How Trolley Drove 30% Sales Growth (and 5M+ Views) with Gamified Loyalty

About Trolley: Kuwait's 7 Eleven

A homegrown convenience chain with 200+ stores, 1,000 employees, and IPO ambitions

Trolley is Kuwait's leading convenience store chain, a homegrown success story that has become synonymous with quick, accessible retail across the country. Founded in 2008 as a small campus shop serving university students, Trolley identified a critical gap in Kuwait's retail landscape: the need for modern, well-stocked convenience stores that could serve customers around the clock.

Today, Trolley is the 7 Eleven of Kuwait, operates over 200 locations strategically positioned across gas stations, shopping malls, universities, and residential neighborhoods throughout Kuwait. In 2021, the company expanded internationally, entering the Saudi Arabian market to replicate its successful model in the Kingdom.

Trolley's core value proposition centers on:

• 24/7 Availability: Every store operates around the clock, seven days a week
• One-Stop Shop: From daily essentials to hot food, coffee, and cellular services under one roof
• Strategic Locations: Present at high-traffic areas including gas stations, malls, and universities
• Quality & Value: A curated selection of 5,000+ local and international products

With approximately 1,000 employees and estimated annual revenue of $250 million, Trolley has established itself as a market leader in Kuwait's convenience retail sector. The company has also attracted significant attention, with plans for a potential IPO on the Kuwait Stock Exchange that would make it one of the few private-sector consumer-facing companies to pursue such a listing.

The Challenge

In 2023, Trolley was in the midst of a major digital transformation. They had launched a new mobile app—Phase 1 focused on pickup orders, with delivery coming in Phase 2. But building an app is one thing; getting customers to actually download and use it is another. Trolley needed a way to drive app adoption, build lasting customer relationships, and increase sales—all at once.

1. Need for loyalty partner beyond basic

Trolley had previously tried another loyalty solution—a simple punch-card style system—but it fell short. The interface was clunky, the dashboard was hard to navigate, and conditions were limited to rigid templates. Worse, it lacked multi-currency support (blocking regional expansion), had no Arabic language option, and offered no proper test environment. It wasn't built for a brand with Trolley's ambitions.

2. Driving App Adoption During Digital Transformation

With pickup-only in Phase 1 and delivery planned for Phase 2, Trolley needed a compelling reason for customers to download the app beyond just transactions. In the convenience retail context—where purchases are quick and spontaneous—getting customers to engage with a digital platform requires real value, not just another icon on their phone.

3. Building Customer Relationships at Scale

Trolley wanted more than transactions; they wanted relationships. With over 200 stores and a growing digital presence, they needed to bridge the gap between in-store purchases and app engagement. Customers buying in-store weren't necessarily using the app, and vice versa. This disconnect meant missed opportunities to understand customer behavior and drive repeat visits.

4. Competing with Aggregators for Owned Traffic

Food delivery aggregators were capturing a growing share of orders—and customer data. Trolley needed a strategy to bring customers back to their owned channels (the app and physical stores) where they could build direct relationships, capture valuable insights, and protect their margins.

Solution

Gameball checked every box: flexible program design, multi-currency and multi-language support, a clean dashboard, robust testing environment, and the omnichannel capabilities Trolley needed to tie it all together.

Trolley's team integrated Gameball to be a multi-faceted platform integrating with Trolley's existing technology stack

• POS Integration: Connected with iVend and Odoo for real-time transaction tracking

• Mobile App Integration: Native iOS and Android apps built on Laravel backend with Firebase for push notifications

• Multi-language Support: Arabic and English to serve Kuwait and Saudi's diverse population

Key Features Implemented

Points that actually get used (Rewards Engine)

Customers earn points on every purchase, whether in-store or through the app. The system tracks transactions at the branch level, allowing for location-specific promotions and insights. Customers can check their balance anytime and see the equivalent value in Kuwaiti Dinars, making the points tangible and actionable.

Reward behavior, not only transactions

Beyond simple points accumulation, Trolley implemented gamification mechanics including badges, challenges, and tiered levels. Customers automatically level up based on their total spend, unlocking new benefits and creating a sense of progression. Event-based rewards—such as earning badges for writing reviews—encourage deeper engagement beyond transactions.

