Grabbing a coffee has always been about more than just the drink. It’s a ritual, a break, a daily comfort. But the way customers interact with their favorite coffee shops is evolving fast—and mobile apps are leading that change.
When done right, a mobile app goes far beyond being a digital menu. It becomes a powerful tool to improve convenience, build loyalty, deliver personalized experiences, and foster a real connection between a coffee shop and its community.
Ordering Ahead, Skipping the Line
Nobody likes waiting in line—especially when they’re late for work or on the go. Mobile ordering solves that. With just a few taps, customers can place their favorite order, customize it, and pick it up when it’s ready. It’s faster, easier, and exactly what modern consumers expect.
In the Ground Central Coffee app, we implemented features that make the ordering experience lightning-fast:
- Save your favorite GC store to always order from the right location.
- Save your favorite go-to drinks so they’re always just one tap away.
- Seamless checkout with Apple Pay, Google Pay, or a saved credit card.
From opening the app to placing an order takes less than 15 seconds and only four taps. Once the order is placed, drinks are prepared in minutes and can be picked up directly in store—no lines, no stress.
All of this means smoother operations and more efficient service during peak hours. It also encourages larger average order sizes, since people have more time to browse the menu without the pressure of a line behind them.
👉 Learn more about the Ground Central Coffee mobile app
Loyalty That Actually Brings People Back
Punch cards are over. A mobile app loyalty program is cleaner, smarter, and far more effective. Customers can earn points automatically, unlock rewards, and feel like they’re part of something.
But beyond that, the best apps go a step further with loyalty tiers, exclusive rewards, and unique perks based on customer behavior. These features turn occasional customers into loyal fans, and loyal fans into brand advocates.
Big Brands, Big Results
Starbucks famously leaned into its mobile app early on, and today it accounts for more than 30% of their US transactions. Brands like Blank Street Coffee and Blue Bottle have also grown rapidly in part because of their tech-forward, app-powered customer experience.
The takeaway? Coffee chains that embrace mobile technology aren’t just keeping up—they’re getting ahead.
Starbucks mobile orders surpass 30% of total transactions at U.S. stores [GeekWire]
Joe & the Juice increases revenue by 56% with updated loyalty scheme implementing personalised user journeys [EConsultancy]
Dutch Bros’ CEO reveals huge ordering change that will ‘copy’ Starbucks and fix the ‘long lines’ [The U.S. Sun]
How Can Coffee Shops Create Their Own App?
When it comes to launching a mobile app, coffee shops have traditionally had two options—each with clear tradeoffs.
1. Build a Fully Custom App
This is the premium route: hiring an experienced development agency like Afluo to build a mobile app from scratch or building an in-house team. The process involves defining a detailed scope, designing a unique user experience, outlining technical architecture, and developing every feature specifically for your business.
The result is a fully tailored, beautifully branded app built to match your exact needs.
When done right, this can be the best possible solution, especially for larger businesses with multiple locations that want to expand quickly and build a strong digital ecosystem around their brand.
With Afluo’s experience in the coffee industry and a proven track record of building successful mobile apps for growing café chains, we can help bring a bold vision to life, from strategy and design to launch and long-term support.
However, custom development requires a significant commitment of both time and financial resources.
2. Use a White-Label App Solution
There are several white-label platforms out there offering mobile app solutions for coffee shops and quick-service restaurants. Per Diem is one of the better-known options, offering a plug-and-play app experience specifically for coffee shops using Square. It’s functional and relatively easy to launch, but it often feels generic, with limited customization and a fairly rigid user experience. It doesn’t go much further than simple online ordering, leaving out advanced loyalty features, deeper personalization, and tools that help a brand truly stand out.
Other platforms like ChowNow and Craver serve the broader restaurant industry, but similarly fall short when it comes to delivering the kind of polished, community-driven, and brand-forward experience that modern coffee shops need.
Introducing Brewly: A Premium, Customizable Mobile App for Coffee Shops
Brewly, built by Afluo, is a completely new kind of solution offering the best of both worlds: the flexibility, customization, and feature set of a fully custom mobile app, combined with the speed, cost-effectiveness, and scalability usually only found in white-label products.
Designed specifically for coffee shops, Brewly offers a premium app experience that’s deeply branded and customer-focused—ready to launch in a fraction of the time and cost of custom development.
With Brewly, coffee shops can unlock features that go far beyond simple ordering:
- Advanced loyalty programs with tiers, milestones, and exclusive rewards.
- AI-driven upselling and recommendations that boost average ticket size and personalize the experience based on customer behavior.
- A personalized customer experience, including saved preferences, recommendations, and tailored offers.
- A built-in store locator that scales effortlessly across multiple locations.
- Support for Apple Pay, Google Pay, and saved credit cards for a frictionless checkout.
- Push notifications and targeted marketing tools to stay connected with your community.
And beyond that—any coffee shop can imagine their own custom features that can be developed and included in their version of the app. Brewly is designed to adapt to each business, not the other way around.
Whether you’re a single café or a growing chain with 20+ locations, Brewly scales with your business and elevates the way you connect with your customers.
The Bottom Line
A mobile app isn’t just a nice-to-have anymore—it’s essential for any coffee shop that wants to grow, deepen customer relationships, and stay competitive.
For larger chains, it unlocks efficiency and insight. For smaller shops, it’s a way to punch above their weight without massive upfront costs. With tools like Brewly, creating a mobile app that feels custom, polished, and connected is more accessible than ever.
The Ground Central Coffee app is launching next week—and it's a perfect example of what’s possible when great coffee meets great tech.
