Y/Y GMV Increase @ Flagship Dutchie Location
Higher E-Commerce AOV Than Market Average
Opened Since Switching to Dutchie
When Cloud9 entered the Illinois cannabis market, they set out to serve their community with confidence while scaling alongside demand. But Illinois presented a uniquely restrictive retail environment, one where nearly every customer interaction happens through a screen. As Vice President of Operations Chris Burk explains:
“So in Illinois, I have no products on the floor. There's no jars, so there's no appeal to packaging. It's entirely kiosk-based. So the customer experience is really just recreating this sort of e-commerce experience people are used to seeing.”
In a market where the digital menu is the shopping experience, Cloud9 needed a technology partner they could rely on to navigate Illinois’ unique regulatory nuances. A partner that could help them deliver a consistent experience across all their digital channels, while also supporting day-to-day operations and broader business growth.
By 2024, Cloud9 had two open locations and plans for continued expansion. However, they struggled with a less mature technology partner that was unable to effectively support their growth:
“Treez focus[ed] heavily on this data idea, they would spit out all these graphs and charts and all this stuff. But then you start digging into the data and it pretty much has no teeth to it… What your store managers are going to say about the software is it secretly adds a tremendous amount of labor hours.”
Already burdened by strict regulatory demands, Cloud9 needed a partner that made operations simpler, not slower.
As Cloud9 continued to scale, dependable daily operations became non-negotiable. With additional dispensaries coming online, Chris Burk joined the Cloud9 team and quickly identified the need for a unified platform that could support expansion without disruption:
“We opened the third dispensary on Dutchie and then shortly thereafter migrated the two operating dispensaries… then opened the fourth dispensary last year on Dutchie as well. It really just comes down to how the core functions of Dutchie are far superior.”
With Dutchie, Cloud9 eliminated disconnected systems and gained real-time visibility across all locations, bringing POS, inventory, pricing, ecommerce, and kiosks into a single, unified platform. Inventory stayed aligned, reporting became dependable, and new stores could open without having to rebuild workflows from scratch.
But their new tech foundation did more than support growth; with operations running smoothly, Cloud9 could finally invest in what mattered most: refining their e-commerce menus and delivering a standout, personalized in-store experience with Kiosk Pro.
In Illinois, every purchase starts on a screen, whether at home or in-store. “It's literally the only interface the customers have with products is on the e-commerce menu. So every little nugget, every little two percent improvement matters.”
With Dutchie e-commerce, Cloud9 was able to use custom components and branding tools to refine their menu, improve discovery, and guide buying decisions. “All in all, having our stuff pretty, and well conveyed on the menu using the banners, custom categories, and having the big red slashes through things does a lot.”
Their improved menu then became the perfect place to house smarter promotions. With Dutchie’s intuitive discount engine, Cloud9 began deploying strategic discounts designed to encourage increased cart sizes, “we have very compelling deals. The way that they stack up, they’re little carrots dangling to incentivize larger buys...”
With Dutchie, Cloud9 is now able to build discounts once and apply them consistently across all locations, reducing manual work for teams while delivering accurate, seamless pricing that engages customers. Together, these incremental improvements have added up to big results, helping Cloud9 increase their e-commerce AOV by 11% above the market average.
With no physical product displays allowed in Illinois, Cloud9 relies on kiosks as a core part of their in-store experience.
Shortly after Dutchie launched Kiosk Pro in 2025, Cloud9 became an early adopter, using it to deliver a more engaging, personalized shopping journey:
“It recreates this sort of e-commerce experience people are used to seeing… you've scanned the QR code and now it knows it's you, how many loyalty points you have, and what you previously purchased.”
Kiosk Pro also improved staff workflows, allowing customers to browse independently while budtenders focused on checkout during peak hours, “it also helps for the budtenders… our staff starts on the sales floor and they'll walk back once they've performed their duties or if it's too busy.” This shift reduced congestion at the counter and freed staff to focus on transactions and customer support instead of guiding every product selection.
Most importantly, Kiosk Pro delivered a better customer experience, encouraging return visits and repeat purchases, “I think having that personalized experience of the Kiosk Pro is a big improvement.”
Dutchie gave Cloud9 the foundation to grow without friction.
“You don't need to rebuild everything every time you open a store. The product catalog navigates to the new locations within the environment, like all that stuff just sort of scales very easily. In a way that others don't.”
That scalability has driven measurable results. Since initially joining the Dutchie platform in 2024, Cloud9’s flagship Dutchie location has seen a 33% increase in GMV year over year and they’ve been able to expand to 3 new locations. Demonstrating how consistent revenue growth and operational scalability can move in lockstep.
With a dependable core, a refined e-commerce experience, and personalized in-store kiosks, Cloud9 now has a system built not just to survive Illinois’ tight regulations, but to thrive, “Dutchie provides the right tools. And having the right tools always matters.”
With data, daily operations, and customer touchpoints unified in Dutchie, Cloud9 has created an e-commerce experience that’s intuitive for shoppers, built informed discounts that drive actual revenue, and delivered a kiosk experience that mirrors top-performing budtenders.
The result: 33% GMV growth at their flagship Dutchie location, the successful launch of 3 additional stores, and a scalable retail operation designed for long-term growth, positioning Cloud9 as a leader in Illinois’ highly regulated market.
Ready to see how Cloud9 scaled in an e-commerce-first, regulated market without adding operational complexity? Schedule a demo with Dutchie.