They've also gamified the in-app experience with games and in-store experience: self-checkout kiosks feature a "match the cards" mini-game that keeps customers engaged while they wait. One standout campaign challenged customers to visit 50 different branches with qualifying purchases, tracking progress in-app—with the grand prize being a brand new car. This consistency signals that loyalty isn't an afterthought; it's core to the Trolley experience.

Personalized messages at scale, automated

Through Gameball's automation engine, Trolley sends over 5 million personalized messages monthly, driving tens of thousands of customer actions. Gameball’s automation engine powers behavior-triggered campaigns that reach customers at the right moment.

Apple Wallet & Google Wallet Integration

A game-changer for the program was the integration with Apple Wallet and Google Wallet. This reduced friction dramatically—customers no longer need to open the app to access their loyalty card. Combined with geofencing technology, Trolley can send contextual push notifications when customers are near a store, driving foot traffic and redemptions.

In the weeks after launching the digital card, Trolley saw a 30% increase in redemption activity, thanks to better visibility and convenience.
30% increase in overall sales, driven by higher repeat visits and more customers acting on their rewards.This was followed by another 25% growth in sales and redemptions the second month!

Why it worked

Trolley’s success with Gameball wasn’t accidental. Several strategic decisions and operational practices contributed to these exceptional results.

1. Making Loyalty Fun, Not Just Functional

Rather than treating loyalty as a simple points-for-purchases transaction, Trolley embraced gamification to create memorable experiences. Challenges, badges, and level progression turn routine convenience store visits into opportunities for achievement. As the Trolley team advises: “Make it fun, always add value. A lot of brands are using loyalty programs—make sure yours stands out and actually adds value.”

2. Smooth Retail, Reducing Friction at Every Step

The Apple Wallet and Google Wallet integrations were transformational. By allowing customers to access their loyalty card without opening the app, Trolley removed a significant barrier to engagement. Combined with geofencing that triggers contextual notifications near stores, the experience became seamlessly integrated into customers’ daily routines.

3. True Omnichannel Execution

Trolley successfully linked in-store and app activity through their Gameball integration. Whether a customer makes a purchase at the POS or through the mobile app, their loyalty activity is unified. This creates a consistent experience and gives Trolley a complete view of customer behavior across all touchpoints.

4. Cross-Functional Collaboration

The Trolley team operates Gameball across multiple departments—marketing, product, and business intelligence. This cross-functional approach ensures that loyalty insights inform decisions beyond marketing campaigns, from product assortment to store operations.

5. Leveraging Automation at Scale

With 200+ stores and hundreds of thousands of customers, manual engagement would be impossible. Trolley relies heavily on Gameball’s automation capabilities to trigger the right message at the right time, at scale. This allows a lean team to manage sophisticated, personalized customer journeys.

6. 5 Million Views on Loyalty Content

The loyalty program isn't hidden in a settings menu—it's front and center across every Trolley digital channel. Their Instagram bio (274K followers) promotes the signup bonus: "Register on the Trolley app now and get 100 points." They regularly post Reels showcasing the rewards program—racking up over 5 million views on instagram only—run influencer marketing campaigns centered on loyalty, and even take to the streets with customer interviews asking shoppers if they use Trolley loyalty, with most saying yes.

The Takeaway

A blueprint for convenience retail loyalty

Trolley's partnership with Gameball demonstrates what's possible when a retail brand commits to transforming customer relationships through modern loyalty and gamification. By moving beyond traditional points programs to create engaging, omnichannel experiences, Trolley has achieved remarkable results:

• 30% sales growth from loyalty program members

• Dramatically improved point redemption rates through friction reduction

• Increased customer frequency and basket value through gamification

• Unified omnichannel experience across 200+ stores and digital channels

For convenience retailers and omnichannel brands looking to drive growth through customer engagement, Trolley's journey offers a compelling blueprint: invest in the right platform, make loyalty fun, reduce friction relentlessly, and execute with cross-functional alignment.