Case study: Distillery uses NFC tags to fight counterfeiting and build customer engagement

By Sarah Clark • • Updated • nfcw.com
Scanning a bottle's NFC tag even tells the customer the bottle and cask numbers
GENUINE: Scanning a bottle’s NFC tag even tells the customer the bottle and cask numbers

PARTNER NEWS: Tasmania-based Old Kempton Distillery is using HID Global’s Trusted Tag technology to combat counterfeiting of its whiskies and gins — and to drive personalized and ongoing engagement with customers after they make a purchase.

“Counterfeit product is a big problem, particularly in the whisky industry,” Robbie Gilligan, the distillery’s business manager and brand ambassador, explains in a case study available to download from the NFC World Knowledge Centre.

“We’ve established ourselves as a premium top-shelf brand through Tasmanian malted barley, world-class water and an amazing climate that produces a rich whisky that is winning awards worldwide,” Gilligan adds. “The brand protection solution from HID and AusNFC goes a long way in helping us preserve the uniqueness of our whiskey and shutting the door to imitations.”

The distillery’s brand protection and customer engagement solution combines HID trusted tags with a web application developed by local integrator AusNFC. The app supports both Android and iOS tag reading, enables customers to authenticate the product at the point of sale — and lets Old Kempton Distillery stay connected with customers post-sale via personalized communications.

A video shows how the solution works:

“We were seeking the best brand protection technology available and a solution that would also allow us to securely engage with our customers, long after a sale,” Gilligan says. “We believe that HID Trusted Tag Services and the support provided through AusNFC provide just that.”

“We find HID’s solutions to be applicable to many different industries,” Larry Hower, CEO of AusNFC, adds. “HID Trusted Tag Services is changing the game for authenticating brands and staying connected to buyers through a mobile experience.”

Readers interested in learning more about how the solution works and the thinking behind Old Kempton Distillery’s decision to add NFC tags to its products can download the case study from the NFC World Knowledge Centre.

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