Background
Anheuser-Busch brought Budweiser to SXSW in 2016 with the Budweiser Beer Garage: bars under "This Bud's for you" neon, live music on stage, and a crowd that filled the room. FastBar was the activation's cashless payment solution, letting guests pay with the tap of their wrist.
Previously cashless payment technology was too expensive to have anywhere but the major events, the Super Bowl, the music festivals. With FastBar we're able to expand that technology to everything we do.
Mike RaspatelloDirector, Digital Strategy and Innovation, Anheuser-Busch InBevThe challenge
The team wanted to make the guest experience better by easing the pain points at the bar: get people a beer more quickly and more easily, so they could spend more time watching the game or the concert. As a beer brand, they also needed to know how much each guest was drinking, so they could make sure everyone was enjoying the product responsibly.
The solution: FastBar
FastBar let guests pay with the tap of their wrist. Check-in was simple: staff swiped the guest's credit card, entered their phone number, and activated their wristband. From then on, guests tapped their wristband any time they wanted a Budweiser, and bartenders rang up orders on FastBar tablets at the bar.
All consumers have to do is swipe any time they want to get a Budweiser from us.
Tina WungDirector, Digital Strategy and Innovation, Anheuser-Busch InBev
Key results
<1 sec
A beer in less than a second
“I walked up to the bar, they asked me to swipe my FastBar wristband, I got a Budweiser in less than a second,” said one guest.
No training for bartenders
Bartender Marco Lopez didn't need any training: he jumped in behind the bar and started serving right away.
Transactional data
FastBar gave Anheuser-Busch a lot of transactional data, including consumption for each individual guest.
Responsible drinking and liquor control
Tracking each guest's consumption helped the team make sure people enjoyed Budweiser responsibly. Corporate Security said it helped with liquor control and kept the count every night.
We, from a social responsibility standpoint, are able to track the consumption for each individual consumer and make sure that people are enjoying our product responsibly.
Tina WungDirector, Digital Strategy and Innovation, Anheuser-Busch InBevIt's really easy to use, I didn't need any training whatsoever.
Marco LopezBartenderIt's really helped with our liquor control, helps with alcohol agents, they seem happy with us using it, keeps the count every night.
Bill LarkinCorporate Security, Anheuser-Busch InBev
Why FastBar worked for Anheuser-Busch
- Tap to pay - Guests pay with the tap of their wrist
- Simple check-in - Swipe a credit card, enter a phone number, activate the wristband
- Easy for staff - Bartenders start serving without training
- Responsible service - Consumption tracked for each guest
With FastBar, people are buying more beer, waiting in line for shorter times and spending more time doing what they want to do at an event.
Mike RaspatelloDirector, Digital Strategy and Innovation, Anheuser-Busch InBev