Education
Aug 22, 2022
Choosing the best online menu platform for your dispensary in 2023 poses its challenges—you've got some excellent options, and platforms continue to e...
By
Zach
VP | CMO
Choosing the best online menu platform for your dispensary in 2023 poses its challenges—you've got some excellent options, and platforms continue to evolve as the industry matures. Let's take a look at some of the best dispensary menu platforms right now.
What is a dispensary menu platform?
Simply put, your dispensary's online menu is a platform that integrates with your POS system to populate a menu your customers can access and order from on your website. While this sounds simple enough, every menu has unique features, tools and functions, some more valuable than others, that can further enhance retail sales initiatives and the customer experience.
What's the difference between a Dispensary Menu & POS?
Dispensary menus and POS (point of sale) technology go hand in hand. In order for the online menu to accurately reflect what is available in a dispensary at any given time, the menu has to be linked to the retailer's POS system.
Some menu platforms are owned by the same company, while others are simply designed to stack with any existing POS system. Most menu platforms in 2023 integrate seamlessly with any POS system, but this is an important piece to align as you are planning to open your doors.
Get Started: Talk To a Dispensary Menu Expert
We've built websites that integrate each and every one of these menu platforms, giving us unique insight into how each functions and which is best for your dispensary.
The Best Dispensary Menu Platforms in 2023
So, which menu platforms are in use by most cannabis dispensaries from coast to coast? Here's a look at the top 7, as well as some pros & cons of each.
1. Dutchie iFrame Menu Platform
The Dutchie menu platform is a top choice among dispensaries. Dutchie is a cannabis marketplace, which means your menu is hosted by Dutchie and lives on its website. You are given a code that allows you to embed or iFrame the menu onto your existing website if you have one. Dutchie has its own POS system, but can also be integrated with 3rd party POS systems as well as other technologies like software for loyalty programs and data insights.
Pros
Very easy to setup on your website
Good price point compared to other menu platforms
Exposure to the Dutchie marketplace
User-friendly interface for both retailers and customers
Great compliance features
Integrates with most cannabis POS systems
Very easy to link to specific products, categories, and brands using filtered URLs
Integrates with Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager, HubSpot, Alpine IQ, and Klayvio
Cons
Not SEO-friendly: difficult to show up in search results for specific products and track performance
No custom branding options
Very little access to data
2. Dutchie Plus Native Ecommerce Platform
Dutchie Plus allows dispensaries to build a completely custom e-commerce experience utilizing all of Dutchie’s data and functionality.
With Dutchie Plus, retailers and brands can create their own unique API-based menu experience without restrictions. In other words, you get to use the Dutchie infrastructure to create your menu, but you also have total control over what that menu looks like and how it functions - which is not possible with the iFrame menu. Rather than an embedded iFrame menu, you get unique landing pages for everything on your menu, which has a big positive impact on SEO.
Pros
SEO-friendly menu: each product, brand, and category will have a custom landing page that can appear in search results
Every aspect of your menu becomes fully customizable down to the icons, fonts, colors, etc.
With the addition of CannaPlanners Page Builder, you can add custom modules to product, brand, and category landing pages to personalize even further
Allows you to make the menu a seamless part of your website experience
Developer-friendly
Great compliance features
Integrates with Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager, HubSpot, Alpine IQ, and Klayvio
Cons
Time-consuming to setup
Requires a developer
More expensive
Requires some level of upkeep & maintenance
3. ❤Jane iFrame Menu Platform
The ❤Jane menu platform is not as heavily used as Dutchie, but a top choice just the same. Much like Dutchie, a menu built on Jane is hosted by the larger marketplace, and you are given a code to embed or iFrame the menu on your website.
Pros
Very easy to setup on your website
Exposure to the Jane marketplace
Solid features for customizations
User-friendly interface for both retailers and customers
Said to be one of the simplest menus to set up
Integrates with most cannabis POS systems
Integrates with Google Analytics, HubSpot, and Alpine IQ
Cons
Not SEO-friendly: difficult to show up in search results for specific products and track performance
No custom branding options
Very little access to data
Can not do abandon cart automations
Very difficult to link to specific products, categories, and brands using filtered URLs
4. Jane Roots Headless Ecommerce Menu Platform
Similar to Dutchie Plus, Jane Technologies also offers a fully custom ecommerce experience. Instead of an embedded iFrame menu, everything on your menu will have its own unique landing page, which is great for SEO.
