In a global first for a delivery network company, Tokyo Smoke, the award-winning cannabis retailer, and Uber Canada (NYSE: UBER) have announced an exclusive partnership to provide a new way to order cannabis in Ontario. Beginning today, Uber Eats has created a dedicated section on its digital marketplace for Tokyo Smoke’s virtual stores. Consumers can place orders from Tokyo Smoke’s flower collection and unique accessories on the Uber Eats app, and then pick up their purchase at the respective Tokyo Smoke stores. This is an innovative arrangement between Uber Eats and Tokyo Smoke, which is the first cannabis merchant to list itself using the Uber Eats software, across Uber’s global business.
Online ordering and pickup using Uber Eats is an innovative, new way for Canadian adults to conveniently and safely purchase legal cannabis. All orders will be fulfilled within an hour of the order being placed, so consumers are able to receive their items quickly.
“Tokyo Smoke is thrilled to partner with Uber Canada on this innovative offering for our customers, bringing them high quality products and the very best customer experience,” said Mark Hillard, VP Operations, Tokyo Smoke. “As a market leader in innovation and a platform used by so many Canadians, we believe this is the ideal next offering that can be done safely and conveniently on the Uber Eats app.”
How it works:
- Ontario consumers head to the Uber Eats app and select the “cannabis” category or search for “Tokyo Smoke”. They will see a warning that they must be of legal age to enter the Tokyo Smoke virtual storefront
- Once confirming their age, the consumer is taken to the menu of a Tokyo Smoke store in the area to place an order
- Orders will be fulfilled within an hour from when the order is placed
- When consumers head to Tokyo Smoke to pick up their order, the order will be fulfilled by a Tokyo Smoke employee who is CannSell certified and who will ID consumers as required by regulations.
“We are partnering with industry leaders like Tokyo Smoke to offer safe, convenient options for people in Ontario to purchase legal cannabis,” said Lola Kassim, General Manager of Uber Eats Canada. “By combining a streamlined ordering process through the Uber Eats app with Tokyo Smoke’s in-person pickup service, we’re creating a new end-to-end experience for responsible cannabis ordering across the province.”
This partnership will help combat the underground illegal market, which still accounts for over 40% of all nonmedical cannabis sales nationally. Further, recent research from Public First shows that driving after cannabis consumption remains prevalent, with 1 in 7 (14%) of cannabis users admitting to having driven a vehicle within 2 hours of consuming cannabis. When Canadian cannabis laws evolve to include delivery, options like Uber Eats are expected to help decrease impaired driving and improve safety on the road.
About Uber Canada
Uber’s mission is to create opportunity through movement. Co-founded by Calgarian entrepreneur Garrett Camp, Uber started in 2010 to solve a simple problem: how do you get access to a ride at the touch of a button? More than 10 billion trips later, Uber is building products to get people closer to where they want to be. By changing how people, food, and things move through cities, Uber and Uber Eats open up the world to new possibilities. For more information, visit uber.com.
About Tokyo Smoke
Tokyo Smoke is an award-winning, design focused, legal cannabis retailer. We believe that the customer experience should be nothing short of great. We are committed to bringing our customers the very highest quality, regulated products. Tokyo Smoke empowers consumers to make well-informed decisions about safe, high quality products. We seek to curate unique cannabis offerings and deliver a product assortment that reflects our customers’ interests, neighbourhood-by-neighbourhood.
Katz Group, in partnership with Canopy Growth, is the master franchisor for Tokyo Smoke in Ontario. Canopy Growth Corporation is a leading licensed producer of cannabis in Canada, and owner of the Tokyo Smoke brand. Visit: tokyosmoke.com
SOURCE Uber Canada Inc.
Founder & Interim Editor of L.A. Cannabis News
