Beat the Q buys eCoffeeCard

Australian coffee lovers unite as pre-order platform Beat the Q buys the leading cafe loyalty card platform eCoffeeCard.

App-happy coffee lovers have had a few options in Australia for some time. Now two of the country's leading apps are set to become one as Beat the Q buys eCoffeeCard.

Beat the Q is an Australian startup that lets you order ahead to, well, beat the queue and get your cafe order ready to roll by the time you get there, letting you top up credit with cash, credit card or PayPal. The service is in place in over 250 cafes and has processed orders for over 500,000 drinks.

eCoffeeCard is a quick and easy free loyalty card program. You can't argue with a free digital loyalty program and it's available on iOS, Android, Windows Phone and BlackBerry. It is in place in 1,600 cafes and has 320,000 users, making it the biggest program of its kind in Australia.

"We think bringing together two market leaders in their respective categories is a 'one plus one equals three' situation," says Adam Theobald, Founder and CEO of Beat the Q. "It means Beat the Q will be the go-to platform for merchants and consumers who are seeking a seamless, easy to use system capable of managing orders, payments and loyalty benefits."

According to Theobald, the plan is to integrate the services over the next twelve months.

"The key here is loyalty will always remain free to the cafe and consumer," says Theobald. "It is their loyalty scheme, and we think it should be free. In time, the rewards from eCoffeeCard will be brought over to Beat the Q. The idea is universal loyalty. It doesn't matter if the customer is using Beat the Q or eCoffeeCard, the customer has one collection of loyalty."

From a user's perspective (we've got a few users of both services around this office), these two make a lot of sense together and we look forward to a unified loyalty scheme whether we're buying ahead or when we walk up to the counter.