Online coffee shoppers are walking away from purchases not because they've lost interest, but because the checkout process is making them do too much work. That's the central finding of a new consumer survey released by Paze, the bank-backed online checkout solution from Early Warning Services, timed to National Coffee Day.
The Paze Coffee Survey polled 500 U.S. coffee drinkers who use digital wallets, and the results carry a clear message for foodservice operators and beverage brands selling online: friction at the final step is costing real revenue.
The Willingness to Effort
Consumers have not become lazier — they've become more selective about where they spend effort. More than half of respondents (51%) said they would take a longer route or make an extra stop to get the coffee they prefer. Thirty-nine percent would pay more than usual, and nearly a third (31%) would wait in a 15-minute line. The data underscores something that hospitality operators know intuitively: a loyal coffee customer will go out of their way when the payoff feels worth it.
The challenge is that the same customer who cheerfully queues at the counter has a dramatically shorter fuse when shopping online. "Consumers aren't impatient. They're just out of patience for pointless work," said Serge Elkiner, general manager of Paze. "They'll go out of their way for the coffee they want, but they don't want to create another account or manually enter their card information just to complete an online purchase."
Where Purchases Break Down
The survey identifies specific pressure points where online coffee and beverage purchases stall. Too many checkout steps were the most frequently cited reason for reconsidering or abandoning a purchase, flagged by 34% of respondents. Being required to create a new account ranked second at 30%, followed by having to reset a forgotten password (27%). An additional 25% cited simply forgetting a password, 22% pointed to manual card entry, and 21% said having to locate a physical card was enough to make them pause.
For beverage brands, subscription coffee services, and restaurant groups selling merchandise or packaged goods through direct-to-consumer channels, these numbers translate directly into cart abandonment and lost lifetime value. The research aligns with broader restaurant technology trends showing that reducing checkout steps measurably improves conversion rates in foodservice e-commerce.
What the Digital Wallet Data Signals
Among digital wallet users surveyed, 70% reported using a digital wallet for online shopping — a figure that reflects how mainstream the behavior has become. Paze, which is offered through participating banks and credit unions, allows consumers to check out using eligible credit and debit cards already on file at their financial institution, without creating a new payment account or entering card numbers manually. The solution also avoids sharing actual card numbers with merchants, adding a security layer that resonates with consumers wary of data exposure.
For operators managing online ordering, catering sales, or direct-to-consumer beverage retail, the implication is straightforward: the payment experience is part of the brand experience. Beverage companies investing in premium product and storytelling can undercut that work at the final click if checkout is cumbersome. This dynamic is increasingly influencing how beverage industry brands approach their digital commerce stacks.
The survey also surfaced some lighter consumer sentiment data worth noting for marketing teams: coffee dominates caffeine preference at 70% when consumers need a boost, well ahead of energy drinks (10%), soda (7%), and tea alternatives. And 30% of respondents admitted they judge fellow customers for placing overly complicated orders — a finding that may or may not comfort baristas everywhere.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
