Edinburgh based Bellfield Brewery is the first in the UK to use new voice controlled devices to sell its beer.
The company aims to grow digital sales to a point where it represents 20% of the company’s total sales volume by the end of 2018.
Using Amazon’s voice controlled digital assistant, consumers can now find their local stockist of the beer – and order it online – using only voice commands.
“Alexa, where can I buy Bellfield beer”? will elicit information on local stockists throughout the UK.
The system developed by the team at Bellfield, uses Amazon’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) platform that helps showcase cutting-edge products from startup businesses.
Users can also ask the digital assistant to “Tell me about Bellfield” to hear the brewery’s back story on an audio clip and get product information.
Bellfield launched in March 2016 as the UK’s first, dedicated gluten-free brewery, with a mission to offer “Craft Beer for All”.
Set up by two coeliac friends in Edinburgh, the brewery produces small batch beers that are also gluten-free and vegan.
Director, Marie Brown pointed out that research indicates nearly 1 in 4 millennials would try voice-controlled ordering of products and around 10% have already used it.
She said, “This isn’t just a gimmick. Research indicates that AI powered shopping is growing fast; 3 in 4 households in the US are predicted to have ‘smart speakers’ in their homes in the next three years.
“Ordering food and drink through voice controlled devices, will become as common as popping round to the corner shop is now.”
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
