Matthew Kind interviewed Jeff Harris, CEO of cannabis software provider springbig on his CannaInsider podcast recently. The company is relatively new to the cannabis space, having shifted its focus exclusively in 2016 after developing customer loyalty and digital marketing solutions for a diverse group of customers in several industries.
springbig helps cannabis retailers set up loyalty programs and send SMS messages to customers. Harris pointed to integration with several POS systems, including Greenbits and MJ Freeway (Flowhub and Cova soon), which allows its customers to pull their data into their springbig dashboards. Customers that don’t want to take advantage of the integration with the POS data can use tablets so that the customer or budtender can input necessary data to keep track of points.
Cannabis retailers benefit most with the integration, as it reduces the need for additional devices and reduces clutter. Harris also points to the robust communications platform as the biggest advantage to using its software, and he describes the many ways his customers can craft these messages. According to Harris, text messaging results in dramatically higher open rates than email messaging, and he discusses some of his tips to maximize the medium.
The company recently raised $3.2mm, and Harris said that the financing completes their needs for now. When asked about his competitor Baker Technologies, he explained that it appears to be more focused on its e-commerce platform than its loyalty solutions, where springbig offers more depth. According to Harris, customers pay nothing upfront, paying only for messages sent out.
CannaInsider provided a full transcript along with the audio interview and also included these key takeaways:
[0:57] – What is Spring Big
[1:21] – How did Spring Big come about
[3:00] – Jeff talks about the tools Spring Big offers
[4:23] – Biggest benefit of Spring Big
[5:45] – What are triggers
[7:49] – Jeff talks about the most effective campaigns
[9:53] – How often should you send out an SMS
[11:46] – How do dispensaries measure customer loyalty
[13:14] – Jeff talks about Spring Big analytics
[14:28] – How does Spring Big differ from its competitors
[15:49] – Jeff talks about Spring Big’s pricing structure
[16:45] – Spring Big’s fundraising efforts
[17:29] – Jeff answers some personal development questions
[21:23] – Contact details for Spring Big
