Introducing the Tap Fountain Interactive QR Experience
On December 11th, 2019, Tap proposed a revolutionary new vision in drinking fountains -- a revenue generating smart water fountain. The machine we developed included a bottle refill station, a 3-step filtration process, and a 22” digital display intended for advertisements and community announcements. The feedback we received on this model was overwhelmingly positive - cities and business owners alike loved the idea of an infrastructure investment that offered a return and ultimately a revenue generating opportunity.
In addition to this feedback, we received requests from all over the world to purchase our new Tap Refill Stations. In speaking with local entrepreneurs and solutionists who were interested, we determined that the issues of distribution, water quality, and effective management of the digital display would not achieve a large enough impact in a short amount of time as we work to eliminate the single-use plastic water bottle. First, global shipping costs for the machines are high enough that the unit economics are not sustainable absent large distribution partners and economies of scale. Furthermore, local regulation and custom presents a challenge of extreme non-homogeneity: many locales require a filter that renders non-potable water potable, and in addition, we got requests for pay-per-use rather than a free/ad-supported model. Lastly, in discussions with potential advertisers, it became clear that to reach a sufficient scale to be attractive to the kinds of advertisers that would be necessary to fund these operations, the footprint and demographics of the machines would be broader than we could accomplish quickly. These challenges do not foreclose the possibility of launching a fountain network, but make clear that doing so will be a complex, capital and time intensive effort.
In exploring ways to launch a revenue generating water fountain, I took a trip to Europe to see the opportunities for refilling as well as the barriers presented. I also paid close attention to the social and cultural trends regarding environmentally friendly behavior and interaction with digital displays. One thing that stood out to me in particular was the incredible prevalence of QR codes across Europe (and something I read about happening in Asia from Connie Chan at Andreessen Horowitz) . From historical site information displays to payment systems, QR codes were being maximized for their utility of connecting the person with the product in real-time, in any location. I realized that the future of refilling needed to include the digital component - but rather then solely present it in a passive version of a 22” LCD screen, we could also harness the capacity of the QR code to make the connection between a user and their refill experience with the digital screen already in the palm of their hand -- their smartphone.
The next step for Tap was to explore how to make the connection between a user refilling, the power of a smartphone, and the capacity for interaction offered by a QR code. Our first investigation of this technology as it is being utilized in the United States brought us to a hypothesis that perhaps the best way to involve users was by using QR technology to create a donation-based system for users to donate the cost of their refill at a given fountain to the charity of their choice. This would be inherently rewarding for many refill advocates who recognize the value of the clean water they are receiving, and would allow them to make a difference in the world in about the same time as it takes to refill their bottle. The problem, however, is that this QR-user interaction would only be rewarding to a small subset of the refill population -- and, at its core, didn’t offer a rewarding or particularly fun application of the user-QR code-refill interaction.
Thus, a new idea was developed-- technology should be utilized to connect the user who is refilling with a rewarding and fun experience. The requirements for this experience are multifaceted -- it must promote environmentally friendly behavior, give back to the community, include a social component to encourage others to participate in saving the planet -- all the while generating a return to fuel Tap into 2020 and beyond to continue to develop solutions for cities aiming for zero emissions, technology-based infrastructure improvements, and communities in need of clean drinking water.
Introducing the Tap Fountain Interactive QR Experience
We are proud to share a new pillar in the smart water platform, one that encourages user interaction, gathers useful data for municipalities, and generates revenue. Compared to the capital-heavy challenge of scaling to send LCD-enabled machines across the globe, we can leverage existing infrastructure, the enthusiasm of the refill community, and the power of the smartphones in our hand to incentivize people to earn rewards for their participation in creating a verified, equitable refilling system for all. The Tap Fountain Interactive Experience will utilize principles of augmented reality with a reward based-system that include advertising opportunities for sustainable and environmentally friendly brands.
The Tap Fountain Interactive Experience will launch as essentially the Yelp/Waze/Google Reviews for water. By crowdsourcing data by asking users to provide feedback on a fountain, we will build a database that we can then leverage to benefit cities in the fight against COVID-19, provide immediate up-to-date water/fountain quality scores to users scanning the sticker, and monetize via SaaS cloud reporting services. Based on our experiences with the previous version of Tap’s app, we expect significant engagement from a core group of users, and that base will provide us ample opportunities to expand our user base.
We also have a natural, complimentary advertising model to this -- “Adopt a Highway,” where brands/orgs pay to clean up highways and in return get a billboard. We are excited to offer to brands the opportunity to "Adopt a Fountain" for a cost per scan and offer cities a novel revenue generating opportunity.
We also have a number of community organizers and nonprofits who are eager to work with us to promote the Tap Fountain Interactive QR Experience as they see the benefit of rewarding their most vulnerable populations for making the positive behavior and health choice of drinking Tap while providing essential infrastructure feedback to the towns and cities they serve.
The Future of Tap Technological Innovation
The Tap Fountain Interactive Experience is a concrete step towards using technology as a base for solutions that help eliminate the single-use plastic water bottle and democratize access to clean water worldwide. The reward system inherent in the Interactive Experience will provide a basis for developing a water-related currency or coin system, which initially can be used to earn rewards, but soon extend to donations to water charities, and finally will be used to purchase water at pay-per-use fountains around the world.
Encouraging and developing a culture of QR scanning in North America through the Tap Fountain Interactive QR Experience will also create a platform to further assist businesses, events, and public venues alike in eliminating waste through the use of reusable cup and reusable bottle systems. Though these currently exist in very early forms, we intend to make this technology experience seamless as we link the cup hardware to a users’ Tap account and create an experience for users and hosts alike that is rewarding and further encouraging eliminating single-use plastic from some of its most ubiquitous venues.
Finally, the Tap Fountain Interactive QR Experience will enable us to begin to gather user data on fountain infrastructure, water quality, and efficiency, to craft another technological innovation to be used on water fountains worldwide - a water fountain operating system. This technology will enable companies to take their fountains and connect to the Tap network in order to streamline management efforts across their fleet for more efficient hardware restoration and upgrades in addition to monetization opportunities. These data streams will help us better position Tap to launch and sustain hardware initiatives.
By refocusing our efforts on software solutions, Tap can continue to support the hardware manufacturers who contribute worldwide in the efforts to eliminate the single-use plastic water bottle, while creating a culture of refilling that benefits citizens, cities, and the planet alike.