A little over ten years ago, the Couche-Tard app faced what every app has encountered at some point… a bug.

A small technical glitch — invisible to most — but enough to disrupt the experience of Couche-Tard app users, one of the pioneering retail apps in Quebec. Called in through a marketing agency working on the project, the Thirdbridge team quickly fixed the issue. What could have been just a one-time assignment turned into, over the years, a true story of business collaboration and trust.

Because behind that fix was something greater: the meeting of two aligned visions. On one side, Couche-Tard — a pioneer in convenience retail — driven by the desire to make customers’ lives easier through smooth, practical experiences. On the other, Thirdbridge — a team that believes technology only fulfills its purpose when it brings people closer together and makes everyday life a little simpler.

Smart Convenience Stores

Very quickly, the mobile app established itself as the heart of this digital vision. More than just a practical tool, it became the bridge between Couche-Tard and its millions of customers across Quebec.

At first, it offered features such as couponing and profile management. Then, as the relationship grew stronger, we supported Couche-Tard in adding new functionalities designed to enhance the customer experience — both in-store and from the comfort of home.

This app even inspired the evolution of its sister company’s app, Circle K, deployed worldwide — a project Thirdbridge was also fortunate to collaborate on for several years.

Each new feature, each evolution was another milestone in a shared journey, where innovation goes hand in hand with proximity.

An App Designed to Simplify Everyday Life

Opening the Couche-Tard app means stepping into a world built to make customers’ lives easier. Every feature was thoughtfully designed to make the convenience store experience smoother, more enjoyable, and more engaging.

• Couponing: The Heart of the Experience: Couponing becomes the gateway to instant, personalized savings. From the home screen, users discover a selection of exclusive offers reserved for members. In just a few taps, they can activate their coupons and use them instantly in-store. The result: a quick sense of gratification and tangible value with every visit.

• Gamification to Keep Users Engaged: The Couche-Tard app goes far beyond discounts — it creates experiences.Built-in games let users have fun — sometimes even while filling up their tanks. From instant contests to seasonal challenges, the app reinvents loyalty by making it interactive and entertaining. And when a customer wins? They simply walk into the store to claim their prize.

• Car Wash in a Click: With the car wash feature, the app modernizes an experience often seen as a hassle. No more paper tickets or the risk of losing a receipt: the app allows users to purchase, activate, and use a wash directly from their phone. The customer enjoys a simple, fast, and frictionless service — perfectly suited to today’s pace of life.

• A Sense of Belonging: The app acts as a gathering point. It doesn’t just provide discounts or practical services — it nurtures a meaningful connection between Couche-Tard and its customers. By integrating shared experiences, collective rewards, and special moments, it creates a true community where every member feels part of something more — beyond the simple transaction.The app isn’t just a transactional tool. It supports customers before, during, and after their visit to the store. It transforms an everyday action — filling up the tank, stopping by the counter — into an engaging and convenient experience.

Behind the Screen: Couche-Tard’s Technological Ecosystem

If the mobile app feels simple and seamless to its users, it’s because it’s built on a vast and complex technological ecosystem. Over the years, Couche-Tard has developed a robust digital architecture capable of supporting millions of daily interactions.

Thirdbridge has been part of this transformation for more than ten years, contributing to the design, evolution, and maintenance of the system. Our teams have leveraged a wide range of technologies — Swift, Kotlin, Java, Python, React — while ensuring smooth integration with third-party solutions and close collaboration with numerous international partners.

This ecosystem is the backbone of the Couche-Tard experience. And it’s because it’s so carefully orchestrated that users enjoy a mobile app that’s smooth, reliable, and engaging — day after day.

Ten Years Later, the Story Continues

When we look back at that first bug fixed more than a decade ago and measure how far we’ve come, we realize it wasn’t just a technical issue to solve — it was the starting point of a partnership that continues to evolve, reinvent itself, and open new horizons.

Today, as we look to the future, we know there are still many chapters left to write. Smart convenience stores, connected experiences, digital loyalty — all fields where innovation and human connection will keep coming together.

And at Thirdbridge, we’re proud to walk alongside Couche-Tard on this journey. Because at the heart of every project lies a shared mission: to make people’s lives a little simpler, every single day.

Thank you to Couche-Tard for more than ten years of renewed trust — and for the opportunity to build, together, the future of convenience retail.