Appy Hour

Consumers expect frictionless beverage experiences driven by digital convenience, mobile ordering, and delivery trends, prompting brands to adapt with mix-and-match menus, RTD options, and seamless service.

Key Drivers

This growing expectation is fueled by the convenience revolution. Order-ahead apps, drive-through culture and next-day delivery services like Amazon Prime have set a new standard. Add into the equation a generation of digital natives, and the result is clear; consumers expect a frictionless beverage experience – personalized to the last pump of syrup and delivered exactly when they want it, with virtually zero waiting.

How This Trend is Manifesting

01.

New Channels & Occasions

Beverage consumption patterns are shifting with more at-home drinking occasions, driven by both increased choice of ready-to-drink (RTD) retail products and greater availability of foodservice products through delivery.

02.

Frictionless Consumption

Consumers increasingly expect seamless purchase and consumption experiences, prioritizing convenience with quick and easy beverages that fit into busy lifestyles.

This Trend in Action

Starbucks ordering patterns: More than 70% of Starbucks sales come through mobile app and drive-thru transactions (Modern Retail, 2024).

Dutch Bros: Strategic focus on drive-thru sales, offered in the vast majority of their stores, centering on consumer convenience and speed of service. This has contributed to +33% revenue growth in 2024 (Dutch Bros, 2025).

Top Tips to Access This Trend in 2026

Design a core menu that can easily be mixed-and-matched to help meet demands for speed and personalization.

Utilize concentrates and syrups to ensure beverage consistency and speed of build, reducing friction.

Highlight and reiterate the convenience benefits of RTD tea and coffee; the ability to enjoy it anytime at home while still being able to customize it exactly to your taste.

What’s Next?

Order ahead and food delivery app usage is set to grow. As a result of this, we expect the current expectations of speed and personalization are going to intensify to a point where they become table stakes. To stay ahead, operators and brands will have to design all aspects of product experience, from packaging to product formulation, to balance these demands while also ensuring quality translates seamlessly to off-premise consumption.

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