The familiar scent of freshly ground beans and the morning rush are constants in the coffee world. Yet, the way customers interact with their favourite cafes has fundamentally changed. While loyalty programs have become standard in food service, many local shops still rely on methods that feel out of step with modern life. The simple, transactional coffee run is no longer enough. Today’s customers expect the same seamless convenience from their neighbourhood spot as they do from global chains.

That got us thinking.

Near our office, there’s a small, charming coffee shop - the kind of place where everyone knows your name and your order. They used a classic loyalty scheme: “Buy 10 coffees, get the 11th free” with a cute cartoon punch card. We’ve all seen it. But let’s be honest those cards get lost, forgotten, or accidentally thrown in the wash. We thought, what if we could bring this into the digital age?

Just for fun, and to see how far we could take things with today’s AI tools, we decided to build an app for them. No long development cycles. No pain. No endless lines of code. Just an idea, a spark of curiosity, and the power of modern technology.

Building a Coffee App (In the AI Era)

We’re living in an AI era where the rules have changed. You can now build the app you need: fast, simple, and surprisingly affordable. For small businesses like our local coffee shop, the benefits are huge. You get happier customers, a touch of personalisation, and real convenience without the heavy costs or complexity.

So here’s what we did.

We defined the core functionality for 2 apps and kept it simple:

• One for the customers – where they scan a QR code every time they buy a coffee. It tracks their progress toward the free cup.

• One for the admin (the coffee shop owner) – where QR codes are generated, and each customer can be tracked. The owner can even add little notes like birthdays, coffee preferences, or favourite treats - making every interaction more personal.

And that was it. No pain, no friction - just a smooth, fun process that turned a cute paper card into a real digital experience.

Why It Matters

What started as a fun internal project turned into something unexpectedly powerful. In a world where everything is starting to feel generic, even with AI, you can flip the script. You can use technology to make things feel more human, more personal, more connected.

The local cafe has always been a “third place” somewhere between home and work. A loyalty app, done right, can extend that space into the digital world. It’s not just about tracking coffee purchases-it’s about building relationships. And we saw that firsthand.

While this project started as an experiment, we quickly realised the same design principles we apply in larger projects still mattered:

A Rewards System That’s More Than Just “Buy 10, Get 1 Free”

Static models get old fast. With an app, you can introduce levels: Bronze, Silver, Gold with each offering better perks. This gamifies the experience and encourages return visits.

Seamless Convenience with QR Codes

Instead of managing clunky cards or account numbers, our app uses QR codes. Customers simply scan when they buy. It’s fast, frictionless, and easy to adopt.

Personalised Touches

A birthday freebie? A message when your favourite single-origin is back in stock? These small, thoughtful gestures go a long way. With the admin app, the owner could actually make this happen with minimal effort.

Real Data = Real Business Insights

Behind the scenes, the app collects simple but powerful data: how many coffees were sold, who your top customers are, and what time of day is busiest. Suddenly, the cafe owner wasn’t just serving coffee - they were running a smarter business.

Building a Community, Not Just Tracking Sales

Yes, it’s just coffee. But it’s their coffee. For customers, these moments matter - especially when they’re recognised, remembered, and rewarded. A loyalty app done right can go far beyond transactions. You can create little moments of surprise and delight. You can celebrate regulars. You can respond to feedback in real time. You can turn a coffee shop into a community.

What We Learned

The biggest surprise? It was fun.

We didn’t expect this small side project to be so rewarding-for us and for the coffee shop. With the help of AI, what once felt like a full-on tech build became more like a weekend experiment. Quick. Smooth. Impactful.

This experience reminded us that digital transformation doesn’t have to be big, scary, or expensive. Sometimes, it starts with a coffee run, an idea, and a team that’s just curious enough to try something different.

If you’re a small business owner wondering whether you really need your own app, here’s our advice: if you can dream it, you can build it. And the best part? You don’t have to do it alone.

Let’s build something together-fun, fast, and tailored to your business.