A well-designed cannabis retail dispensary not only ensures compliance with Canadian regulations but also plays a crucial role in defining customer experience, enforcing brand identity and increasing store sales.
At Project92 Construction, we bring a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the table. Our experience in building retail cannabis store dispensaries has allowed us to explore the intricacies of design and construction. In the following sections we will dive into the top 5 design considerations you should consider when designing and building your Retail Cannabis Dispensary in Ontario.
Cannabis Dispensary Security Camera and Lighting Placement
AGCO requires you to have a secure, high-resolution surveillance system that must be in place at all times. These stringent security measures are critical for maintaining a well-protected, regulation-friendly cannabis dispensary.
Your cameras should be positioned to ensure round-the-clock 24 hour surveillance of both the interior and exterior of the premises. This includes:
- Entrance and exit points, particularly where ID verification occurs
- Areas designated for online or phone order pickups
- Points of sale area
- Exterior parking lot if you are offering curbside pickup
- Receiving zones
- Your sales floor
- Back of house locations where your cannabis is stored
Ensuring that your surveillance system is consistently functioning and well-maintained is crucial. All video footage must be recorded and stored for at least 30 days and also must be readily accessible for review by the AGCO upon request.
Remember, the right lighting is key to clear footage, especially in low-light conditions. Thoughtful planning during the design phase is crucial to ensure every space is captured, leaving no blind spots. Your security system should not be an afterthought but an integral part of your dispensary's layout. Well-lit areas not only aid in better surveillance but also contribute to a feeling of safety for staff and customers. Additionally, planning ahead ensures that enough conduits and low-voltage power are roughed in for easy installation. With meticulous camera and lighting placement, your dispensary can operate securely and efficiently, providing peace of mind for both you and your clientele.
Custom Window Graphics
Cannabis dispensary retail owners must play a bit of hide-and-seek with their cannabis products and accessories, ensuring they're not visible from the outside. Think of it as keeping your green treasures under wraps, like a surprise party that the whole neighborhood doesn't need to know about!
This doesn't mean you need to resort to blacking out your windows and create an unwelcoming, secretive storefront. There are a variety of window treatment options that let you abide by the rules while still flaunting your brand's unique identity. Think of it as dressing your windows in a stylish outfit that says, "We're cool and compliant!"
Frosted or Tinted Glass
These can obscure the view from the outside while still allowing natural light to filter in, maintaining a bright and inviting interior
One-Way Mirrored Film
This film allows you to see out while preventing people from seeing in, offering a balance of surveillance and privacy
Vinyl Graphics and Decals
Custom graphics or decals can cover windows partially or fully, showcasing your brand while obscuring the interior view.
Each of these options can be tailored to fit your specific branding and design aesthetic while ensuring compliance without sacrificing style.
Cannabis Dispensary Layout and Checkout Design
Your dispensary's design and layout are crucial in defining the experience of your customers and the operational efficiency of your staff. The choice of a checkout model is a significant aspect of design, as it directly impacts customer flow, the utilization of your front-of-house space, and your overall operational dynamics. Each model offers unique advantages and caters to different aspects of customer service and business management.
Mobile Model
This layout is centered on enhancing customer experience and allows more interaction for a relaxed environment. Your space is laid out so budtenders can roam with either a cart of products or a tablet. This layout mirrors traditional retail settings, encouraging browsing and interaction with customers. Once a customer is ready to check out, they are sent to a separate cashier for product hand off and completing transactions.
To manage security, customers and inventory, this model requires more staff such as floating budtenders, cashiers, and fulfillment.
Bank Model
This layout is all about creating a focused, one-on-one interaction between the budtender and the customer. Here, customers check in and join a queue upon arrival. When it’s their turn, each customer enjoys the full attention of a budtender, ensuring a detailed exploration of products and a smooth checkout process.
