Beer check-in and recommendation service Untappd is launched a new tool today that lets breweries claim their brewery pages on the service. By doing so, they’ll gain direct insights into their business and be able to interact directly with Untappd users who drink their beers.
Breweries tend to foster very loyal customer bases, but for the most part they’re at least one step removed from the people who drink their beers. Distributors, bars and stores are in the middle, making it difficult for breweries to gain a direct path to the people who are actually drinking their beers.
“We’ve seen phenomenal growth in the past year, and have really enjoyed watching how beer enthusiasts interact,” said Tim Mather, CEO of Untappd in a press release. “In the course of that growth, we’ve learned a valuable lesson – our users are passionate about the beers they drink, which means they don’t just want to connect with each other, they want to connect with the brew masters and breweries. With brewery claiming, now they can. This benefits the breweries as well, as they now have a vehicle for connecting directly with passionate consumers, and gaining greater insight into their products.”
By claiming their pages on Untappd, these breweries connect directly with Untappd’s audience, which is made up of many of the most passionate beer drinkers. They can then gain insights into which beers are really the most popular and where they’re being purchased the most through the new business dashboard. They’ll also be able to edit and merge the beers in their portfolio to clean up their appearance on the service.
Perhaps most importantly, users will be able to follow their favorite breweries. This opens the door for direct communication from the brewery in the form of check-in comments and toasts (all in an age appropriate environment). I know a simple “thank you” from a brewer would go a long way to making sure I drink their beer again.
Untappd soft launched the service a few weeks ago, and more than 150 breweries have already been claimed, showing how popular the service has become within the craft beer community. Some big names are already involved, like Dogfish Head, Kona, Boston Beer and Tenth & Blake (the “craft” division of Coors).
For breweries, this is a great way to connect with their consumers and gain insights without relying on middle-men. While claiming is free, it also shows a potential monetization strategy for Untappd, which has grown rapidly, especially for a bootstrapped startup.
#1 by Rob Beland on January 18, 2012 - 10:51 am
This is pretty cool. I recently started using Untappd. Big fan of craft beer here…