This briefing examines where consumers buy hot drinks and how distribution is evolving. Offline grocery remains the backbone, but value and convenience are reshaping winners, while hypermarkets decline in many mature markets. Retail e-commerce is still small, but is increasingly capturing incremental growth through planned replenishment, premium formats and search-led discovery. Expected channel shifts can be converted into practical actions to defend share and unlock value growth.
Delivery
This report comes in PPT.
Key findings
Offline still rules, but online wins the new growth
In 2025, hot drinks stayed store-led, but retail e-commerce continued to creep up as shoppers used online more for planned higher value restocking. Budget pressure and higher coffee costs made consumers more price-aware, encouraging comparison shopping and gradual channel switching.
Value and convenience are reshaping offline winners
Within offline, growth sits where shopping feels simple and good value. Supermarkets and small local grocers still anchor sales, while discounters keep strengthening their role in many mature markets. Hypermarkets remain the clearest drag, with shoppers avoiding destination trips for staples such as most hot drinks.
Some formats are simply built for online
E-commerce performs best in formats built for subscriptions and premium exploration. Coffee has an online anchor, especially pods, capsules, whole bean and premium ground. Tea is more split, with speciality and wellness-led teas being more online-ready because shoppers search by need and trial more.
Amazon’s relevance: discovery, value, repeat
Amazon has impact because it makes hot drinks easy to discover, compare and re-order, and is simply the go-to website for many consumers around the globe. That pushes brands to win on execution: search visibility, reviews, hero packs and price-per-cup credibility can matter as much as brand size.
Channel roles will sharpen, but not a full channel flip
Over the forecast period, offline will remain the backbone, but the mix will keep adjusting. Discounters and proximity formats will gain where budgets and time are tight, while e-commerce will expand from a small base via subscriptions, bundles and planned restocking. If delivery costs rise, online will skew to bigger baskets; if quick commerce improves, top-ups will shift online faster in dense cities.
Key findings
Hot drinks at a premium, with prices up and volumes under pressure
From price surge to steadier, premium-led growth in hot drinks
Small affluent markets spend the most, while emerging markets grow fastest
Mature coffee markets plateau as emerging regions build scale
Offline dominates, but online is driving a wave of growth
Offline remains the backbone, led by supermarkets and traditional trade
Value channels gain, hypermarkets decline
Store-based hot drinks are grocery-led; non-grocery as a niche play
Grocery channel performance is diverging
Non-grocery is niche, but wellness retail is a clear bright spot for tea
Vending: The need-state channel for hot drinks
Chai-to-go from ChaiGPTea: A proposition for offices and premium locations in the UK
E-commerce is strategically important to target different consumer types
About transparency, subscriptions and seasonality
Scale markets lead online hot drinks as catch-up markets accelerate
E-commerce winners: From repeatable coffee to discoverable tea
Marketplaces and online grocery: The two engines of e-commerce sales
Platforms for scale, brand ecosystems for loyalty
Nespresso and Coveo: Smarter search, stronger conversion
The evolving hot drinks route-to-market
Recommendations for hot drink brands: Where to focus investment and avoid mistakes
Euromonitor Passport E-Commerce: Coverage and methodology
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