Virtual Tequila Advisor

This project is an example of Connected Retail, pulled from a series of pitches to Proximo Spirits that aimed to merge the best attributes of the Physical and Digital shopping experience. The first of these ideas to “go live” was the Virtual Tequila Advisor that helped to put the Proximo Tequila portfolio into a category lead position.
We put the work into test markets for Jose Cuervo in one of their most active celebrations of the year, Cinco de Mayo!

Here’s the challenge:

For shoppers:

They are likely to be Millenial or 21+ Gen Z who simply don’t have the experience shopping for spirits as older consumers. They may be building a “liquor cabinet” for home occasions, shopping for a gift or an event. They need confidence that their purchase will be a success. Perhaps they could ask the store employee, but should they trust that opinion?

For retailers:

The U.S. labor shortage was in full swing at the time of this project, with the situation unlikely to improve in the near future. Retailers are typically understaffed and may not have staff versed in the hundreds of SKUs they carry. Any time spent in a 1:1 conversation takes that employee away from helping other customers or attending to other store duties.

For Proximo:

The competition is fierce, even amongst their own brands. They need to show commitment to the retailer as a “good partner” but also get their bottles into customers’ hands through a sea of other brands.

Our solution

An “always-on” virtual agent to help guests discover the variety of tequila styles and narrow the search to recommendations based on their flavor preferences, budget, and occasion.

How it works

Shoppers encounter signage prompting them to reach out with any questions. Scanning the QR code on POS and case stickers launches an automated chat assistant.

The chatbot helps to select a flavor profile suited to each guest’s tastes and recommends a tequila to match their tastes and the occasion.

Since our target audience may have limited experience with tequila, the automated decision tree guides them to flavor profiles with familiar characteristics like “smokey, citrusy, or floral.”

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Downloadable recipe cards (over 60 in total) helped inspire guests with exactly the right ingredients to make their “match” small to large formats to suit their occasion.

While Jose Cuervo took the lead position, the full family of Proximo Tequila brands was incorporated and linked users to Barcart.com for more recipes, including food and party planning content.

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In-store examples from Cinco de Mayo test markets featured a call to action on floor signage, display POS, and case stickers.