Local cannabis app is poised to take full advantage of new legislation.
By Annette Semerdjian with Melanie Camp.
Cannabis culture is witnessing a significant shift. On January 1, 2018, adult use, smoking and consumption, of weed became legal. Looking ahead to this bright future, Brian Campbell and Matt Singer took the opportunity to start their Venice-based company, tökr, combining the best features of Yelp, Groupon, and Netflix to create a one of a kind online search experience for users and dispensaries alike.
Co-founder and chief product officer Brian Campbell told Yo! Venice the neighborhood is “an incredibly important demographic for us because we realize that here at home, you have tech-savvy cannabis consumers that are in need of an app that helps them find products based on their preferences and lifestyle.”
tökr allows users to quickly access dispensary locations, discount deals, and recommendations based on purchase history and interest in certain strains. The app also shares relevant information with dispensaries. So if the majority of users in a particular area prefer a specific strain, dispensaries serving the area will be made aware.
For instance, through surveys and beta testing, tökr was able to determine that over 80-percent of West Hollywood smokers prefer the Indica strain. Information such as this gleaned from the app will then be translated into profit. Dispensaries can also use the app to better serve customers by picking up on trends and analytics to show when a customer is looking for product and what they’re looking for.
“tökr was created to help modernize and simplify the cannabis shopping experience, and the people here in Venice are ready to be part of the positive shift in cannabis culture,” said Campbell.
tökr is the app to cater to a new culture. The app will serve beyond Venice and reach to dispensaries all over the city while possibly expanding out of state toward Oregon. Currently working with about 40 dispensaries including Green Goddess and 99 High Tide, tökr plans to branch out even more.
“It’s been great working with OGs like Green Goddess. They are forward-thinking and have been planning ahead for the legalization of recreational cannabis use in 2018. tökr provides them tools, like consumer outreach and analytics, and gives them an access to their customers that they have never had before,” tökr CEO Matt Singer told Yo! Venice.
Campbell said that while Venice has “an incredible cannabis community,” it is also a neighborhood that is forward thinking when it comes to technology and lifestyle. “For us, Venice is the perfect cultural mix of what tökr believes in. Forward thinking, hustling, laid back, yet professional in its own beautiful way,” he said.
In November 2017, California voters approved the legalization of recreational marijuana, effective January 1, 2018. The legalized industry could fetch the city more than $100 million annually in new tax revenue.
tökr is currently available on Google Play and iTunes.
