ACSI: C-store satisfaction sees small dip in 2026
Consumers’ satisfaction with convenience stores dipped slightly in 2026, with mobile app quality and store layout and cleanliness taking hits.
That’s according to the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) Convenience Store Study 2026, which surveyed nearly 9,500 consumers on recent convenience store experiences. Overall customer satisfaction with the industry dipped 1% to an ACSI score of 75 (on a scale of 0-100) in 2026.
ACSI reported consumers’ satisfaction across a number of categories. Mobile order pickup, measured for the first time, debuted at 82. Despite this, convenience store mobile app quality dropped 5% to 80, the largest customer experience benchmark decline in the study.
Layout and store cleanliness fell 3% to 77. A new measure of bathroom cleanliness debuted at 74, among the lowest-rated benchmarks in the industry, according to ACSI. Staff courtesy and helpfulness dipped slightly, falling 1% to 78.
[READ MORE: Study: Here's what consumers want from C-stores…]
“Convenience stores are asking customers to do more inside the store and more on the app than ever before,” said Forrest Morgeson, associate professor of marketing at Michigan State University and director of research emeritus at the ACSI. “Order ahead, scan loyalty cards, redeem offers, pick up food. Customers are willing to engage with all of it. 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.”
By brand, Meijer rose 5% to 82, the study’s largest improvement, claiming sole possession of first place. Kwik Trip dropped 6% to 79 after leading the industry last year. QuikTrip (unchanged), Sheetz (down 2%) and Wawa (down 2%) held a three-way tie for second at 80.
By region, Sheetz led the Midwest at 83, the highest regional satisfaction score in the study. Wawa led the South (82) and Northeast (79), the only brand to top two regions. Maverik and QuikTrip tied for the top spot in the West at 78 each.
ACSI’s survey also found that nearly two-thirds (65%) of convenience rewards program members visit their primary store at least weekly, compared to 46% of non-members. Promotions show the widest gap, with members rating frequency of sales and promotions at 76 vs. 68 for non-members.
“The industry has figured out what to sell,” added Morgeson. “Now the experience of buying it has to catch up.”
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.
