Are multiple operators appy people?

Sarah Swaysland, marketing manager at Be At One, explains why launching an app has been so successful for the bar chain.

It’s a Tuesday night at Be At One’s Lyceum branch, and there’s a clear split between customers.

Younger drinkers are, as usual, clutching tight to their smart-phones. But in this case, they’re not tweeting or instagramming, but all using the Be At One App, which allows users to get two cocktails for £9.50 in one hour. The offer can be accessed several times, but is only available for hour as the app counts down.

Well-designed apps are a huge opportunity for multiple site operators to draw in extra business, particularly on traditionally quiet nights. Speaking to consumers using the app, many admit to buying more drinks-and spending more- than they had planned. Be At One Sarah Swaysland answered the Publican’s Morning Advertiser’s ​questions on why its worked, and why other operators should consider making their own.

Why did Be At One introduce the app?​

We introduced the app in 2011 because one of our founders was really keen to develop the digital aspects of our business – there was no real strategy behind it, but apps were becoming very popular at the time so we thought we’d look into it. Once it was developed, we saw that it was more or less acting as a mobile website, so we recognised that it needed something more to motivate guests to download it (instead of going to our actual mobile website).

This is when we added the Appi Hour feature, and later the Be Appventurous feature, which have had a huge impact on the business in driving early-midweek sales.

Why do you think it’s been successful?​

It’s a win/win situation. There is an incentive for our guests to download our app because they are receiving extra daily deals, and we in turn receive access to important demographic information (which the guests fill out in order to access the special features). This demographic data enables us to plan our marketing strategy and individual campaigns.

Has the app had an impact on attracting more drinkers aged 18-35 to Be At One?​

We know from our guest surveys that 57% of our guests heard about us through word of mouth recommendation, and the app has definitely played a part in that. It’s rare nowadays for an 18-35 year old to not have a smartphone, so we’re able to attract a majority of millennials who are interested in going out to drink cocktails multiple times a week. Millennials are known for being fickle brand-hoppers, but if they know that they’re always going to get good value, great quality drinks and great service, they will return on a regular basis.

What challenges there are in attracting the tricky millennial group?​

You have to be constantly thinking of new ideas to stop the millennials from getting bored. We have a digital roadmap with our developers which plans out future digital developments so that it doesn’t stagnate and we can keep our guests interested. If we can keep our guests digitally engaged, they will continue to visit us, using the app.