Last month, breweries added 26.3 taproom visits for every push message they sent. 332 breweries have launched their own app in the past two years. And we’re spilling the beans on the best kept secret in beer.
In this session, we will break down exactly what goes into a successful brewery app, including best practices and real world examples on how to:
-Build your Audience
-Boost Taproom Traffic
-Grow Membership Revenue
This session is a must for Brewery Owners, Marketers and GMs! All attendees will receive a free copy of the Brewery App Bible including simple marketing checklists you can follow based on the goals you have for your taproom. Ring the bell! Class is in session!
Ross Stensrud accidentally graduated from UCSD while studying lacrosse and spending plenty of time at O’Brien’s. After a brief stint designing pool cleaners (yes, really) in an effort to justify the cost of his degree, he pivoted and began recruiting smart friends to help build app marketing tech for local businesses—starting with music, then golf, and now craft beer with TapWyse. He lives in Carlsbad with his wife Laurel and their two boys, Roscoe (11) and Mason (9). When he’s not working, you’ll likely find him biking down PCH or shuttling his kids to basketball, golf, music, and skateboarding.
Join us in person for CBP Connects Chicago
June 15-17, 2026
Come get inspired, leave with actionable strategies: https://cbpconnects.com/
What This Session Covers
This session explains how craft breweries can leverage mobile app marketing to consistently bring more guests into their tap rooms and boost revenue. It focuses on practical strategies for building an engaged audience, using push notifications effectively to increase tap room visits, and maximizing income through membership programs tied to digital rewards. This matters because driving regular traffic and incremental revenue through targeted digital communication is becoming essential for modern taproom operators who want to stand out and grow sustainably.
Key Talking Points
- Tapwise supports over 314 craft breweries with custom-branded mobile apps, which have driven 230,000 tap room visits and over $2.4 million in membership revenue, showing how app marketing is a proven tool in the beer industry.
- Building an app audience starts with easy app downloads via a single QR code directing guests to the right app store (Apple or Android). Offering a reward that is delivered upon account creation—such as discounted pints, BOGO offers, or non-alcoholic merch incentives—increases download and activation rates significantly.
- Staff engagement is critical: train employees to use the app, redeem rewards, and communicate benefits. Motivated staff help boost downloads and guest participation because they see a direct link between app use, higher tips, and more frequent visits.
- Effective promotional signage in the tap room (posters with QR codes) drives downloads, supported by email, social media, and website mentions. Launch parties tied to app rollout or membership programs create momentum and can generate immediate revenue spikes.
- Push notifications work best with a balance of regular broadcast messages (weekly or biweekly) to maintain awareness without annoying guests, plus targeted messages for specific groups (e.g., Run Club members, beer club members) for high engagement. Push notifications have about a 95% read rate and can trigger immediate visits when paired with flash rewards.
- Flash rewards tied to push notifications (e.g., $1 beer for a limited time, free glass with purchase) generate measurable tap room visits. For example, 340 recipients of a flash reward push message turned into 37 tap room visits. These real-time, limited offers incentivize immediate guest action.
- Membership programs integrated into apps provide recurring revenue and drive additional spending. For example, Pure Project’s 20monthlymembershipofferinga1 weekly beer leads to members spending roughly $40 additional dollars monthly in the taproom beyond membership fees.
- Membership structures should be simple, with only a few tiers and perks that are easy to manage. Offering something year-round keeps guests engaged beyond traditional busy seasons. Monthly memberships often yield higher lifetime customer value than annual fees alone.
- Examples like Lake Tahoe Ale Works’ “Loyal Locals” program, which motivates mid-week visits via secret menu discounts, prove that targeted membership perks can smooth out taproom traffic on slower days.
- Staff referral incentives (asking new members who referred them) can dramatically increase membership sales—as seen at Joyide, which increased program sales 400% through a simple staff referral strategy.
Action Items
- Create and promote a clear download reward that guests receive when they create an account—consider multiple rewards to encourage specific purchasing behavior (e.g., discounts on four-packs or crowlers).
- Train all taproom staff to download your app, experience redeeming rewards, and understand the benefits so they can actively promote it to guests.
- Design and deploy strong, branded taproom signage with large QR codes, and supplement with posts on your email list, social media channels, and website to drive app downloads.
- Develop a regular push notification schedule, sending a well-crafted broadcast message about once a week or every two weeks, while also creating targeted messages for specific membership groups or events.
- Launch or enhance membership programs with simple perks that incentivize repeat visits, such as weekly discounted drinks or secret menus, and consider adding a staff referral program to boost sign-ups.
