The Hotbox with Mark Nelson

Those brands I just mentioned did not just win by racing to the bottom on price or constantly flooding customers with deals. They’re successful because they built loyalty through communities. Through thoughtful content, gamification, rewards and consistent experiences, they created real emotional connections. Over time, that connection turns customers into advocates who stay intact regardless of market conditions. In cannabis, from what we observe, the approach is often very different. Many dispensaries rely heavily on blasting promotions and stacking overlapping deals. Customers regularly see the same product tied to multiple promotions at once, which becomes overwhelming and confusing. Instead of feeling rewarded, customers feel fatigued. And businesses chase each other down the rabbit hole. In this regard, a mobile app can be a powerful retention tool, but only when it is used intentionally. An app on its own has very little value. Simply giving customers another place to shop doesn’t automatically increase ROI or lifetime value. What matters is what happens inside the app: how the brand shows up, how promotions are presented, how customers are encouraged to engage, return and feel recognized. And for those that already had dabbled with an app and felt that it might not have worked for their business, having a poorly built app can be worse than having no app at all. Because when the experience feels clunky, generic, or unfinished, customers don’t just hit delete; they associate that frustration with the brand itself. Instead of building loyalty, it quietly erodes trust. Because of this, many still think of an app as just a sales tool. In reality, it’s a relationship tool. And when you’re building something that represents your relationship with customers, it has to be done the right way. You need to nail the experience and make sure it’s actually well built because that experience becomes the brand. And when you get it right, it creates loyalty and advocacy and those are the customers who stick with you when times get hard.

You and your team aren’t just building software, you’re building experiences that genuinely change how customers shop and how brands grow. Can you walk me through the features or philosophy that make your apps actually move the numbers for clients instead of just existing on their phones?

From the very beginning, we’ve focused on three core principles, and they continue to guide everything we build. The first is creating an exceptional shopping experience. Customers naturally compare your app to the apps they use every day, like Amazon or Target. The experience needs to be fast, intuitive, and easy to navigate. Search should work seamlessly, products should be presented clearly, and customers should be able to find exactly what they’re looking for without friction. The second principle is engagement. Shopping with a dispensary should feel naturally fun and rewarding. This doesn’t need to be complex, but it does need to be intentional. Points, achievements, and progress toward rewards create small moments of satisfaction that add up over time. And when someone places an order and immediately sees progress toward something tangible, it creates momentum. So the next time they shop, they’re far more likely to return because the previous experience was genuinely enjoyable and gave them that dopamine hit. The third pillar is the post-order experience, which is often overlooked. Customers expect the same level of transparency and clarity they get from services like DoorDash or Grubhub. They want to easily see order status, review past purchases, reorder favorites, and feel confident about pickup or delivery. If cannabis wants to meet modern consumer expectations, that post-order experience has to feel just as polished. When all three of these elements work together, the result is more than just more orders. It leads to higher spend, stronger loyalty, brand equity, and repeat spending. And that combination is what truly drives results for the dispensaries and brands we work with.

You’re a CEO, a dad, a Detroit Lions fan, a canna-enthusiast and someone who openly loves the sun and theme parks. How do those personal sides of you show up in the way you lead your team or build the culture at Digital Awesome?

Those parts of my life shape how I think about leadership more than I probably realize day to day. Like being a parent, especially, teaches you patience, empathy and the importance of creating an environment where people feel supported while still being challenged. That carries directly into how I try to lead. I want people to feel trusted, motivated and comfortable taking ownership of their work. Along the way, I’ve also come to believe that creativity and curiosity are what make teams stronger. A lot of inspiration comes from outside of work, like sports, entertainment, video games, even theme parks. And the best experiences in the world are intentionally designed to feel fun, intuitive, and memorable, and that same mindset shows up in how we think about our products and how we collaborate internally. Ideas can come from anywhere, and often the most impactful ones come from unexpected places. When it comes to culture, I really believe it’s driven by energy and passion. I’ve seen environments where fear was used as a management tool, and while that can produce short-term results, it ultimately leads to burnout and disengagement. That is not something I ever wanted to replicate. At Digital Awesome, we aim to create a culture where people feel safe trying new things and confident sharing ideas.  There is a high bar for quality and accountability, but there is also a lot of room for experimentation. At the end of the day, I want Digital Awesome to feel like a place where people enjoy showing up, feel proud of what they’re building, and are energized by the people around them. When passion is genuine and shared, it becomes contagious – and that’s what ultimately shapes a strong, lasting culture.