Case Study: The Higher Standard App Development
Opportunity
The Higher Standard, a leading Montana cannabis dispensary, needed a more effective way to engage their customers with timely updates on specials, flash sales, new products and essential news. Their existing communication method, basically just via mass text messaging, was not keeping pace with their growing customer base and rapidly changing promotions.
In Montana’s quickly growing and hugely competitive market with strict regulations, they needed a streamlined solution that would allow them to connect directly with their customers and capture their attention, all while staying compliant with industry standards.
Actions
Our partnership with The Higher Standard focused on building a custom mobile app designed to solve these challenges. From the outset, we conducted thorough research into compliance regulations specific to the cannabis industry in the state of Montana. We knew that making certain that our app met all legal standards was critical to the project’s success, and with compliance as a foundational pillar, we moved into the design and development phase.
We worked to implement user experience (UX) best practices to create an intuitive and easy-to-navigate interface. The app’s features were designed to make it simple for users to browse products, learn about specials and stay updated on sales — all in real time.
Push notifications became a central feature, allowing The Higher Standard to send updates directly to customers’ phones, alerting them instantly to new products and promotions. Every detail, including custom sound effects for notifications, was carefully considered to build upon the overall experience and align with their brand identity.
To set The Higher Standard apart from competitors even further, we also developed messaging that captured their unique brand voice — one that was authentic, engaging and aligned with their mission of providing high-quality cannabis products. This messaging was woven throughout the app, helping The Higher Standard stand out in a crowded market.
Another key objective was ensuring the app provided flexibility for The Higher Standard’s internal team. We built a system that allows them to easily update content, manage promotions and send notifications without requiring technical support.
The final step was navigating the complex submission process for both the Apple and Android app stores. Our team conducted extensive testing to ensure the app not only met the technical and content-related requirements of both platforms but also complied with industry regulations. After successfully overcoming these hurdles, the app was approved for release on both platforms.
Results
The mobile app has been a game-changer for The Higher Standard. Push notifications have allowed them to reach their customers in real time, resulting in higher engagement and increased foot traffic in all of their store locations.
The app’s intuitive design ensures that customers can easily navigate its features, quickly finding the information they needed about new products, specials and sales. For The Higher Standard’s internal team, the ability to manage and update content independently has proved invaluable, giving them the freedom to make changes on the fly without needing outside assistance.
The app’s compliance with cannabis industry regulations offers peace of mind for both our client and their customers, and its successful launch on both the Apple and Android platforms further solidified the app’s role as a critical communication tool for the brand.
Key Results:
- User-friendly design, providing a seamless experience for customers, with easy access to specials, sales and product updates.
- Operational flexibility, allowing The Higher Standard’s team to manage promotions and push notifications without tech support.
- Full compliance with cannabis industry regulations, ensuring a smooth launch on both the Apple and Android app stores.
- 0% crash rate, outperforming the industry standard of 1-2% and achieving the ideal target of less than 1%.
- 51% conversion rate, ranking above the 75th percentile and surpassing the average App Store conversion rate of 30%.
