Dekkers has been a brand illumination specialist for over 30 years: making brands shine in places that matter. It develops smart POS solutions that enhance brand experience; its products range from illuminated signage and digital displays to bottle glorifiers and other innovative branding concepts. "We didn't come up with this particular innovation in a boardroom but at the bar," shares Dekkers. "That's where you see just how important the tap position is for brands. Customers often make purchase decisions when they’re standing in front of the taps. So, that's multiple decision-making moments every day. This opportunity was rarely ‘tapped into’, until now." 

Dekkers decided to do something about that. It developed a digital tap lens that looks like a traditional lens but can do so much more. It's a compact, spherical display with a fisheye lens that's clearly visible from a number of angles. Via KPN IoT's network, the device is constantly connected to a content management system that brands can manage themselves. Content can be customized by location, time or campaign – remotely and without any manual intervention.

Smarter, faster, cheaper

The new digital beer tap has immediate advantages. Breweries no longer need to ship physical lenses or send engineers to replace them. "That eliminates what is currently a huge logistics process," Dekkers says. "With just one click of a button, you can now push new content to hundreds of bars at the same time."

This saves time and money and prevents errors too. No mismatched branding, no forgotten changes, but content that’s always up to date. And plug-and-play as well: the digital lens fits onto existing tap systems and can be installed in minutes.

Data as a strategic weapon

But the digital beer tap’s greatest advantage is under the ‘hood’. Each tap lens can collect usage and behavior data: how many beers are being tapped, when, and which content is playing at the time. Combining this data gives brands an insight into the effectiveness of their campaigns and consumer behavior.

"A brewer can see that sales of a certain dark beer triple when it’s raining, or that a certain bar has permanently switched to a competing brand. Insights like this weren’t possible before," Dekkers explains. "We're taking it a step further by connecting the tap lens to the tap, so you know exactly when and how much is being tapped."

Pilot phase and international rollout

The digital tap lens is currently being trialled in pilot setups in Belgium and the Netherlands, in venues including breweries' own bars. "Our objective is to have about 3,000 to 4,000 lenses on the market this year," Dekkers says. There’s already international demand for our product. "From South Africa, for example. Based solely on some visual content we shared. You can see: it really stands out. Everyone in the beverage industry understands its added value straight away."
 

eSIMs from KPN IoT: technology that works

Dekkers is working closely with KPN on the connectivity side of things. Initially, Wi-Fi connections were used, but it quickly became clear that this made the solution far too dependent on third parties. For example, password changes, disabled routers and unstable networks that a brand doesn’t have any control over. "You don't want your campaign to stall because someone else has pulled the plug out," Dekkers says. Security is key as well. An open Wi-Fi network is vulnerable to abuse; a secure connection ensures that content is protected. "That's why we're now switching to LTE-M and 4G via eSIMs from KPN IoT. That's safer, more stable, and always works, regardless of the local network."

From branding tool to ecosystem

The tap lens isn't the end point but the starting point. Dekkers is now developing menu-screen links that activate changes to the screen behind the bar, for example to reflect the brand in question whenever a ‘tap action’ takes place. Imagine a fully branded bar: as soon as a customer orders a beer, a campaign launches on the tap lenses, the menu screens change, and even the lighting around the bar is customized to suit the brand in question. This turns a simple tapping moment into a real brand experience, making your brand both visible and unforgettable. 

“We build an ecosystem around the ordering event,” Dekkers concludes. “And you can expand on this with QR codes, discounts on goals during a Champions League match, or predictive maintenance based on tap data. The possibilities are endless.”
 

A summary of the advantages of the smart tap lens:

• Real-time content management: push your campaign to thousands of locations worldwide simultaneously.
• Operational efficiency: no more physical switches, just plug-and-play installation.
• Data insights: analyze tap times, volumes and behavior per location.
• Safe and reliable: not dependent on connections managed by third parties but dedicated IoT connectivity.

Wondering how KPN IoT can enhance your innovative product with a safe and reliable connection? Don’t hesitate to get in touch.