Beeline Bikes Rebrands as Beeline Connect
In a bid to better align its service with its branding, StrataFusion Group’s Beeline Bikes has become Beeline Connect with immediate effect.
Having shunted its business model further towards software as a service (SaaS) for the bicycle industry, Beeline Connect’s main focus is now connecting riders, independent bicycle retailers, and bicycle brands across the U.S. The company plans to launch new pricing and products in time for the spring riding season.
Founded in 2013 as Beeline Bikes, a mobile bicycle shop business, Beeline was acquired by Accell Group in March 2018 and was subsequently sold in October 2019 to a Silicon Valley-based investor group led by Ken Crafford, founder and CEO of StrataFusion Group.
“When we acquired Beeline last October, we found a solid management team and a strong technology platform, but confusion existed in the marketplace as to whether Beeline Bikes was a bicycle company competing with bicycle brands, or still a mobile bicycle shop business competing with retailers,” said Crafford. “We have worked quickly to ensure the strength of our technology and are rebranding as Beeline Connect to communicate that we exist to connect riders, retailers, and brands.”
The Beeline Connect SaaS platform makes it simple for bicycle retailers to offer their services to riders through online scheduling and fulfillment of bicycles and bicycle components purchased online. Riders may buy bicycles online for fulfillment through their local independent bicycle retailers and schedule service appointments on the retailers’ own websites, or through beelineconnect.com.
Some 320 independent retail locations in 85 of the top 100 bicycle markets in the U.S. use Beeline Connect’s proprietary SaaS platform to connect riders with 14 bicycle and component brands. The company expects to add more than ten additional brands and service all 100 of the top U.S. bicycle markets in 2020.
To date, Beeline Connect’s SaaS platform has facilitated more than 35,000 fulfilments and service appointments for riders booking service or buying bicycles and bicycle components online.
Company President Peter Small commented: “Over the next 60 to 90 days we will implement a number of major expansions to our products and platform, as well as updated pricing, which will provide an even more compelling, cost-effective and flexible service structure for our retail and brand partners.”
John Short, chairman of Beeline Connect, adds: “It is critically important that our retail and brand partners clearly understand that we are not a competitor, but rather the bicycle industry’s version of OpenTable, connecting riders, brands, and retailers for the benefit of all parties.”
