Cashpoints’ successful launch backed by a cost-effective QA & Testing model.

SECTOR / INDUSTRY

Marketing Services

CAPABILITIES FEATURED

Quality Assurance & Testing
Integrated Innovation Hub

CASE STUDY PDF

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OVERVIEW

Cashpoints is a new loyalty programme provider offering retailers a shared rewards platform. With integrations across point-of-sale systems, mobile apps and partner portals, reliability was critical to securing retailer confidence at launch. As a lean team, Cashpoints needed full Quality Assurance (QA) coverage delivered in a cost-efficient way. Assurity Consulting provided a Manila-based QA & Testing model supported by New Zealand oversight, embedding testers early and maintaining continuous coverage throughout the build, enabling thorough testing and a stable launch while keeping costs under control.

KEY OUTCOMES

Supported a smooth go-live across five partners and 300+ retail locations.

Kept QA resourcing affordable while maintaining full coverage through the Manila–NZ delivery model.

Established a scalable QA framework to support ongoing partner onboarding and future enhancements.

ABOUT THE CLIENT

Cashpoints is a shared loyalty programme that enables customers to earn and redeem rewards across multiple retail partners in real time. Led by Ian Sutcliffe, who brings 14 years of experience running one of New Zealand’s most favoured loyalty schemes, Cashpoints gives retailers a practical way to offer customer rewards and encourage repeat visits without needing to build or operate their own programme.

THE CHALLENGE

Midway through 2024, Cashpoints kicked off development of its platform, envisioning a bias-free alternative to schemes like the now-defunct FlyBuys. The platform offers integrations for point-of-sale systems, apps and partner endpoints. “The programme is our foundation for connecting mid-sized retailers with customers who see value in faster, flexible rewards,” says founder Ian Sutcliffe. “We had to nail reliability and security, as we knew that any issues around data privacy risks and integration complexities would hurt.”

The build involved diverse components, including retailer dashboards, mobile apps, admin portals, and transactional APIs, all designed to scale for high-volume issuance and redemption and to comply with privacy regulations.

Core hurdles in software delivery and system testing included managing ‘lumpy’ startup timelines without a corporate safety net and validating multi-partner flows without disruptions. “As a lean team, we needed QA that could adapt to our realities, ramping resources up for sprints and down during lulls, while understanding the details of retail,” Sutcliffe explains.

Cashpoints’ in-house team handled core development but lacked bandwidth for comprehensive testing. Through a referral and market recognition of its capabilities, Cashpoints engaged Assurity Consulting.

“Cost was a factor, and the combination of their Manila team and local support meant we had the expertise we needed, when we needed it,” notes Sutcliffe.

OUR SOLUTION

Working as part of the Cashpoints delivery team, Assurity provided QA and Testing through its Integrated Innovation Hub, combining Manila-based test engineers with New Zealand oversight. A local QA Manager with retail experience led the work to ensure testing aligned with real operating conditions.

“From the outset, we built a unified front,” says Sutcliffe. Testers joined early in the build, participating in weekly technical huddles and Slack channels to surface issues quickly.

The Manila and NZ teams operated as one QA function, validating retailer dashboards for transaction visibility and invoicing, iOS and Android apps for customer engagement, admin portals for partner management, transactional endpoints for secure API handoffs, and cardholder interfaces for balance checks and redemption.

The Manila team also developed automated regression and integration tests. “They adapted rapidly, flagging minor bugs we fixed on the spot and suggesting efficiencies tailored to retail volumes,” notes Sutcliffe.

“Assurity’s offshore test engineers brought sharp technical skills and reliability, offering invaluable programming knowledge as well as test experience, while local guidance kept delivery laser-focused on real retail scenarios.”

RESULTS

Cashpoints launched with its first five retail partners across 300+ physical locations, with more partners onboarding. The Manila–NZ QA delivery model gave Cashpoints a stable, launch-ready platform with full coverage – at a cost level that worked for a startup.

“Their work confirmed we were launch-ready, catching edge cases early and boosting confidence for our developers,” Sutcliffe affirms.

He highlights the benefit of the delivery model: “The Manila team offered dependable, quick-to-mobilise talent that slotted right in, amplified by their local experts’ grasp of our market’s nuances, from seasonal spikes to partner ecosystems,” he adds. “It was the perfect blend for a startup like ours.”

“Beyond testing, their team fitted in well with our pace and treated us like a priority client.”

The testing approach supported the programme’s initial multi-partner rollout, validated real-time earn-and-redeem flows, and set up a QA framework that can scale as new partners and features are added. With strong consumer demand for shared reward schemes, Cashpoints expects to continue evolving the platform through ongoing QA support.

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