Investing to create a premium experience in the ‘new normal’
Author: Sam Rhodes - Marketing Director, Asahi UK
Date: 02 07 2020 00:00
Employee Name: Sam Rhodes
Job Title: Marketing Director, Asahi UK
Technology, Training and Flexible spaces will be key to #Reconnecting consumers with their favourite venues
As discussed by our Managing Director Tim, we are setting about doing three key things to support our customers and consumers with the reopening of pubs, bars and restaurants:
- Working in partnership with customers to create an environment and experience, which is both safe and enjoyable for consumers
- Providing a combination of practical support and new innovations to make this happen; and;
- Taking a flexible and bespoke approach to our service, adapting to government guidance and the needs of both customers and consumers as these evolve
We worked with customers directly in the first instance on this, conducting a survey to understand what they felt they needed most entering into this new post-lockdown period, and how we as a supplier could help. Subsequently we invested more than £1.5m in a package of measures to address these needs.
Helping to create a special and appealing ‘first pint’ moment will be really important as people return to their favourite venues. And this needs to be a positive thing for both outlets and consumers. To kick things off, we’re supporting our customers with a free keg restart offer across multiple brands, as part of a suggested half-pint food pairing for their visitors. Through this, we’ve made some 325,000 complementary pints available to consumers on brands like London Pride, Peroni and Asahi Super Dry. But this is just one way we’re looking to enable the experience, alongside a range of measures to help all those involved adapt positively to the new environment.
Putting serving staff first
Customers told us that preparing their own staff would be fundamental. Offering valuable bar staff training has always been a key focus for us at Asahi, so we looked to accelerate this approach, offering an increased number of free modules for our ‘Upwait’ and ‘Beer Masters’ training programmes with supplier CPL. These develop a range of skills, from perfect serve and food parings, to product and brewing knowledge.
In more ordinary times, our training programmes are designed to give staff the knowledge and confidence to enhance consumer experience whist increasing table spend. The unfamiliar hospitality environment we’re now entering into will make such interpersonal skills more important than ever, creating consumption occasions that are appropriate and safe under social distancing, whilst also enjoyable and beneficial to both parties - the punter and the venue – moments they will feel comfortable and motivated to repeat.
And we’re also not forgetting the day-to-day intrinsics for those who are working hardest to make all this happen! We’ll be distributing some 15,000 premium branded staff T-shirts, as well as a variety of other useful kit for our frontline hospitality colleagues.
Creating flexible distancing spaces
Unsurprisingly, how to best manage social distancing across venues was front-of-mind for most of our customers when we spoke to them, so we are working closely with them to help facilitate this process in-outlet.
With the focus now entirely on table service, and space already often at a premium, outdoor areas will become ever more important - with larger, more diverse and in some cases completely new spaces opening up within venues. We have invested in a large variety of table serving items and specific garden support kits, from ice buckets to garden furniture and branded space dividers.
With visitors more spread across venues, we also know that secondary serving locations and collection points will be invaluable – so as we speak we’re already rolling out a large number of mobile bars across our customer network. This will help provide flexible solutions to support this need, without compromising the venue aesthetic, designed to fit the surroundings. Look out for our elegant mobile Peroni bars, bringing Italian style to a pub near you!
The ‘digital round’
If the ‘connected consumer’ was increasingly important to the on-trade before this era, the digital experience and Internet of Things is about to become an omnipresent for pub-goers. We’ve focused significantly on engaging with visitors digitally in-outlet, investing in a widescale trial with Wireless Social’s Hedgehog platform in order to enhance consumer experience from the moment they log on to wifi in the venue. Many more of us will be doing so as part of the ‘new normal’ point of service, and this platform in-turn allows venues to engage two-way with their customers through menu guidance, complimentary deals and offers, news or other outlet information.
Taking this a step further, we recognised that many of our customers would not have a digital order and pay at table service currently in place, so we’ve partnered with a technology provider on a unique, white labelled solution to facilitate this. The Wi5 Order & Pay Platform can be tailored to suit the outlet’s theme and is web-based, meaning there’s no need to download an app. As well as at-table ordering, the platform also allows consumers to place orders away from the venue, bringing their menus and order system in reach at any time, from anywhere, with the ability to hero both in-outlet and take-out offers, including through the use of easy-to-use QR codes.
Take out versus have-in
We’ve seen several venues innovate with take-out options for drinks as well as food during the lockdown period, and this is something we expect to continue at least throughout the early stages of reopening, with outlets needing to provide a workable ‘hybrid’ offering of consume-in and take-out. To meet this demand, we’re making over one million premium recyclable cups available to our customers, branded to Peroni, Asahi Super Dry, London Pride and Meantime. And importantly these will be available with lids and carriers, to make the carry out option simple and appealing for those choosing to take their round home.
We’ll be constantly reviewing our offering and approach to ensure we adapt quickly and appropriately as needed. Please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us if you want to hear more about any of these measures. We’re looking forward to working with our customers to continue offering the super-premium experience to consumers in this new environment.
Sam Rhodes
Marketing Director, Asahi UK