Fall 2025 Convenience Shopping Playbook

At Lula, we’re democratizing e-commerce for convenience retailers by giving them the tools and expertise they need to win online. This article highlights the fall shopping trends we expect to see this year based on data from thousands of Lula-enabled stores.

We analyzed three fall seasons of online convenience orders across the Lula network, covering September through November for 2022 to 2024. From this, we pulled the 50 highest-moving SKUs, calculated total units, revenue, and average price per SKU, and grouped results into five core categories. We then ranked top items by volume and by revenue and identified a “Core 33” that sold in 8 or more months to guide reliable stocking.

The dataset shows steady beverage leaders, spicy snacks that trade up in size, and multipacks that lift order value. We’re here to help you ensure the right products are in stock, priced right, and bundled to grow basket value.

Fall vs Summer: How we expect shopping trends to change

Fall buying patterns shift in meaningful ways compared to summer:

• Higher unit spend: Average price per SKU climbs to $4.18 in fall vs $3.93 in summer (~6% lift). This supports premium ladders across energy drinks, larger spicy snack bags, and multipacks.
• Occasion shift: Fall brings football weekends, Halloween, and early holiday gatherings, moments that favor RTD alcohol, large spicy snacks, and take-home multipacks.
• Assortment concentration: The Core 33 account for 67% of fall volume, making uptime and substitution mapping even more critical.
• Basket builders evolve: Summer emphasized cold hydration; fall baskets lean toward RTDs, large snacks, and 12-packs.

Read the Summer Shopping Playbook here →

Category performance snapshot

• Soft Drinks and Energy: 38.1% of revenue across 17 items. 20 oz formats are dependable movers.
• Alcoholic Beverages: 30.5% of revenue across 14 items, led by Monaco, BuzzBallz, and Twisted Tea.
• Salty Snacks: 13.8% of revenue across 7 items, with larger spicy formats improving unit economics.
• Other Beverages, Candy and Chocolate: Rounding out baskets with impulse and margin add-ons.

Must-stock core

Singles that always move

Dr Pepper 20 oz, Coca-Cola 20 oz, Sprite 20 oz, Red Bull 20 oz. Keep core sodas priced in the $3.25 to $3.55 band for velocity, with premium headroom on Red Bull.

RTD alcohol that converts

Monaco Citrus Rush and Black Raspberry, Twisted Tea Original 24 oz, BuzzBallz minis. These items show strong fall-through and repeat add-to-basket behavior.

Spicy snack leaders

Chester’s Flamin’ Hot Fries, Takis Fuego, Cheetos Flamin’ Hot. Emphasize larger bags to increase revenue per unit.

Pack-size strategy and key occasions for LTOs

Polarize your digital shelf

Pair cold 20 oz singles for immediate consumption with take-home 12-packs featured in hero slots.

Premium ladders

Nudge customers from standard chip bags to larger Takis and from cola singles to 12-packs. The Coca-Cola 12-pack shows the highest revenue per SKU in this data.

Suggested fall bundles or Limited Time Offers (LTOs)

• Back-to-School Energy: Energy drink + spicy snack ≥5 oz, discounted bundle for afternoon pick-me-ups.
• Game-Day Pack: RTD cocktail + large spicy snack, promoted Thu–Mon during football weekends.
• Halloween Stock-Up: Coca-Cola 12-pack + variety candy bag (30–50 ct), bundled discount in October.
• Study Fuel: Red Bull 20 oz + king-size Reese’s/Snickers, limited-time cross-sell.
• Thanksgiving Travel Week: 12-pack cola + family-size salty snack, bundle deal for at-home gatherings and road trips.

Fall flavors take the stage for

Industry leaders are pairing core assortment with seasonal excitement. QuickChek, Stewart’s, RaceTrac, Rutter’s, and Love’s have all launched fall flavors and short-term menu items, from pumpkin spice lattes to apple cider donuts to brunch burgers according to this article from C-store Dive.

Tie your dependable fall assortment (Core 33) to timely flavor promotions. For example, spotlight candy bundles in October, or feature a seasonal pumpkin drink alongside your everyday energy lineup. Work with manufacturers and distributors to stock fall flavors and short-term menu items. These seasonal cues help capture incremental baskets without overhauling core stock.

Fall action checklist for retailers

• Priority stock: Ensure Coca-Cola 12-packs, RTDs (Monaco, BuzzBallz, Twisted Tea), and spicy snack trade-ups (Takis 9.9 oz, Chester’s 5.25 oz) are live on your menu.
• Promotional cadence: Schedule the LTOs above in Lula Hub with defined start/stop dates so menus don’t drift.
• Core 33 protection: Daily stock checks and one-tap substitutes within brand families to minimize cancels. Integrate your POS system with Lula to make this easy.
• Impulse adds: Don’t forget seasonal candy (Halloween variety bags) and small party adjacencies (cups, mixers, napkins) to drive incremental baskets.

Why this matters

A concentrated fall assortment drives speed and reliability. With 67% of volume coming from 33 items, execution beats experimentation. Lula Operators specialize in protecting that revenue with clean menus, smart substitutes, and always-on uptime so your team does not need a bigger headcount.

Want a Core 33 audit and substitution map for your stores? Talk to Lula and turn fall into your most reliable digital season.