What a wild few weeks… Almost overnight we’ve seen an entire industry pivot. Sales are now contactless and online. Operations have been recalibrated to focus exclusively on off-premise sales. Beer deliveries and pop-up drive throughs can be seen throughout many cities.
So what’s the next innovation that can help your business?
The Situation
Based on everything we’ve been hearing and reading, off-premise sales have started to decline after an initial industry “stock up.” But this was expected. As the economy continues to struggle and consumers have less discretionary income, a drop in sales was inevitable. Not to mention the widespread fear of leaving one’s home.
Now more than ever, it’s important that you rally your supporters around your business. We’ve seen a lot of businesses selling gift cards with a “spend now, use later” approach to build some cash reserves. While this is a great short term solution, we’d warn against the long term implications. Once everything returns to normal, these customers are going to come in expecting to use their gift cards at a time when you will desperately need the revenue.
The Solution
We are advising our partners to create “Supporter Memberships.” Similar to founding memberships, Supporter Memberships are designed to help your business generate much needed cash, while building a network of passionate supporters behind your brand.
Here’s just an example of what a supporter membership could look like:
Price: $100-$150
Term: Your call! We’d recommend 6 months starting once your taproom opens again.
Benefits:
VIP Party: A month or two after everything stabilizes again, throw your supporters a kick ass rager.
VIP Bottle Share: Allow supporters to show off and share some of the bottles they have been hoarding over the last few months.
Wall of Fame: Proudly display the names of all those supporters who helped you get through the worst of times.
First Access to Releases: Give your supporters 48 hours early access to pre-purchase all new releases ahead of the general public.
Free Liquid: 1 free 4-pack or bottle per month.
Taproom Discount: 10% discount on draft and merchandise.
A Supporter Membership isn’t meant to break your bottom line, but give your most avid fans a way to champion your business. In return all they ask for is a little love and recognition… and to drink with other human beings again.
How We Can Help:
Anyone who wants to create, sell, and manage a Supporter Membership on CraftCellr can do so free of charge! CraftCellr works with breweries, meaderies, bottle shops, and beer bars nationwide to manage their memberships. Our simple platform will make selling and managing a membership extremely easy, even while operating with limited resources.
For the craft beverage industry to ride out this storm, we all need to do our part. Let us help shoulder the burden!
Please reach out to Jon “Chili” Childress if you’d like to know more about getting setup with an account:
