THE GUIDE

The dispensary technology stack

Six layers, in the order to buy them, and how they connect. Written by the company that plugs into most of them.

See the Integrations

A dispensary runs on six kinds of technology: a point of sale, a compliance link to the state track-and-trace system, online ordering, payments, a loyalty and messaging platform, and in-store screens. The POS sits in the middle; everything else works better when it reads from it. Seed handles the screens: TV menus, kiosks, queue boards, and promo screens synced to the POS.

SIX LAYERS

Buy them in this order

1. Point of sale

The system of record for products, prices, inventory, and sales. Everything else should read from it. Cannabis-specific POS systems Seed connects to include Dutchie, Treez, BLAZE, Flowhub, COVA, Meadow, and Weave.

POS integrations →

2. Compliance and track-and-trace

Your state requires reporting to its track-and-trace system, Metrc in most states and BioTrack in some. Most cannabis POS systems report to it directly; multi-license operators often add a seed-to-sale platform such as Flourish.

Flourish + Seed →

3. Online ordering

Pickup and delivery menus on your website, usually from your POS vendor or an ecommerce platform like Jane. The online menu and the in-store menu should come from the same inventory.

Dutchie ecommerce + Seed →

4. Payments

Cannabis payments are their own category, and most POS vendors bundle a payment product. Ask what the shopper experience is at the counter and online before you pick.

5. Loyalty and messaging

The platform that runs your rewards program and your text and email campaigns. Seed pairs with Alpine IQ and springbig, so the offer you send by text can be on the wall when the shopper walks in.

Alpine IQ + Seed →

6. In-store screens

TV menus, self-service kiosks, a queue board, and promo screens, all reading from the POS. This is Seed: 6,500+ screens in 950+ storefronts, live about a week after signing.

Dispensary digital signage →
Seed POS integration partners

WHERE SEED SITS

On top of the POS. Never beside it.

Seed does not ask your team to maintain a second system. The screens read products, prices, stock status, and specials from the POS and re-check in minutes; loyalty offers get screen time through campaigns. How POS sync works.

Meet the Integrations

RELATED GUIDES

Keep reading

Opening a dispensary

The eight-step playbook, plus 25 state guides.

Read →

Dispensary digital signage

The four screens a store runs and what to look for.

Read →

Choosing menu software

Eight questions to ask any vendor.

Read →

Dispensary technology questions, answered

What software does a cannabis dispensary need before opening?
Six things: a cannabis-specific point of sale, a link to your state's track-and-trace system (Metrc in most states, BioTrack in some), online ordering, a payments product, a loyalty and messaging platform, and in-store screens. Pick the POS first; everything else works better when it reads from it.

Which POS should a new dispensary choose?
One built for cannabis, licensed in your state, and connected to the rest of your stack. The systems Seed integrates with, Dutchie, Treez, BLAZE, Flowhub, COVA, Meadow, and Weave, are all cannabis-specific. Check your state's list of approved systems, then check that your menu, loyalty, and ecommerce tools read from the one you pick. The opening guides cover this state by state.

Do I need seed-to-sale software as well as a POS?
For a single retail store, usually not: most cannabis POS systems report to the state track-and-trace system directly. Operators with cultivation, manufacturing, or multiple licenses often add a seed-to-sale platform such as Flourish to track inventory across the whole supply chain; Seed reads the retail inventory from it.

How do in-store screens fit into the dispensary tech stack?
They sit on top of the POS. Seed's TV menus, kiosks, queue board, and promo screens read products, prices, stock status, and specials from the POS and update in minutes, so the screens are never a second system to maintain. Loyalty offers from Alpine IQ or springbig can get screen time through Seed campaigns.

What does dispensary technology cost?
Each layer is priced by its vendor. For the screens, Seed prices per location with unlimited screens, playlists, and users, and design included; there is no public rate card, so book a demo for a quote. The kiosk cost guide and TV buying guide cover the hardware side.

How long does the technology take to set up?
The POS and compliance link gate everything else, so start there. Seed's screens typically go from signed to live in about a week once the POS is running, and a second location clones the first in hours.

THE SCREENS LAYER

Pick your POS. We'll handle the walls.

Book a demo and tell us your stack. We'll show your live menu on Seed screens and map the integrations before you sign anything.

Book a Demo