The platform, which aims to simplify wholesale cannabis sales, will help their 2,000 clients leverage the agency’s Fortune 500-level digital marketing expertise
SEATTLE, Wash. — Seattle-based programmatic advertising agency PrograMetrix and Portland-based cannabis business management platform Apex Trading have finalized a formal partnership to offer cutting-edge digital advertising and campaign management services to the nearly 2,000 brands on the Apex Trading site. The strategic partnership is the first of its kind in the cannabis industry.
“Apex has built an incredible product to help wholesale cannabis sellers and buyers connect at price points that are a win for both sides,” said Chris Shreeve, co-founder and VP of business development at PrograMetrix. “Our goal is to drive increased brand awareness and sales for the array of producers and retailers that the Apex team supports. This partnership is the result of creative thinking on how best to serve our industry going forward, and we believe it will yield substantial increases in the rate and size of transactions on the Apex platform, benefitting the market as a whole.”
Apex Trading’s business management and sales services—through which 3,000 purchases and $13 million in cannabis sales are transacted monthly—help connect the dots between farmers, growers, producer-processors, brands, and retailers. The partnership with PrograMetrix will take the sale side of “seed-to-sale” one step further, connecting Apex users directly with the digital advertising services needed to scale their businesses in the long term. By running digital ads through programmatic technology, brands will be able to drive increased customer demand for their flower, concentrates, edibles, topicals, and more. The partnership will also be expanded in the future to serve clients on Apex’s recently launched wholesale CBD and hemp platform, Bushel44.
“We’re really excited to partner with PrograMetrix on this initiative,” said John Manlove, co-founder and CEO of Apex Trading. “Our company has always been laser-focused on providing our wholesale clients with everything they need to run a successful cannabis brand. Particularly with everything that has gone on this year, digital advertising is instrumental to doing that, which is why we’re partnering with the industry leader in programmatic for cannabis.”
The need for cannabis brands to begin advertising their products directly to end consumers was recently spotlighted by Marijuana Business Daily. According to journalist Margaret Jackson, “many marijuana brands have relied on in-store pop-ups and educating budtenders about their products to reach consumers … but as cannabis customers increasingly order products online for delivery or pickup—and with the expectation that these habits will persist after the coronavirus pandemic is under control—marijuana brands should consider more direct ways to reach their audience to ensure sales stay strong.”
Both PrograMetrix and Apex Trading are both currently accepting new cannabis, CBD, and hemp clients. To learn more about PrograMetrix’s advertising options or Apex Trading’s platform, visit PrograMetrix.com or ApexTrading.com.
About PrograMetrix
PrograMetrix is a Seattle-based programmatic advertising agency serving cannabis and CBD brands alongside Fortune 500 clients. Through strategic partnerships with cannabis industry leaders and the expert use of modern ad tech, PrograMetrix helps clients target known cannabis, CBD, and natural wellness consumers on mainstream websites, working across all digital channels to optimize campaign performance and ROI. To learn more, visit PrograMetrix.com.
About Apex Trading
Apex Trading is a wholesale business management and sales platform designed specifically for the cannabis industry. By delivering all the tools needed to streamline an entire wholesale operation, and putting the brand and buyer experience first, Apex Trading provides a wholesale cannabis management solution unlike any other. To learn more, visit ApexTrading.com. To learn more about Apex Trading’s new platform for CBD and hemp, visit Bushel44.com.
