Australian tech startup, Third Aurora, which launched a similar concept for the wine industry in 2020, today announced that the craft beer version, called Beerscans would launch in September 2021, encouraging craft brewers to join the exclusive launch, which is capped at just 50 brands.

"Augmented Reality is a fantastic way for brewers to connect with customers. It's absolutely stunning to see first-hand," says co-founder, Dave Chaffey. "The feedback we're hearing is that it really adds to the experience – particularly for under-40s, who have grown up with smartphone technology.

"They love the behind-the-scenes concept, discovering the brewer's backstory, and they've given strong support to the idea of interacting directly from the label. We've created Beerscans so that brewers can tell the story behind their beer. It offers brands a great opportunity to connect with customers, right in the moment, when they're experiencing the first sip."

Beerscans enables smartphone users to scan beer packaging, unlocking content from the brewer which comes to life with stunning augmented reality. The experience is socially oriented, and interactive, enabling beer lovers to respond to content, opening up commercial opportunities such as loyalty club sign ups and marketing promotions. "The interactivity is important. With the concept doing such a great job of capturing attention, it made sense to offer a way for brands to lead customers to the next part of the journey, to enhance the experience."

Accessibility to drive growth Augmented reality is a hot technology in the demographic of 25-34 y/old males and the team behind Beerscans expects a swift adoption. But according to Chaffey, the driver of the technology is accessibility for brewers, "we've worked really hard to make this a technology within reach of brands – we've removed all of the barriers to entry – all of those things that might prevent a brewer from coming on board." "For a start – the technology works with existing packaging. There's no QR codes needed, and no special printing or new packaging required" "We've simplified the concept so that marketing teams can add and edit content as easily as they manage Facebook" "And we've absolutely driven the cost down, so that it's affordable for every brewery."

The Beerscans platform is currently accepting applications for the early release. Craft brewers can join by visiting the Beerscans website - beerscans.com