- Use flash rewards triggered by push notifications to create immediate urgency and measurable traffic spikes on slower days or for special events.
- Analyze your existing membership and taproom data to consider adding monthly memberships as a lower-barrier, higher lifetime value option alongside any annual membership tiers.
- [00:00 → 01:11] Introduction with a light personal touch, establishing credibility and theme: “no more slow nights” by bringing guests back quickly using digital strategies.
- [01:12 → 02:42] Background on Tapwise: a company building white-label brewery apps focused on bringing guests back and increasing revenue through memberships without the consumer ever realizing a third party is involved.
- [02:43 → 04:48] Data highlights show 314 breweries with apps downloaded 189,000 times generating 230,000 visits and $2.4M in membership revenue; explains the claim: “bring 26 guests back in 34 seconds” using push notifications.
- [04:49 → 06:46] Framework for app marketing success broken into three parts: Build your audience (get downloads and account creations), boost taproom traffic (engage with push messages and rewards), and grow revenue (effective membership programs).
- [06:47 → 10:35] Building your app audience:
- Use one QR code for easy download across platforms.
- Offer a valuable download reward delivered at account creation to drive installs.
- Examples of effective rewards: half-off pints, BOGO, future visit pint, discounts on merch or food.
- Staff training is essential, as staff enthusiasm directly impacts guest uptake and repeat visits.
- Provide clear taproom signage and promo kits—posters, social posts, emails—to spread awareness.
- [10:36 → 13:55] Advanced audience-building tips:
- Consider multiple download rewards to promote specific actions (to-go beer, crowlers, lunch specials).
- Import existing members into the app system pre-launch.
- Host a launch party or tie app launch to an event for quick revenue and engagement.
- [13:56 → 21:56] Boosting taproom traffic through push notifications:
- Push messages appear on phone home screens with a 95% read rate.
- Customizable actions link users to in-app pages, websites, or external content.
- Unlimited push messages can be sent quickly (around 34 seconds to compose and send).
- Best practices: send weekly or biweekly broadcast messages without repetition; mix trivia, events, beer releases, merchandise announcements.
- Targeted messages yield higher engagement; example: Run Club, beer club members.
- Use personality and humor to connect effectively with your audience.
- Examples of top-performing broadcasts achieved 30%-50% engagement rates, with targeted messages hitting 70%+ engagement.
- [21:57 → 29:34] Rewards as a driver of traffic and measuring visit conversion:
- Redemption happens only in taprooms, concretely linking push messages and visits.
- Flash rewards triggered by push messages consistently turn message recipients into visitors; one message reaching 605 people drove 50 visits redeeming a limited glass offer.
- Multiple flash reward campaigns within a month boost consistent traffic.
- Membership-linked rewards (like Pure Project’s $1 weekly beer) create ongoing taproom visits and increased spend beyond membership revenue.
- [29:35 → 33:08] Case study of a low-cost “Loyal Locals” membership driving midweek traffic with secret menu discounts led to nearly 3,000 visits in year one and improved revenue on typically slow days.
- [33:09 → 34:45] Traffic-boosting checklist and pro tips: regular broadcast push messages (weekly/biweekly), periodic flash rewards, targeted messages for member and affinity groups, low-cost locals memberships to fill slow days.
- [34:46 → 38:51] Growing revenue via memberships:
- Memberships vary widely in price/types (4.99/monthto750/year).
- Monthly memberships tend to generate higher overall value per member than annual up-front payments because of lower barrier to entry and ongoing engagement.
- Members can self-manage their accounts, streamlining administration.
- Keep membership offers simple with few perks and manageable tiers to maximize sign-ups.
- Offer memberships year-round to capture guests outside traditional membership season.
- [38:52 → 43:46] Real-world program examples:
- Pure Project’s Brew Crew: 20/month,1 weekly beer, discounts, and birthday beers generating $51,000+ in annual recurring revenue.
- Lake Tahoe Ale Works’ four-tier program segmented by guest types (locals, beer, pizza, and cocktail lovers) generating $37,000+ annually.
- Joyide’s staff referral program increased membership sales 400% by incentivizing employees to promote sign-ups.
- [43:47 → 45:42] Final recommendations:
- Keep membership programs simple.
- Engage staff in selling and promoting memberships.
- Import current members to a digital system to enhance value.
- Reach out to experts or partners for tailored advice and proven strategies.
- [45:43 → 46:25] Closing remarks encouraging attendees to embrace app marketing as a new industry standard to boost taproom traffic and revenues consistently.
This session offers a detailed, data-backed blueprint for craft breweries looking to modernize their guest engagement and sales strategies using custom mobile apps, targeted communications, and optimized membership models.