Connect the systems you use to the messages customers need.
Dispensary SMS integrations bring supported customer, purchase or order information from your POS, ecommerce or CRM into a texting workflow. The useful question is which records reach Blackleaf, in which direction, and soon enough for the message you want to send.
Blackleaf Texting brings SMS and MMS campaigns, follow-ups and customer replies into one workspace. Add the connection that fits your store. You do not need to adopt Blackleaf POS to use Blackleaf texting.
Start with one job: a purchase-based audience, an expected order update, or a permitted return-visit follow-up. Confirm the data for that job before planning a larger rollout.
Choose the connection by what it needs to do.
- POS customer and purchase data: identify customers, stores and completed transactions for relevant audiences and matched-purchase reporting. See POS texting for workflow planning.
- Ecommerce and order events: distinguish cart activity, order creation, readiness, cancellation and fulfillment. Each event has a different meaning; a customer sync alone does not provide them.
- CRM and opt-in sources: bring authorized contact information and documented permission into the audience process. Decide which system owns each value and how corrections are handled.
- Custom applications: use the messaging API for a supported use case when an approved direct connector does not cover it. Your application still needs to supply the correct source event and maintain its connection.
Tell us your system names, versions and locations. For a Blaze, Treez, Shopify, HubSpot, Klaviyo or other workflow, ask for current connector availability and the exact supported operations. Do not assume that a named system means every customer field, loyalty action, cart event or inventory update is included.
Replacing the register is a separate decision. Blackleaf POS integrations covers the California production POS, Metrc scope and store equipment. This page covers connecting your existing stack to texting. More states are rolling out soon.
The field, direction and timing checklist.
Use this map during setup. These are requirements to confirm, not a universal Blackleaf connector specification. Record the actual fields and update cadence for your connection.
On a small screen, scroll the table horizontally. Keyboard users can focus the table region and use the arrow keys.
| Data | Direction to confirm | Refresh requirement | Useful job and boundary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Customer identity | POS or CRM → Blackleaf; confirm any reverse edits. | Initial import plus an agreed update schedule. | Match an audience using stable customer IDs and normalized phones. A phone number alone can be shared or changed. |
| Store identity | Source location → corresponding Blackleaf store or audience rule. | At setup and when stores or assignments change. | Use the correct store, hours and link. Purchase store and preferred store are different values. |
| Purchases and returns | Transaction source → customer history or reporting. | Confirm history depth, recurring updates and return corrections. | Build purchase-based segments and reconcile outcomes. History does not establish live stock or marketing consent. |
| Order events | Order system → supported messaging trigger. | Within the workflow’s agreed time window; check current state. | Send an expected readiness update only from an actual readiness event. Suppress canceled, stale and repeated events. |
| Product and stock | Authorized catalog or inventory source → reviewed campaign brief, where supported. | Recheck sellable quantity and offer terms near the send. | Support a relevant product message. A catalog item or previous sale is not proof that stock is available. |
| Permission and opt-outs | Opt-in evidence → eligibility review; current suppression → every sending workflow. | Check before sending; confirm propagation and conflict handling. | Retain source, disclosure, timestamp and scope. An older import must not overwrite current suppression. |
Ask for timestamps and a test record, not just “connected” status. Imports, scheduled synchronization and event feeds have different capabilities. A two-way loyalty connection also does not automatically mean two-way consent or customer editing.
One customer. Two records. A decision before sending.
A connection needs a clear identity rule before it can build a useful audience. Match conservatively when a shared number, changed contact detail or merged account makes the result uncertain.
Illustrative identity test · fictional records, no customer results
Sam Rivera appears in a POS and an online order.
- Check the identifiers. The POS has customer P-104 and the order system has customer W-208. A matching name is insufficient. Check stable source IDs, normalized contact details and the approved linking rule.
- Keep the store context. The POS purchase belongs to Store A; the open order belongs to Store B. Do not replace the pickup store with the customer’s last purchase location.
- Resolve permission separately. A past opt-in flag conflicts with a newer STOP record. Preserve suppression and resolve the conflict; do not interpret the order as renewed marketing permission.
- Check the event. If the same readiness event arrives twice, the integration should recognize the existing event rather than create a second notice. Validate that behavior in your setup.
The acceptance test is a correct customer, store, event and eligibility decision. Combining records or sending automatically should wait until the match and supported behavior are clear.
Test the full path before turning it on.
- Write the scope. List systems, locations, fields, history depth, update direction, plan requirements, setup fees and the team responsible for each side.
- Check access. Use authorized, appropriately scoped access. Review what is read or written, who can change the connection, and how access is removed.
- Compare source and destination. Confirm an eligible customer and purchase, an opted-out contact, a return and a corrected record. Check timestamps and store mapping.
- Rehearse exceptions. Test a duplicate event, canceled order, missing phone, delayed sync and interrupted connection. Agree what pauses and who resolves the failure.
