TORONTO — The Canadian online cannabis
stores powered by Shopify Inc.’s e-commerce software are collectively
processing more than 100 orders per minute, the Ottawa-based company said, an
indication of the high demand for newly-legal marijuana.
Since recreational cannabis was
legalized in Canada at midnight Oct. 17, local time, the government-operated websites
and private retailer portals powered by Shopify have processed “hundreds of
thousands” of orders since cannabis was legalized at the stroke of midnight,
said vice-president Loren Padelford.
These online stores have seen
“millions of visitors” from Canada and around the world in the hours since they
went live at 12:01 a.m. local time.
“For 12 hours in and the number of stores that are live, that’s a pretty big number,” Padelford said.
