On this very blog, we have talked about how the global parcel industry is on the rise, owing mostly to a cultural shift in consumerism that values convenience and delivery over the need to physically inspect an item before purchasing. This has been wonderful for ecommerce as a whole, but it’s about to get a little better. As Canada prepares for cannabis legalization, the Ontario government’s OCRC (Ontario Cannabis Retail Corporation) plans to get the ball rolling through online stores, rather than brick and mortar stores.
Beginning October 17th and lasting (at least) until April of next year, the only place a consumer will be able to buy legal marijuana in Ontario is through the online Ontario Cannabis Store. This obviously gives the Ontario government a little more time to work out the logistics of private cannabis retail, but an unexpected by-product of that decision is that the shipping industry will likely see a surge in business.
As Ontarians flock online to partake in the historic lifting of pot prohibition, the courier companies will be working overtime to fulfill each request. It is therefore immensely beneficial, for those who choose to buy online once October rolls around, that netParcel offers the cheapest shipping options to Canada ‘s ecommerce customers. With the influx of new online buyers, netParcel will continue to negotiate for the cheapest shipping rates available.
Also, in a deal struck last year, the OCRC announced that it would be working with Shopify to bring legal cannabis online. Utilizing the Canadian company’s massively popular (and very streamlined) ecommerce platform, the OCRC initially turned to Shopify for the “safe, informed and reliable shopping experience” they offer.
Shopify and netParcel have had a long and fruitful relationship, with many Shopify retailers choosing netParcel for their shipping solutions, and we are excited to see the new business that the OCRC brings to the platform. Available as a free app on Shopify, we offer discounted small parcel and less than truck load shipping services to ecommerce merchants looking to offer their customers a cheaper way to shop online. We will continue to negotiate for the cheapest shipping prices with the sale of legalized cannabis, as well as for all other Shopify retailers.
The fuel that Cannabis Legalization gives the shipping industry can only be beneficial for the average ecommerce customer, regardless of what you are purchasing. By being able to negotiate more shipments with couriers, we will be even better equipped to track down the least expensive shipping options, as well as give merchants a wide range of possible options. And although there is a long way to go before any talk of cross-border retail enters the cannabis discussion, we also continue to work hard on creation the cheapest shipping to Canada options for US retailers, and vice versa.
These are exciting times for the shipping industry, as Ontario ventures out on a new project the likes of which have never been seen before. With the inflow of new ecommerce customers will come a boom in the shipping industry, and a need for courier brokers to negotiate the cheapest shipping solutions. We at netParcel are proud to be on the forefront of that task here in Canada.
