Case Study: How Bira 91 Transformed Engagement with a Digital Loyalty Program for Alco-Beverage Brands

Introduction

In the highly competitive alco-beverage space, customer engagement goes beyond happy hours and discounts. For Bira 91—India’s leading craft beer brand—building lasting customer relationships meant going digital. The brand’s introduction of URBar, a first-of-its-kind virtual bar, showcases how a digital loyalty program for alco-beverage brands can redefine customer experience and retention.

The Challenge

As a fast-growing alco-beverage brand with outlets across 12 cities, Bira 91 needed more than a traditional punch card system. The brand sought a loyalty solution that could:

• Drive customer retention across offline locations

• Offer flexibility and convenience

• Personalize the drinking experience

• Enable prepaid consumption and cost control

Changing customer behavior demanded a shift from legacy models to a more gamified, digital loyalty strategy.

The Solution: URBar

URBar was launched as a digital-first loyalty program, enabling customers to:

• Pre-purchase drinks at special prices

• Store beverages virtually in their URBar account

• Consume drinks anytime at any Bira 91 Beer Café location

• Gift drinks to friends, family, or colleagues

• Lock in prices to avoid future price hikes

By functioning like a prepaid wallet, URBar offered a flexible and fun way to interact with the Bira 91 brand.

Seamless Integration with Digital Payments

URBar’s success lies in its smooth digital integration. Customers can:

• Recharge URBar through the Bira 91 mobile app

• Use in-app currency (Brew Bucks) for transactions

• Pay seamlessly at outlets with the “Pay at Store” feature

This frictionless setup makes the digital loyalty program intuitive and inclusive for all user types.

Driving Loyalty through Gamification

URBar is just one part of Bira 91’s broader loyalty ecosystem, which includes:

• Brew Miles: Earn points for every rupee spent

• Beermore Cards: Prepaid cards with bonus top-ups

• BIP (Beery Important Person): Tiered discounts up to 50%

• PYOB (Pour Your Own Beer): Interactive beer wall with app-based control

Each component adds an element of gamification, making loyalty fun, interactive, and rewarding.

The Impact

Since launching its digital loyalty program, Bira 91 has achieved:

• Higher Customer Retention: Pre-purchasing encourages more repeat visits

• Increased Spend: Bulk buy and prepaid options boost average order value

• Enhanced App Engagement: Seamless digital UX drives app usage

• Organic Growth: Gifting options generate social buzz and virality

URBar has not only created loyal fans—it has converted casual drinkers into brand advocates.

Key Takeaways for Brands

Looking to implement a digital loyalty program for alco-beverage brands? Here’s what Bira 91 did right:

•  Offer personalization & flexibility

•  Use gamified rewards to increase stickiness

•  Enable omnichannel redemption

•  Leverage digital payments for ease of use

•  Incorporate gifting & social features for virality

Conclusion

The URBar case study is proof that loyalty in the alco-beverage space can be more than stamps and points. With the right digital tools and a customer-first mindset, brands can create engaging, scalable loyalty experiences.

At Kringle.ai, we help brands like Bira 91 build data-driven, gamified loyalty systems that drive real results.