Compared to the Mobile model, the Bank model usually requires fewer staff members, as each budtender attends to one customer at a time, offering a more structured and personal service. However, this model may lead to longer wait times during busy periods. Dispensaries utilizing this approach need to strike a balance between personalized service and efficient customer flow to minimize waiting times and optimize the overall customer experience. (More on this later)
Pharmacy Model
Ideal for dispensaries that prioritize strict inventory control, this layout delivers a compartmentalized customer journey. It starts with a check-in, followed by a transactional interaction with a budtender (without direct product handling), and concludes with the collection of products from a secure inventory area. This model provides a high level of security but a less intimate customer experience. It requires a larger staff to efficiently manage the various operational components, making it a suitable choice for dispensaries where inventory management and security are important.
Kiosk Model
This layout is centered around self-service, with staff available for support. Customers use interactive kiosks to place their orders, and budtenders are on hand to facilitate transactions and oversee product distribution. This model is ideal for customers seeking a swift, autonomous shopping experience. It's especially effective in smaller spaces and requires fewer staff members, making it a smart option for dispensaries aiming to incorporate modern technology solutions like self-service kiosks or touch displays.
Design For Impulse Buying
Regardless of the specific layout you opt for, there's an inevitable moment in every customer's journey - the wait at the checkout. This moment is a prime opportunity to engage with customers who are already in the mindset to make purchases.
To capitalize on this, you can encourage browsing and provide an engaging waiting experience by strategically leveraging store's layout, product placement, and visual merchandising systems. By carefully curating your products and displays, you can subtly influence additional purchases, turning the waiting time into a productive and profitable aspect of the shopping experience.
Here are 3 ways you can make the most out of your space:
Strategic Product Placement
Place small, attractive, and relatively inexpensive items near the checkout. These could include accessories, lighters, rolling papers, CBD Drinks, snacks, and novelty items such as merch.
Think of products that are easy to pick up and add to the basket without much thought.
Effective Use of Display units
Utilize shelving or display units strategically positioned within easy reach of customers in line. This area should be thoughtfully stocked with items that are highly appealing yet require minimal contemplation for purchase. It's an ideal spot not just for boosting sales, but also for reinforcing your brand story creating a deeper connection with your customers.
Additionally, this space also offers an excellent opportunity to showcase novelty or high-ticket items that might intrigue customers. These items, while possibly not typical impulse buys, can capture the attention of customers and leave a lasting impression, potentially leading to future sales. It's about creating an engaging and memorable experience that aligns with your brand's narrative while maximizing the potential of every customer interaction in the checkout queue.
Limited-Time Offers
The allure of a good deal is almost irresistible for most shoppers. Highlighting limited-time offers or “last chance” items near the checkout can create a sense of urgency, prompting customers to grab them before leaving. You can set up impulse racks that can be easily changed or moved. This flexibility allows for quick adaptation to different products or trends without major overhauls.
Embrace Cannabis Retail Technology
Adopting technology to elevate the shopping experience can create an environment to promote customer education and discovery. Interactive displays are a great way for customers to delve into products and gather more information while pursuing your dispensary's offerings at their leisure. This approach not only enhances customer engagement but also allows your front-of-house staff to efficiently assist other customers simultaneously.
Features like digital kiosks and interactive bud sensory jars can provide information on products, including strain details, dosage guidelines, expected effects and promote product engagement.
Equally as important is your back-of-house operation. For operational efficiency, dispensaries are turning to inventory management systems utilizing barcode or RFID scanning for precise product tracking, and point-of-sale (POS) systems integrated with sales analytics for immediate insights into sales patterns, top-selling items, and consumer preferences. By adopting these technological solutions, you can fine-tune your processes, enhance inventory control, and heighten overall operational efficiency.
Designing your retail cannabis dispensary with these top considerations in mind is more than just an exercise in aesthetics or compliance. It's about crafting an environment that resonates with your brand, meets AGCO standards, and creates a memorable customer journey. Every detail counts in building a space that not only attracts and retains customers but also operates with peak efficiency.
