Woolworths pubs deliver cheaper schnitzel as Clipp accelerates
When the pub staples of a veal parmigiana and a schnitzel are being disrupted, you know the digital economy is making serious headway. A smartphone app used in 190 of the ALH hotels majority-owned by supermarket giant Woolworths and another 410 other bars and venues which makes them cashless, is now rolling out specially targeted offers to locals in nearby suburbs with heavy discounts to entice them in.
The Clipp app, which is now partially owned by ASX-listed Mobile Embrace after a buyout deal in June this year, is about to roll out a new service which is a mixture of lastminute.com.au and a daily deals model, with a touch of musical chairs thrown in.
The Clipp app is launching a new service called Dash which uses geo-targeting to push out specially discounted prices on food and drink at hospitality venues using the service, which can cut the price of meals and drinks by up to 40 per cent.
But the service, which uses GPS functions to target users also works on a first-come first-served basis for those paying for their food and drinks using the Clipp app, so the steepest discounts are preserved for the first to take it up, with the discounts then falling away on a stepped basis.
The Woolworths ALH pubs joint venture with gaming and pubs billionaire Bruce Mathieson, where Woolworths owns 75 per cent and the Mathieson family 25 per cent, was one of the first major businesses to adopt the Clipp app last year.
About 190 of the ALH pubs, which total more than 300 around Australia, use the Clipp app, which is being steadily rolled out by the firm to enable customers to pay for drinks, foods and snacks electronically. Clipp makes money by acting as the merchant in the payments system, instead of a traditional bank which clips the ticket on the way through if a customer uses a credit card. The Clipp system connects to the point-of-sale system operated by a pub or bar.
Clipp chief executive and co-founder Greg Taylor said Dash had some elements of a dating service, because it matched the needs of both hospitality venues looking to expand their customer base, and potential diners.
Some of the other venues who are part of the Dash service in Sydney include trendy outlets such as Riley Street Garage in Woolloomooloo, Mrs Sippy in Double Bay and The Stuffed Beaver in Bondi. The Belgian Beer Cafe in Melbourne has signed on in Victoria.
Bruce Mathieson Senior is worth an estimated $1.16 billion in the latest BRW Rich List
