Start-up wine firm uses AR tech to woo customers this Christmas

Central Otago start-up Providore Wines is combining augmented reality (AR) technology with a 'digital first' strategy to woo customers and build its brand.

The firm, which launched this month, encourages people to download an app onto their mobile or tablet then scan the bottle's wine label illustration. This allows them to step inside the world of Providore, to see the landscapes where the wine is made and meet the people who make it.

"While technology is not changing the way we make wine, it is changing how we share it and how we communicate our stories," says Providore chief executive Craig Coote. "We believe there is an opportunity to do something really different."

Providore is a collaboration by a group of central Otago wine enthusiasts with the actual wines made by the award winning Kiwi winemaker Peter Bartle.

The firm has teamed up with Wellington creative digital studio Maggle to create the content. They have spent a year developing the stories which will be updated monthly. Six have already been created.

Maggle managing director Mitch Duncan says as new AR technology becomes available, they are using it to push the boundaries of what is possible.

"Providore isn’t the first wine company to use AR, but what we are doing is more interactive and engaging. We are creating a whole digital world inside the bottle for people to explore."

Providore hopes that with over seven hundred New Zealand wine producers and thousands of brands operating within the domestic market, the 'digital first; approach will help it stand out.

The initial release features five wines, a Pinot Gris, a Blanc de Noir, a Rose and two Pinot Noirs and a limited edition Christmas pack is available now. 

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