The Highly Connected Saw Online Orders Double on Dutchie E-Commerce, Loyalty, and Payments

The Matesanz family has been rooted in cannabis culture since 1998. What started as a passion for the plant grew into a name recognized and respected industry wide, from pioneering Toro glass designs, to judging competitions and sponsoring events across the country. In 2024 they launched their latest cannabis venture, The Highly Connected (THC) dispensary.

Opening THC gave the Matesanz family a chance to bring the best of the industry to their community in Ithaca, NY, offering carefully curated, high-quality products:

“I wanted to open a store that was safe for people, where we had well-trained budtenders who actually knew what they were talking about and cared about the customer.”

Wendy Matesanz, Owner, The Highly Connected

THC’s mission is to meet customers where they are, with products they can trust. Whether it’s in store for the first time, redeeming a reward online, or shopping from the comfort of home. But to do it right, they needed a tech partner that shared their ambition, their values, and their dedication to the industry.

Choosing Dutchie, a Partner Purpose Built for The Industry

For THC, community is not just a value, it’s part of their business model. The team deliberately chooses to stock locally, prioritizing New York State businesses and independent brands. “They have heart and soul, and that’s what we’re really looking for at the end of the day,” Wendy shared.

That ethos, of lifting up the people around you and building something better together, is part of what drew THC to Dutchie. “After getting on Dutchie, it sort of felt like we were helping each other. It’s improving as time goes on too, which is really cool, to see the evolution of Dutchie. It’s getting better and better all the time.”

With the right tech partner in place, THC could focus on what they set out to do: providing Ithaca with safer access to quality cannabis.

E-Commerce Designed to Replicate the In-Store Experience

For many dispensaries, replicating the warmth of an in-store experience online can be a challenge. THC’s answer was an e-commerce site built to feel approachable, not overwhelming.

“We talk with the brands we’re working with, get their explanation and description of what their product is, and make sure to include as much information as we have access to. And if we don’t know, we search for it and figure it out.”

Wendy Matesanz, Owner, The Highly Connected

With detailed product cards reflecting the most useful information in place, THC built out their site with product categories, brand pages, and easily accessible deals to help every customer find what they’re looking for, regardless of experience level. And with Dutchie’s social login turned on, every interaction feels personal and builds a more complete customer profile.

The result is an online storefront that functions as a true extension of their in-store philosophy, one that customers clearly responded to. Online orders grew 103% year over year, with online sales income rising 82% alongside it.

Loyalty and Marketing: Taking Advantage of Targeted Rewards

In October 2025, THC launched their loyalty and marketing program with Dutchie, keeping their customer experience connected and their data under one roof. “Other companies had offered us options, but we didn’t want to start somewhere else just to switch back to Dutchie. We waited for Dutchie Loyalty and Marketing to come to play, and it was worth the wait,” said Erica O’Brian, Administrator at The Highly Connected.

With Dutchie’s segmentation and discount tools, THC could get specific, targeting lapsed customers, rewarding regulars, and reaching the right shopper with the right offer. “We’re starting to do some stuff with custom discounts that you can offer via email. Giving people a kind of a sneak peek of what’s coming so they get first dibs.”

In practice, that looks like a concentrate enthusiast hearing about a new rosin release before it hits the floor, or a flower regular getting a discount on their go-to strain. For THC, loyalty isn’t just a rewards program. It’s the difference between casual browsing and dedicated regulars.

Delivery in New York, Pay By Bank as the Solution

With an e-commerce experience built to perform and a loyal customer base to fall back on, THC turned their attention to delivery. The goal was simple: serve every member of their community, wherever they are.

With Dutchie’s compliant and customizable delivery zones and times, THC expanded their reach farther than ever before. But with that growth came a critical need: keeping staff safe. Pay by Bank became the clear answer: “Pay by Bank is definitely the only way that we’d like to accept payments through delivery, just for safety and compliance reasons. This way we don’t do the delivery unless it’s pre-paid and that works really well.”

The benefits extended to customers too: “A lot of people just don’t have the access to cash and then don’t want to have to eat the fee for their debit card.”

For THC, removing that friction translated directly to the bottom line: “I’ve definitely seen Pay by Bank be helpful for potential lost sales where people would have walked out the door if they didn’t have that option,” a sentiment reflected in a 207% increase in Pay by Bank orders in one year alone. By giving customers a simple, familiar way to pay, THC turned a potential drop-off point into captured revenue.

METRC Migration With a Reliable Partner

When New York rolled out its METRC migration, it was anything but simple. For THC the transition meant weeks of difficult compliance work on top of running a busy retail operation, attending their many community events, and managing drivers and their deliveries.

Dutchie’s back office became the backbone that kept everything moving: “We got through, the METRC transition was long and laborious. Once that was done, then we kind of were able to breathe again and now we’re just trying to order as efficiently as possible. I truthfully couldn’t do it without the Dutchie back office.”

With dedicated support from the Dutchie team, an intuitive onboarding wizard, and powerful inventory management capabilities, THC was able to continue building their community without losing too much time to the transition.

Trusted Partnership and the Future of THC

For The Highly Connected, Dutchie isn’t just a software provider. It’s a partner that listens, builds, and grows alongside them:

“Honestly, Dutchie’s just been really awesome. It’s super helpful that you guys are open to changing and evolving with our ideas. You’re not just like, ‘this is all we have to offer.’ You work with us, and that’s very rare and really helpful.”

Erica O’Brian, Administrator, The Highly Connected

Looking ahead, THC’s vision is bigger than retail: “Now with Dutchie, I think our biggest thing would be reaching out more to the community, getting them more involved through cannabis.”

Final Results

By partnering with Dutchie, The Highly Connected gained the reliable, flexible platform they needed to power daily operations, curate an intentional product selection, build a loyal customer base, and expand into delivery, all without compromising the community-first values at their core.

The results speak for themselves, in one year THC achieved: a 103% increase in online orders, an 82% increase in online sales income, and a 207% increase in Pay by Bank orders.