BLAZE, the industry-leading retail technology suite for cannabis dispensaries, announced the launch of Herbie AI Budtender, a groundbreaking virtual cannabis concierge designed to revolutionize the digital shopping experience. This launch is a continuation of a strategic pivot for BLAZE into a new era of AI-driven automation, prioritizing labor savings and increased digital ROI for cannabis retailers.

In an era of 1,000+ SKU menus, Herbie AI solves "choice paralysis" as a 24/7 conversational budtender. Unlike traditional, rigid chatbots, Herbie utilizes a foundational LLM enriched with deep cannabis context and real-time catalog synchronization. By understanding intent, nuance, and slang, Herbie provides human-like expertise to resolve complex, sales-specific queries and drive conversions.

"Herbie represents the next chapter of the BLAZE ecosystem," said Scott Roehrick, VP of ECOM and AI at BLAZE. "We aren't just giving retailers a chatbot; we're giving them an expert virtual budtender that is closer to a human than a bot. By combining Advanced Product Knowledge with Hyper-Personalization, Herbie is a sales powerhouse that bridges the trust gap between the digital menu and the in-store experience, turning browsers into buyers."

The Herbie AI Toolkit Includes:

• AI Recommendations: Utilizing the BLAZE AI Recommendation service, Herbie personalizes every response by analyzing individual purchase history against real-time local shop trends.
• Enriched Catalog: Automatically fill in product gaps with known terpenes, flavors, and expected effects to explain why a certain strain is right for the user.
• Deal Expert: Proactively explains complex promotions to help users "unlock" maximum value.
• Cart Awareness & In-Chat "Add to Cart": Reduces friction by allowing users to build their bag during the conversation.
• Purchase Memory: Recalls a user's last three orders for frictionless re-ordering.

Herbie is engineered for seamless integration across BLAZE's entire consumer-facing ecosystem, providing a unified experience through BLAZE Sites, E-commerce, Mobile Apps, and Self-Serve Kiosks. This launch reinforces BLAZE's commitment to deploying cutting-edge technology at a rapid pace, ensuring clients remain at the forefront of cannabis retail innovation.