Energy management is reshaping coffee consumption as consumers seek more control over caffeine, focus and wellbeing across the day. Coffee risks losing key occasions to categories with clearer benefit communication, but brands can unlock growth through stronger decaf propositions, clearer caffeine choices and need state-led innovation.
Delivery
This report comes in PPT.
Key findings
Marketplaces evolve from fast-rising channel to mature growth engine
In 2025, marketplaces accounted for 48% of FMCG e-commerce value across tracked markets and contributed 38% of value growth, while growing 10% versus the previous year. Even though marketplaces remain the largest FMCG e-commerce channel, the wider channel mix is evolving quickly, keeping marketplaces an anchor but seeking new channels for growth.
Given maturity and increased competition, growth momentum is shifting
While marketplaces are not losing relevance, they are no longer the unified growth path across all FMCG categories. Marketplaces lost channel share across all FMCG industries during 2025, except for soft drinks and cooking ingredients. Specifically, the "digital grocery gap" is narrowing, with online grocery retailers contributing 39% of the value growth, ahead of marketplaces.
Market structures are playing greater role in evolving channel strategy for brands
As brands navigate, success depends on the role marketplaces play in the wider retail ecosystem. For most brands, marketplaces are still the leading channel for driving volume of sales and to achieve scale, even in some underpenetrated categories - however brands need to have a market specific strategy to be successful.
Marketplaces are moving from broad assortment to proximity commerce
Quick-commerce initiatives show that marketplaces are no longer competing only on range, price and convenience; they are increasingly competing on immediacy. This expands the marketplace role from planned e-commerce purchases into high-frequency grocery, household, beauty, baby, pet and personal care occasions.
Marketplaces will be the largest product recommendation engine in an AI-led commerce world
AI-led discovery is reshaping how demand is created and converted. This shift strengthens the role of marketplaces as they are becoming some of the richest product intelligence environments for AI systems. As agentic commerce further develops, marketplaces would need to evolve as more than “traffic destinations”.
Why read this report?
Key findings
Energy management is happening, but coffee was not invited - until now
Energy management is expanding across categories, and coffee risks falling behind
The coffee industry needs to act
Energy management: Coffee’s route to new growth
If coffee is not taking the caffeine space, others will
Brands are under price pressure but adding a premium is difficult
At the same time energy management has seen massive growth, just not in hot drinks
Caffeine perception keeps being questioned by consumers
Caffeine itself is not being rejected; automatic consumption is
Coffee industry is starting to understand relevance of energy managers
Individuality is not a trend, it is simple reality in most societies
Customising for individual energy needs
Decaf is not only for energy managers, but a necessity to survive for coffee brands
Different times, different needs
Functional ingredients target energy managers
Recapture lost occasions with different energy levels
Winning the race in a healthy way
High-need consumers need clear decaf reassurance
Choosing the right decaf method
Big innovation chance for pod systems: An energy manager system
Cafés and coffee brands need clearer energy scales
Recommendations/Opportunities for growth
Evolution of energy management
Questions we are asking
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