Convenience Store Satisfaction Slides as App Quality and Store Conditions Can’t Keep Pace With Expanding Offerings, ACSI Data Show

ANN ARBOR, Mich.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Customer satisfaction with the convenience store industry dips 1% to an ACSI score of 75 (on a scale of 0-100) in 2026, even as the industry’s value proposition has never been broader.

According to the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI®) Convenience Store Study 2026, mobile order pickup, measured for the first time, debuts at 82. Yet mobile app quality drops 5% to 80, the largest customer experience benchmark decline in the study. Layout and store cleanliness falls 3% to 77. A new measure of bathroom cleanliness debuts at 74, among the lowest-rated benchmarks in the industry. Staff courtesy and helpfulness edges down 1% to 78.

The convenience store industry’s value proposition continues to broaden. Food service now accounts for 28.5% of inside sales and 38.9% of inside gross profit, and 15% of prepared-food visits involve consumers who chose the convenience store over a quick-service restaurant. Digital capabilities have expanded across ordering, payment, loyalty, and personalization, but more capability means more surface area for friction. Consumers are making fewer, more selective trips, and the stakes on each visit continue to rise.

“Convenience stores are asking customers to do more inside the store and more on the app than ever before. Order ahead, scan loyalty cards, redeem offers, pick up food. Customers are willing to engage with all of it,” said Forrest Morgeson, Associate Professor of Marketing at Michigan State University and Director of Research Emeritus at the ACSI. “But every new capability is a new expectation. When the app is clunky, the bathroom is neglected, or the store feels disorganized, that shapes how customers judge the entire visit. The industry has figured out what to sell. Now the experience of buying it has to catch up.”

Other key takeaways from the study include:

Convenience Stores

• Meijer rises 5% to 82, the study’s largest improvement, claiming sole possession of first place. Kwik Trip drops 6% to 79 after leading the industry last year. QuikTrip (unchanged), Sheetz (down 2%), and Wawa (down 2%) form a three-way tie for second at 80.
• Sheetz leads the Midwest at 83, the highest regional score in the study. Wawa leads the South (82) and Northeast (79), the only brand to top two regions. Maverik and QuikTrip tie for the top spot in the West at 78 apiece.
• Rewards program members score 77, 4 points above nonmembers at 73, and shop more frequently: 65% visit their primary store at least weekly, compared to 46% of nonmembers. Promotions show the widest gap, with members rating frequency of sales and promotions at 76 vs. 68 for nonmembers.

The ACSI Convenience Store Study 2026 is based on 9,475 completed surveys. Customers were chosen at random and contacted via email between October 2025 and September 2026. Customers are asked to evaluate their recent experiences with the largest companies in terms of market share, plus an aggregate category consisting of “all other” — and thus smaller — companies. Download the full study and follow the ACSI on LinkedIn.

No advertising or other promotional use can be made of the data and information in this release without the express prior written consent of ACSI LLC.

About the ACSI

The American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI^®) is a national economic indicator and a leading provider of customer analytics products that help organizations build lasting customer relationships and prove ROI on experience investments. ACSI’s AI-enhanced platform delivers intuitive dashboards and cause-and-effect analytics that pinpoint the quality drivers most predictive of customer allegiance, retention, price tolerance, and financial performance. ACSI data has been shown to correlate strongly with key micro and macroeconomic indicators, including consumer spending, GDP growth, earnings, and stock returns.

Founded in 1994 at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business, the ACSI measures customer satisfaction with more than 400 companies in over 40 industries, including federal government services, based on approximately 200,000 annual interviews. Learn more at https://www.theacsi.com/.

ACSI and its logo are Registered Marks of American Customer Satisfaction Index LLC.