Tell us about West End Cannabis:
West End Cannabis started as a dream and is located in the small community of Red Lake, Ontario. We named it West End Cannabis because the 80-year-old building we are in used to be called West End Grocery, and we wanted to keep the connection to the history of our community. We pride ourselves on being homegrown, from our staff to the owners.
What is the customer experience like at your stores?
First and foremost, our goal is to remove the dark cloud that hangs over the cannabis industry and to change people's perceptions. We aim to provide excellent customer service and education about cannabis and its benefits. It’s not just for stoners. The idea centers around creating a chill atmosphere where people do not feel intimidated. We don’t push people to buy anything. Instead, we let the entire experience be organic. When they feel at ease, our team is there to answer any questions they might have. We were recently recognized for our excellence in customer service, which we are super proud of.
What is the inspiration for the look and feel of West End Cannabis?
The inspiration for the feel of West End Cannabis is art. Specifically, graffiti. There has always been a debate around graffiti. Is it art? Or is it vandalism? We felt that is the same conversation happening around cannabis in its early stages of being legal. Is it good? Or is it bad? We wanted to make that connection and bring the street vibe from the ground up. Which is where cannabis really comes from.
How do you use Buddi and how has it helped your cannabis store?
We use Buddi for e-commerce on our website and their self-serve software for our in-store kiosk. It has helped with online orders and delivery through our website. We started with Dutchie, but we weren’t happy with them. It was tough to get going, and the layout was too limited for what we wanted. They are a US company, so their holiday schedules differed from ours, and that also caused challenges. Switching to Buddi saved us money, and the entire experience with their service has been smooth. We wholeheartedly endorse Buddi for anyone entering into cannabis retail. You can’t go wrong. You would be wasting your time looking at any other software.
What do you and your team like the most about Buddi?
We started using Buddi because it’s a Canadian company, which is a huge plus. Working together has been incredible, and the customer service has been top-shelf. We love the ability to customize the platform's look because we can tailor it toward what works for us in terms of the colors, the collections features, the product content, and the images. At the same time, the backend is super easy to use. We love the special messages feature. It lets us get messages to customers as soon as they land on the website. We love that Buddi fits all of our needs.
What do your customers think about Buddi?
Our customers love Buddi. It just works. Being located in a small community, we would hear complaints if there were any. We haven’t heard any. Our customers love the self-serve kiosk. It’s easy to use and lets them get in and out of the store in no time. Customers love the way the website is set up and how easy it is to place an order. Everything has been super smooth.