.
To see the solution in action, schedule a demo with 365 Cannabis and discover how ATP can give your business the confidence to promise only what you can deliver.
Cannabis operators are familiar with the need for seed-to-sale software- it's an essential platform for compliance with METRC or BioTrack. Many plug and play their software and call it a day, however its only use in many cases is compliance when it could be doing more. Cannabis businesses looking to scale, boost profitability, and streamline operations across cultivation, manufacturing, finance, and distribution, simply need more support. That’s where the key difference between a seed-to-sale software and an ERP for cannabis operators comes in. A cannabis ERP becomes a nucleus for the operation, bringing in compliance, finance, and operations together to deliver business-critical data for immediate decision making at every turn. There is some miscommunication and confusion around what an ERP is in cannabis, and this guide delivers the key differences between cannabis ERP and seed-to-sale software.
ERP stands for Enterprise Resource Planning, and is a platform that streamlines a company’s operations, efficiency, data, and finance. The ERP becomes the internal hub for all moves made within the buisness. Major companies utilize ERP to ensure that every aspect of their organization across all locations are connected, tracked, and accounted for. Massive corporations like Ford, Under Armour and Coca-Cola all utilize ERP systems, and specifically use Microsoft-based ERP systems. The biggest draw for companies to implement an ERP is scalability- ERP systems are built for long term growth.
A cannabis ERP has all the same functionionality that large scale organizations utlize, but also includes features for compliance. The ERP connects cultivation, production, manufacturing, distribution, and retail along with the most important aspect of cannabis- compliance. Any self-respecting cannabis ERP removes the need for QuickBooks or other standalone finance platforms because ERP inherently includes financal support. Metrc and BioTrack intergrations are also embedded within cannabis ERPs to ensure compliance at every step of the plant life’s process from planting the seed to hitting the customer’s exit bag.
Seed-to-Sale is a term that gets used a lot in the cannabis space and may appear interchangable with POS, or even ERP, at times. Seed-to-Sale is typically used as a compliance system and POS to organize and hold all the operator’s information. This is helpful however, Seed-to-Sale does not integrate finance platforms forcing users to utilize QuickBooks or other finance platforms. While some Seed-to-Sale software programs may be more robust than others, overall they are limited by:
A Seed-to-Sale software focuses on regulatory compliance, but doesn’t offer the resources for scalability.
Seed-to-Sale is a regulatory platform for compliance and limited reporting. It works for dispensaries as far as inventory and retail sales tying into state regulatory platforms. ERP is a data powerhouse that connects every aspect of an operation, vertically integrated or not, across all locations and becomes the central source of truth for business decisions. A Seed-to-Sale delivers a summary of what happened, while an ERP delivers context of why things happen and what to plan for in the future.
Seed-to-Sale is a great option for single location retailers. A standalone dispensary needs a compliance tool to ensure they’re in line with Metrc, BioTrack, or whatever regulations in their area are needed.
ERP is a great option for vertically integrated companies, multi-location and multi-state groups, and companies primed to scale their operation. Cultivators, manufacturors, producers, and retailers are able to make use of an ERP to align their entire organization, including financials.
ERP users are able to replace multiple disconnected business tools like separate Seed-to-Sale, inventory platforms, manufacturing softrware, accounting software, and loose spreadsheets and pulls all data into one unified platform. ERP reduces human error by eliminating double entry across serveral touchpoints.
Not every operator needs an ERP to survive; many are viable candidates for a simple Seed-to-Sale software. The operators looking for growth, streamlined operations, and a single software partner to track every COG, every BOM, every invoice, every penny moved through the organization need to be looking at an ERP.
Ready to look into ERP software options for your cannabis business? We have a comprehensive guide for selecting the right cannabis ERP for your operation.
The cannabis industry presents some unique challenges for business owners, especially when it comes to taking your share of the retail market. And if you want to compete, you need to have a keen understanding of cannabis data analytics and how you can use them to grow and thrive.
The first step to making the most of your dispensary analytics is determining the sorts of data you should be diving into on a regular basis. This includes things like inventory tracking, product sales, promotional outcomes, and customer purchasing behavior and demographics, all of which play a crucial role in helping you figure out the next steps.
Fortunately, cannabis data companies like ours make it easy, with cannabis reporting software that takes the guesswork out of data tracking. Below, we’re taking a quick look at the analytics that make the biggest impact for dispensaries – plus the benefits of putting this information into action.
Every type of organization relies on data for growth. The secret to making it work for you? Knowing exactly what you should be tracking and reporting on, as well as how this data can be used for the betterment of your business.
Here are four analytics you can’t ignore if you want to succeed in the cannabis retail space.
Inventory reporting is a must, providing you with key insights into what’s selling, what’s not, and profitable opportunities you might be missing. Use data to hone in on your best and worst sellers, and make sure you’re optimizing your purchasing strategy by considering additional factors like product shelf life.
Whether you’re running one operation or multiple, you need to be tracking trends in product sales across retail establishments and your business as a whole. In doing so, you’ll have a leg up on planning inventory and promotions. You’ll also be able to plan ahead when it comes to cultivating certain high-value strains.
A well-managed cannabis POS lets you closely track the outcomes of deals, discounts, and loyalty rewards. Use this data to identify what types of promotions your customers prefer, what keeps people coming back, and what gives you the biggest return on your spending.
You can’t underestimate the importance of customer analytics when analyzing your data. This includes things like the demographics of your core audience and their buying behaviors, both of which are essential for streamlining your marketing and sales best practices.
You have a lot to gain from the data at your disposal. If you’re wondering whether it’s worth investing in analytics software – or if you’re trying to get more out of an existing tool – these are the sorts of achievements you should keep in mind.
We’re here to help you put data to work for enterprise-wide improvements. Learn more about 365 Cannabis and our cannabis software products, including innovative compliance and regulatory software, cannabis reporting and analytics tools, and more.
