The food and retail ordering landscape has changed more in the past three years than in the previous decade combined. Mobile apps went from "nice to have" to mission-critical for Square merchants. AI moved from tech hype to tangible revenue impact. And the shift away from third-party delivery platforms accelerated dramatically as commission fees pushed restaurant owners toward first-party solutions.
2026 is shaping up to be the year these trends mature—and new ones emerge that will separate thriving Square merchants from those still playing catch-up.
Here are the five mobile ordering trends you need to act on now.
1. AI Personalization Goes From Differentiator to Expectation
In 2025, AI-powered upsell suggestions in mobile ordering apps were a competitive advantage. In 2026, customers simply expect it.
Shoppers who use Amazon, Netflix, or Starbucks' app are conditioned to expect suggestions that feel personally tailored. When your ordering app shows the same generic menu to every customer—regardless of their history, preferences, or the time of day—it feels outdated by comparison.
What AI personalization looks like in practice for Square merchants:
- "Your usual?" shortcuts based on past orders, surfaced instantly at the top of the app
- Contextual suggestions tied to weather, time of day, and local events
- Smart upsells that recommend high-margin add-ons based on what's already in the cart
- Personalized win-back offers triggered automatically when a regular customer goes quiet
Orda already offers AI-powered upsell and personalization features for Square merchants. The gap between merchants using AI ordering and those who aren't will widen significantly this year. If your ordering experience feels generic, customers will default to whatever platform feels most personal—and that platform is rarely DoorDash.
2. The "Super App" Model Reaches Independent Businesses
Starbucks, McDonald's, and Chipotle have spent years training millions of customers to expect mobile ordering, loyalty rewards, payments, and personalized offers in a single branded app. In 2026, independent Square merchants are building the exact same experience—without the enterprise budget.
The combination of mobile ordering + loyalty + push marketing + preloaded gift cards creates a "super app" experience for your customers. They order, earn rewards, get personalized offers, and pre-pay for future visits—all inside your branded app.
This is what Orda enables for Square merchants at a flat monthly subscription, with zero commission on orders. Technology that once required a seven-figure software investment is now accessible to any Square business with a smartphone and a menu.
3. Commission-Free Delivery Becomes the Default
Third-party delivery platforms built their businesses on the premise that they were irreplaceable. In 2026, that premise is crumbling.
The key driver: white-label delivery APIs like DoorDash Drive allow merchants to use DoorDash's driver network without paying DoorDash Marketplace commissions. Instead of giving DoorDash 27% of every delivery order, merchants pay a flat per-delivery fee—typically $5–$9 depending on distance.
Orda integrates with DoorDash Drive for Square merchants. For a restaurant doing $20,000/month in delivery orders, the difference between a 27% marketplace commission and a flat $7 delivery fee can translate to $3,000+ in monthly savings.
The restaurants still paying full DoorDash Marketplace commissions on repeat customers in 2026 are leaving significant money on the table.
4. QR Code + App Download = The New Dine-In Conversion Play
QR codes survived COVID and never left. In 2026, the best Square merchants aren't using them to show a PDF menu—they're using them to convert dine-in customers into loyal app users in a single interaction.
Here's the flow that's working:
- Customer scans a QR code on the table or receipt
- They land on a branded page prompting them to download your app
- They get 10–15% off their current or next order just for downloading
- They become an app user, loyalty member, and push notification subscriber—in that single visit
Orda generates branded QR codes for Square merchants that link directly to your app download page with an optional one-time incentive built in. It's the fastest path from a first-time dine-in customer to a retained mobile app user.
A coffee shop running this conversion play consistently across all its tables and receipts can add hundreds of new app users per month—people who are already predisposed to returning because they chose you once.
5. Real-Time Inventory Sync Becomes Non-Negotiable
Nothing damages a customer's trust faster than ordering an item through your app—completing checkout—and then getting a call 10 minutes later saying that item is actually sold out.
In 2026, with Square's inventory management capabilities continuing to improve and more merchants adopting item-level tracking, the expectation is clear: what's displayed on your ordering app must match what's actually in stock, in real time.
Orda syncs with Square inventory in real time. When an item sells out at your Square POS—or is marked unavailable—it's automatically removed from your mobile app within seconds. No customer disappointment, no awkward phone calls, no refunds, no lost trust.
For merchants with seasonal items, limited daily specials, or variable ingredient availability, real-time sync isn't a nice-to-have in 2026. It's table stakes.
What This Means for Your Business
The Square merchants who thrive in 2026 share one characteristic: they own the customer relationship. They have a direct channel—a branded mobile app—that lets them communicate, market, and sell without paying a middleman a percentage of every transaction.
If you don't have a mobile ordering app connected to Square yet, there's no better time to start. The customers ordering from you in-store today are the loyal app users and subscription holders of tomorrow—if you give them the channel to get there.
Build your Square mobile ordering app with Orda — launch in minutes, not months.
Table Of Contents
- 1. AI Personalization Goes From Differentiator to Expectation
- 2. The "Super App" Model Reaches Independent Businesses
- 3. Commission-Free Delivery Becomes the Default
- 4. QR Code + App Download = The New Dine-In Conversion Play
- 5. Real-Time Inventory Sync Becomes Non-Negotiable
- What This Means for Your Business