"Jane Roots offers brands free expression to design their interface as well as the agility to quickly update content for an enriched user experience that encourages purchases. Our integration with Forage is a best-in-class example of how Jane Roots adds exponential value to e-commerce platforms, streamlining the backend process of content updates, data cleansing and automation. We know the future of retail is digital and we worked tirelessly to create this solution that propels our partners into the next generation of retail." - Jane Roots Press Release.
Pros
SEO-friendly menu: each product, brand, and category will have a custom landing page that can appear in search results
More custom-design capabilities to match your website's branding
Allows you to make the menu a seamless part of your website experience
With the addition of CannaPlanners Page Builder, you can add custom modules to product, brand, and category landing pages to personalize even further
Integrates with Google Analytics, HubSpot, and Alpine IQ
Cons
Time-consuming to setup
Requires a developer
More expensive
Requires some level of upkeep & maintenance
5. Weedmaps iFrame Menu Platform
Most popular on the west coast, the Weedmaps iFrame menu option has been around for a while. It's very similar to the Dutchie & Jane iFrame options, only you are tied to the Weedmaps marketplace instead. Customers in states where discounts and deals are allowed may prefer this option, as you are able to house your deals directly on Weedmaps. However, the same issues persist here as with all iFramed menu options - no SEO value.
Pros
Very easy to setup on your website
Exposure to the Weedmaps marketplace
Solid features for customizations & promoting deals
User-friendly interface for both retailers and customers
Integrates with most cannabis POS systems
Cons
Not SEO-friendly: difficult to show up in search results for specific products and track performance
No custom branding options
Very little access to data
Can not do abandon cart automations
6. Dispense Menu Platform
Dispense offers a native ecommerce, SEO-friendly menu option. This menu integrates with your site and creates unique pages for products and brands which helps your site rank for more keywords in search results. Going with Dispense means you also own all of your data, rather than having your store become part of a virtual marketplace as is the case with Dutchie and Jane's iFrame models.
The program has a number of features to make life easier for retailers, such as tools to track sales, run promotions, and manage orders. Unlike some other menu platforms like Leafly or Weedmaps, Dispense menus are not tied to a marketplace, and you own all of the data that flows through the menu.
Pros
SEO-friendly menu: each product, brand, and category will have a custom landing page that can appear in search results (native ecommerce only, not available for embedded/iFrame menu)
With the addition of CannaPlanners Page Builder, you can add custom modules to product, brand, and category landing pages to personalize even further (native ecommerce only, not available for embedded/iFrame menu)
Can be a quicker solution when it comes to setup
Integrates with most POS systems
No need for ongoing development
May perform quicker than some platform menus
Integrates with Google Analytics and Google Tag Manager
Cons
Smaller company & lesser known brand
No exposure to marketplace
Slightly limited customization compared to other native ecommerce platforms
7. Blaze Ecom Menu Platform
Tymber, also known as Blaze Ecom, is similar to dispense in that it deploys a native ecommerce model rather than an embedded iFrame menu solution. Their menu solution allows you to integrate their ecommerce platform into your website, which means you own all of your data, and your dispensary's menu is not part of a marketplace like it is with Dutchie and/or Jane.
Pros
SEO-friendly menu option: each product, brand, and category will have a custom landing page that can appear in search results
Can be a quicker solution when it comes to setup
Integrates with most POS systems
With the addition of CannaPlanners Page Builder, you can add custom modules to product, brand, and category landing pages to personalize even further
Integrates with Google Analytics
Cons
Smaller company & lesser known brand
No exposure to marketplace
Slightly limited customization compared to other native ecommerce platforms
The BIGGEST Thing To Consider: SEO
Arguably the most important factor when choosing your dispensary menu platform is how it will impact your website's ability to appear in search results and track performance. When you go with an iFrame menu - product, brand, and category level pages need to be custom-designed and created manually. When you choose a menu option that deploys a native ecommerce model (Dutchie+, Jane Roots, Dispense, Blaze) - you get the benefit of unique landing pages being created for each product, brand, and category, making it easy to appear in search results and more accurately track ecommerce performance.
Of course, user experience and menu functionality are also big pieces of the pie, but if people can't find you in search results, it doesn't really matter what type of experience you present!
Want to make sure you're set up for success, no matter which menu platform you choose?
Talk to us about how we are able to increase local foot traffic for our dispensary clients through a winning SEO strategy.
Are you a dispensary menu platform and don't see your name on this list? Reach out to us!
Let's Talk About Your Online Presence ...
Reach out and talk to us about which menu platform might be best for your dispensary’s unique situation. We’ve built hundreds of dispensary websites and have worked with most of the menu platforms available, so we can help guide you in the right direction while offering some insights from past experiences.