- Review a controlled workflow. Verify audience eligibility, copy, destination, timing and message purpose before activation. Monitor the first records before expanding.
If a connection stops updating, hold workflows that depend on fresh data. Reconcile missed changes before resuming. Replaying old order events as new alerts can produce messages that are no longer useful.
For custom implementations, review SMS and MMS API examples. An API response, delivery status and completed customer action are different results; confirm the relevant state before retrying or reporting success.
For custom work, use the API developer guide alongside the current operation reference. The messaging sandbox walkthrough explains which requests simulate delivery and which effects still need review. Read contact synchronization and opt-out handling before importing customer records, and the reporting API guide before reading stored aggregates.
Keep permission and AI review in the workflow.
For Blackleaf, explicit recipient consent and age confirmation are required before any text, including service and support. In the message flow, the intended recipient verifies by selecting the birthday on file; never disclose the saved birthday. Customer data access, a transaction, loyalty membership or phone number does not establish these checks. Preserve actual consent evidence and current suppression. Review age and intended-recipient checks and SMS opt-in requirements alongside applicable law and provider policy. These company requirements are separate from legal and provider review. A working integration or sender registration does not override a prohibited business or message use case.
Blackleaf’s AI texting tools can help prepare copy, artwork and recurring drafts for review. Use verified, authorized facts in the brief and confirm what each tool can access. AI should not infer current inventory, create an unapproved discount or treat a past purchase as certain customer intent.
Existing AI texting preparation is separate from POS AI agents in production in California. Production POS AI actions still require the supported connection, permissions and approval controls for your store.
Measure the connected workflow, including its costs.
For an order update, review the correct event, message timing, pickup completion and customer questions. For a marketing follow-up, define the audience, purchase-match rule, reporting window, returns and overlapping campaign credit before launch.
Attributed purchases show what matches the reporting rule; they do not prove additional sales caused by texting. Use a suitable comparison or randomized holdout where feasible before claiming incremental lift. See the text-marketing planning guide.
Include the platform, messaging usage, connector or development work, source-vendor fees and offer cost in your budget. Review current Blackleaf pricing and confirm which plan and setup support your intended connection.
Texting integration questions.
Do I need Blackleaf POS to use Blackleaf texting integrations?
No. Blackleaf texting is available separately from Blackleaf POS. A supported connection can bring customer or purchase context from your current systems. Confirm your connector, locations, fields, plan and setup before relying on a specific workflow.
Does a POS integration include ecommerce order and cart events?
Not necessarily. Customer and transaction imports, ecommerce carts, order readiness and inventory are different data feeds. Confirm the exact event and source for each workflow. A completed sale does not show that an order is ready for pickup.
Which systems can I connect to Blackleaf?
Start with your POS, ecommerce and CRM names, versions and locations. Blackleaf can review the available direct connection or messaging API approach for the job. Confirm the actual supported fields, update direction, timing and setup; a vendor name alone is not a field-level support specification.
Can I connect a system that has no direct connector?
A custom connection may be possible through the Blackleaf messaging API when the source system permits authorized access and the proposed messaging use case is supported. It requires implementation and testing. An API send endpoint does not automatically import customers, monitor stock or create order events.
Are texting integrations real time or two way?
That depends on the connector and record. Ask separately about initial imports, recurring sync, event latency and reverse updates. A connection that reads purchases may not write customer edits, opt-outs or loyalty points back to the POS.
Will a customer import reactivate someone who opted out?
It should not. Preserve current suppression when importing or reconciling older records. Blackleaf requires explicit recipient consent and age confirmation before any text, including service and support. The intended recipient verifies by selecting the birthday on file in the message flow; never disclose the saved birthday. Resolve conflicting records rather than treating an older consent flag as a new opt-in. These company requirements are separate from legal and provider review.
How should multiple stores map their customers?
Use stable customer and location identifiers, normalized contact information and a documented matching rule. Keep purchase store, preferred store and the stores covered by messaging permission distinct. Test duplicates and shared phone numbers before combining records or audiences.
Does purchase history prove current stock or customer preference?
No. Purchase history describes a past transaction. Current sellable stock needs a supported inventory source or store confirmation. A previous purchase may suggest relevance but does not prove what the customer wants today.
How do I test a connection before activating automation?
Check one eligible contact, an opted-out contact, a duplicate profile, a canceled order, a delayed update and a repeated event. Verify the source record, destination record, timestamps and expected suppression. Activate only the workflows that pass the agreed checks.
What does a texting integration cost?
Review the Blackleaf plan and messaging usage alongside any connector, source-vendor or custom implementation charges. Confirm history depth, location count, support responsibilities and ongoing maintenance in the setup scope. Use current pricing rather than assuming a logo means the connection is included.
Bring your current stack. Start with one useful connection.
Tell Blackleaf which systems and stores you use and what you want the customer to receive. We’ll review the available connection, required data and setup with you.