Digital Coupons In The Land Of Leisure

The On-Trade space is a disparate territory made up of an eclectic mix of independent outlets, managed estates, and pop-up establishments.  

Let’s also be honest, the On-Trade space hasn’t had it easy. Firstly, the pandemic effectively brought spaces, where socialising with friends is the norm, to a complete halt. Now with the imminent threat of a recession and the increased cost of living, we find that these establishments are once again facing further challenges.  

As brands seek to drive footfall into these venues and increase purchase consideration of their product, we asked ourselves…   

“‘how can digital coupons play a role in driving traffic into the On-Trade?’”

Aperol spitz activated their free sample campaign during the summer. It looked beautiful in the social comms and the free product with nationwide redemption is naturally appealing to customers. Their ownership of the summer occasion is so well executed it even makes you want to trial the product on a rainy day in London. However….is cash back a seamless customer experience? and do brands really want to pay full price for their products in supporting this?

Coors utilised POS integration with their mechanic allowing customers to claim a digital coupon to redeem across multiple managed estates. The customer journey is sleek, targeted and the digital integration smartly allows for tracking and redemption. We loved the redemption locator tool and if you are looking at reaching select estates then this is a real no brainer.

Finally, we asked ourselves, what about specific apps that facilitate free trial, whilst the user registration makes customer tracking smart and integrated do customers really want to download an app just to claim a free sample? Doesn’t it take away the spontaneity of the experience.

With customers becoming more acute and price conscious there is a real space for digital coupons in the On-Trade. Unquestionably customers welcome rewards from brands but in all honesty the solution for digital coupons in the On-Trade is as disparate as the space they operate within.

It’s an interesting and not impossible puzzle to solve and one we’d love to talk more about.