BikeBiz Bicycle and cycling retail news
Beeline Bikes is renaming itself Beeline Connect as it looks to bring its services in line with its branding.
The company, which has evolved into more of a software as a service (SaaS) provider in recent years, felt there was “confusion in the marketplace” as to Beeline’s industry sector. As part of the rebrand, Beeline 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 aims to makes it simple for bicycle retailers to offer their services to riders through online scheduling and fulfilment of bicycles and bicycle components purchased online. Riders may buy bicycles online for fulfilment through their local IBDs and schedule service appointments on the retailers’ own websites, or through www.beelineconnect.com.
Company president Peter Small said: “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, added: “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.”
Some 320 independent retail locations in 85 of the top 100 bicycle markets in the US 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 US bicycle markets in 2020. The updated flexible contract and new pricing structures will be particularly attractive to retailers looking for new riders and additional revenue sources to build their businesses.
