BigCommerce Green-Lights Online Hemp and CBD Sales

**Company is the first full-featured ecommerce platform to support retailers of hemp and hemp-derived cannabidiol (CBD) products **

AUSTIN, Texas – Aug. 20, 2019 –  BigCommerce, the leading open SaaS ecommerce platform for fast-growing and established brands, today introduced a streamlined way for merchants to sell hemp and hemp-derived cannabidiol (CBD) products online with BigCommerce. Available immediately, BigCommerce for Hemp & CBDbrings together industry-leading ecommerce tools and services tailored for hemp and hemp-derived CBD commerce to provide merchants and manufacturers a clear path to legally sell and distribute their products to U.S. consumers. 

 "As a pioneer in the hemp and CBD industry, CBD For Life has faced tremendous challenges establishing a consistent ecommerce presence. Vendors didn't have clear policies. There were unfair rules enforced on our businesses, including unwarranted contract terminations with no notice from service providers,” said Julie Winter, vice president at CBD For Life, a division of iAnthus. “BigCommerce is providing a much needed service that gives us a reliable way to sell our products online and offer our customers a delightful shopping experience.”

In addition to providing a secure and hosted online storefront, BigCommerce for Hemp & CBD supports merchants driving the emerging $20 billion CBD industry1 by connecting them with trusted, U.S.-based merchant service providers and payment gateways for both digital and brick-and-mortar retail, as well as shipping and fulfillment solutions through BigCommerce Shipping. 

With BigCommerce for Hemp & CBD, merchants can power their hemp and CBD business and quickly get to market by benefitting from: 

• Hemp-friendly merchant services - Choose between multiple U.S.-based providers of merchant services without incurring additional penalties, fees or account reserves 

• Online & offline payment processing - Optimize customers’ checkout experience no matter where they shop with out-of-the-box PCI compliance

• BigCommerce Shipping - Simplify shipping and fulfillment operations and increase margins with BigCommerce’s pre-negotiated rates with hemp-friendly carriers 

“Despite the 2018 Farm Bill legalizing the sale of hemp products, tens of thousands of hemp and hemp-derived CBD merchants are still subject to unfair and anti-competitive tactics across the ecommerce ecosystem. This includes high transactional fees from payment providers, outdated shipping regulations, and in some cases, getting completely shut down by their ecommerce platform,” said Meghan Stabler, vice president of global product marketing at BigCommerce. “BigCommerce for Hemp & CBD is not only giving merchants selling these legal products access to a full-featured ecommerce platform that grows alongside them, but we also back them up with incredible customer service and self-support resources.” 

BigCommerce for Hemp & CBD follows the December 2018 passage of The Agriculture Improvement Act of 20182, commonly referenced as the 2018 Farm Bill, which, among other things, removed hemp from the Controlled Substances Act and eliminated restrictions on the regulated cultivation and commercial sale of most hemp and hemp-derived cannabidiol products in interstate commerce. 

To learn more about BigCommerce for Hemp & CBD, visit www.bigcommerce.com/cbd. 

1 “U.S. CBD Market Anticipated to Reach $20 Billion in Sales by 2024.” BDS Analytics. 2019.

2 “Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018.” U.S. House of Representatives. 2018.