How Customer Loyalty Can Make You More Money in 2025
Eighty-six percent: that's how often taproom staff let guests leave without encouraging them to sign up for a mailing list or loyalty/rewards program. As breweries focus increasingly on the taproom space to survive, you might expect this statistic to have improved over the past several years. However, that eighty-six percent remains exactly where it was in 2018.
As taproom staff, managers, and owners, your taproom represents a captive audience. Provide an engaging experience, and guests are likely to return. Fail to meet expectations, and they may choose another destination next time.
The data supports this. Guests who experience high engagement from staff are 383 percent more likely to return within a week and 155 percent more likely within two weeks. Those who experience low engagement are 1,265 percent more likely to never return—unless my friend Erik drags me in for trivia.
Your goal should not just be to engage guests but also to give them a reason to return. Staying in touch with guests and making them more invested in your brand increases their lifetime value.
It shouldn’t be surprising that asking guests to sign up for additional communication methods is a trait of more engaging staff. Staff members who do so see higher tabs and tips ($58 vs. $53; 24% vs. 22.6%). Guests who are invited to participate are also more likely to return sooner: 128 percent more likely within a week and 44 percent more likely within two weeks.
Guest engagement is key to driving repeat visits and boosting revenue. So, how can breweries effectively stay connected with guests beyond the taproom? Enter the power of technology. With apps designed specifically for breweries, it’s possible to streamline loyalty programs, encourage sign-ups, and offer personalized experiences that keep guests coming back. To explore how apps can transform guest engagement, I'll hand it over to Ross at TapWyse, who will dive into the value of integrating digital tools into your taproom playbook.
Thanks, Andrew! Nothing tops an engaged staff, but your team can’t follow your guests around to let them know when you have a delicious new beer on tap or a must-see band rocking the taproom, or can they? Mobile Apps are taking off as the preferred way for consumers to connect to their favorite craft brands. Brewery app downloads are up 10X in the last 9 months!
And when it comes to list building, a branded brewery app has some real advantages…
It’s easy! Your guests can download your app on any device with a QR code.
It’s for everyone! Unlike a POS program that might capture the person who opened the tab, your app can be downloaded by everyone in the taproom!
It's effective! Push messages from your app are seen by 95% of your opt-in guests!
One list to rule them all! On top of push messages, you also get the email & phone number for every guest who downloads your app.
So once a guest has your app, how do you bring them back? Push messages are a great place to start. Push messages reach your guests directly and instantly on the homescreen of their phones. Your messages will be seen by 95% of the people who receive them and 1 in 4 guests will engage with your app after getting your message!
Over the past 9 months, breweries have gotten really good at bringing guests back to the taproom with timely rewards. Here is the trendline of taproom visits driven by a reward redemption.
The rewards that perform the best tend to be timely and create a sense of urgency. For example Local Roots sent out this reward on February 2nd and had 36 people visit their taproom to redeem it within an hour! After all, who doesn't want to celebrate the end of Dry January!
After getting this far, you should be motivated to enhance guest engagement even after they leave your taproom. But first, you need them to download your app, sign up for your mailing list, and/or join your loyalty or rewards program.
Here are some signup and download strategies.
Offer a reward for downloading or signing up
Include on premise signage (table tops, posters & digital promos - how about tapping into a captive audience while in your bathroom)
Nothing beats staff engagement. Mention it when someone arrives. Mention it when someone checks out. Mention it at trivia. MAKE IT A TALKING POINT.
Pro tip, when you talk about it, talk about what the customer gets like the download reward, first notice for new beers, etc…If they don’t sign up or download, they’re missing out.
So, why would your staff go to all this trouble to encourage these? Simply, the opportunity for more money. As shown above, staff who encourage this see higher tabs, higher tips, and more repeat customers. Even consider rewarding staff for generating the most sign ups or downloads. Everyone wins.
Having an active mailing list, app, or loyalty program isn’t just a nice-to-have—it’s a must. Without them, you’re leaving revenue on the table. These tools are essential for building customer loyalty, keeping guests connected, and giving them more reasons to return. Their success, however, depends on your staff. When your team actively encourages sign-ups and downloads, it drives higher tabs, better tips, and more repeat visits. Secret Hopper can help you measure how well your staff engages guests and promotes these programs, ensuring your taproom turns first-time visitors into loyal fans.
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Want to dive deeper on recurring revenue? Here's a video on driving downloads and sign ups from the Craft Beer Professionals 2024 Virtual Conference.
The data was collected from a set of 1326 unique taproom visits from November 16, 2022 to February 27, 2024. Each tab represents 2 guests and includes tax and tip.