Yes, it's true. The Internet of Things may change the way that we purchase a brew in the very near future.Craft Beer Brewery, Saint Louis Brewery is trying out new a beacon technology on their taps in pubs, bars, restaurants, etc. This IoT technology will be able to communicate with Saint Louis Brewery's mobile app. This app will create a notification that will appear on the phones of incoming patrons. The intent of this notification is to entice patrons to try one of the brewery's ice-cold brews.
The advertising benefits are pretty apparent. It's an immediate call-to-action aimed at delivering the right message to the right consumer at the right time. It's ingenious. This is great! It will likely increase sales. The question becomes, how will this effect the supply chain ? The stock will need to be replenished in order to keep up consumer demands. The brewery will need to produce more product. The suppliers will need to provide more supplies and ingredients to the brewery to produce more beer. What about the transportation of all of these different nodes ? Where is all of this product going to be stored until the restaurants, pubs, and bars are ready for the beer ? This supply chain is responsive to the market.
The key is data and the communication of information to make this whole operation run smoothly. The usage of this technology definitely improves the experience for the customer but it also collects valuable real-time data that will allow for better projections, trend analysis, etc.
A lean supply chain = reduced costs for the brewery and leveled production levels for their suppliers.
RBW understands this. This is why we pioneered our Supplier Pull Management Program.
As far as the beacon technology on taps is concerned, approximately 125 businesses have been installed in the Greater Saint Louis Metropolitan Area.
Let's follow the progress...
Check out the original article Beer Taps Talk with Craft Brewer's Beacon App
