In Singapore, QR codes on beers help bar patrons initiate anonymous conversations

Bottle Message is a new technology that lets shy patrons send anonymous notes to each other using beer bottles embellished with QR-enabled tags.

If Greek consumers can use augmented reality and a chocolate bar to convey a secret message to a friend, it only stands to reason that patrons at Singapore-based Harry’s Bar should be able to use a beer bottle for much the same effect. Enter the Bottle Message, a new technology now in use at the multi-bar chain that lets shy patrons send anonymous notes to each other using beer bottles embellished with QR-enabled tags. Conceived in partnership with ad agency Cheil Singapore, the Bottle Message system aims to let anyone start an anonymous conversation with another patron at Harry’s Bar, according to a Digital News Asia report. Launched in August at the company’s Harry’s Esplanade outlet, the Bottle Message system gives customers a QR code tag with the purchase of any beer. Once they download the Harry’s Bottle Message mobile app, those customers can then scan the QR code with their smartphone and write an anonymous message. The tag is then flipped over and placed on a second bottle of beer, and the patron asks the bar’s staff to deliver it to the fellow patron they have in mind. After the recipient scans the QR code, the two can chat using the mobile app. The video below explains the premise in more detail: Since the launch of Bottle Message, patrons using the app have purchased twice as much beer on average as did those without the app, Digital News Asia reports. “But most importantly, we see much more interactions at the bar. Guys are more confident in starting a conversation with girls, and girls are surprised with a cheeky but fun and safe way of socializing,” Alvaro Bruch, user interface designer for Cheil Singapore and South-East Asia, told the publication. Plans are reportedly now under way to expand the effort. Restaurateurs around the globe: one to partner with or emulate for your own clientele? Spotted by: Murray Orange