Bickford's has teamed up with South Australian tech start-up Shouted to launch a world-first tech-driven beverage sampling innovation.
Shouted has developed mobile drinks wallet and QR code payments technology that allows patrons to digitally transact and redeem samplings.
The proprietary technology is designed to enable brands to maximise the marketing impact of their activations, while reducing costs associated with samplings and other campaigns.
"We're dubbing it scan-to-taste technology, and we're showcasing it for the very first time to help the Bickford's Group run a tasting campaign at the Wakefield Hotel throughout February and March," said Michael Bois (main), co-founder of Shouted.
"We're really excited to be working with the Bickford's Group, a homegrown business with brands that South Australian consumers love.
"We’re also very humbled by the support they’ve shown us and their enthusiasm to see how Shouted can help the industry.”
Bickford Group's Chris Illman said tech-innovation in hospitality has been too focused around driving footfall through discounts, at the expense of genuine consumer engagement.
"Discounting is only a small part of the broader strategy for most brands," he added. "The industry is really looking for innovative ways to create memorable experiences around their products, and Shouted is very much focused on that."
Shouted’s aim is to drive consumers from a digital engagement on their device to an offline purchase at a venue or bottle shop.
"What this means is that companies like ours can instantly scale their brand activations across multiple venues simultaneously, without the resource intensity of managing a sampling campaign or bar shout," Illman said.
"Currently, beverage companies are restricted by a very manual and inefficient process when taking products to market," Bois explained.
"Drink samplings, bar shouts and price discounts are time intensive and don't necessarily scale well. Compounding this inefficiency, there is no feasible way to capture behaviour data in order to fully understand who's tasting, who's buying and who's engaging with a brand.
“This is a huge problem for the wine industry in the cellar door environment. Imagine being able to seamlessly capture tasting data and re-engage those who had an experience with your brand – or better yet – international tourists once they’ve returned home to keep buying your product.
"We’re in the process of translating the app into Chinese to better engage the wine tourist consumer for cellar door tastings."
Minister for Trade and Investment, David Ridgway, believes Shouted’s world-first technology presents real value in the way it collects data which will enable beverage companies to undertake targeted activations and promotions.
“Hi-tech is a priority sector for South Australia’s economic growth because it hones in on new and innovative solutions which industries such as wine and beverages can leverage to diversify how they target and expand in global markets," he said.
“I congratulate both companies on their collaboration and look forward to seeing the commercialisation of this technology in more international markets.”
To test out Shouted’s new scan-to-taste technology, make your way to The Wakefield Hotel this February and March for a drink sampling.
Here's how it works:
- Step 1: Tap on a link to download and register on Shouted
- Step 2: Tap again to launch each Bickford's product in your drinks wallet ready to redeem at the bar.
Press + Bloom Pinot Noir: https://deal.shouted.io/oy2V
23rd Street Distillery Signature Rum: https://deal.shouted.io/xk5e
Vale Tropic Ale: https://deal.shouted.io/VDrz
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