On Tuesday, Shopify launched a series of features to help US-based retailers of all sizes to sell select hemp or hemp-derived CBD products using the commerce platform.
Shopify Inc. SHOP 2.54% (TSX: SHOP) has launched a series of new features aimed at helping merchants selling hemp and hemp-derived CBD products in the U.S. better reach customers online and in brick-and-mortar retail locations. Of course, availability of this suite will be determined by local laws.
“Shopify didn’t get into CBD; CBD got into retail,” Loren Padelford, general manager of Shopify Plus, told Benzinga. “Shopify is excited to be one of the first commerce platforms powering retailers of all sizes that want to sell hemp-derived Cannabidiol (CBD) products in the United States. Merchants operating in states that permit the sale of hemp-derived CBD products will have access to trustworthy commerce tools to start or scale their businesses, whether they are selling these products online or in brick and mortar locations.”
‘Unmatched Expertise’
For the company’s Chief Operating Officer Harley Finkelstein, the “unmatched expertise in emerging industries, along with the resources merchants need to be successful in the fast-growing market of hemp-derived CBD products in the U.S…means that businesses can ride the wave of demand for these products and give consumers more choice.”
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New platform features include:
- Easy online store design
- Reliable payment and shipping partners – and several to choose from
- A marketing tool
- Easy customization of shipping profiles
- Full integration to more than 2,500 apps
Sellers React
“This is an exciting time for the CBD skincare industry. Consumers are eager to connect with us and try our Skin Dope products. Until recently, we didn’t have a simple solution to manage and sell our CBD Oil and Hemp Seed Oil assortment online,” said Roger Wason, Director of eCommerce for Josie Maran Cosmetics, one of the first companies to use the new features.
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“Shopify has helped us focus more on our relationships with our consumers and growing our business.”
Adding to these notes, vendor, Michael Bumgarner, of Cannuka, told Benzinga, “Shopify coming out [to support CBD merchants] will be a huge step in the right direction. With Shopify and other large companies leading the way, saying ‘We’re for this, this is happening,’ I see things changing even more quickly in the near future.”
