Żabka's app pet Froggu gamified convenience shopping and lifted revenue per user

Żabka, Poland's largest convenience retailer with nearly 12,000 stores, had built a playful brand around its Little Frog mascot, but its app risked becoming a purely functional tool while competitors invested in gamified experiences. Frequency and habit are the core of convenience retail, so app engagement was a business metric, not a vanity one.

In December 2022 Żabka tested Żabu (Froggu), a virtual frog living in the Żappka app, with 5,000 players; the full game launched in 2023. Customers' in-store purchases influence how their pet grows, while caring for it unlocks rewards in stores — a loop that makes shopping itself part of the game.

The mechanics were tied to business objectives: missions encouraged purchases of private-label products, coffee, GoodFood products, fries and Żabka Nano stores, and push notifications around the game outperformed the app's average click-through rate. The game became the app's main engagement touchpoint.

By the end of 2023, a third of Żabka's 7.5 million app users had engaged with Froggu. Players shopped 32% more frequently, revenue per user rose 24%, half of players were 24 or younger, and 158,085 players completed all 100 levels — evidence the game built a genuine habit, not a one-off promotion.