Which beverage brands appear when consumers ask AI tools about energy, hydration and wellness products? Those results — not the share of shelf or search traffic — are expected to play an increasing role in shaping consumer demand.

The Functional Beverages AI Visibility Index 2026, proprietary research from public relations and digital marketing agency 5W, ranks 25 functional beverage brands by their estimated share of citations from five AI platforms. The ranking suggests that benefit-focused positioning may influence which beverage brands appear when consumers ask AI tools about energy, hydration and wellness products.

In 5W’s research, brands associated with specific benefits — including energy, gut health and electrolytes — often were cited ahead of brands with greater sales volume.

Why it matters for convenience services operators

While 5W notes that its research measures AI visibility rather than sales or product claims, at this time, when consumers are increasingly turning to — and relying on — AI recommendations and citations, the influence of those recommendation signals should not be dismissed.

Such recommendations may be top of mind for consumers as they approach their next smart cooler, micro market or vending machine. The results support testing benefit-led beverages alongside established category leaders, particularly at locations where consumers seek energy, hydration or alternatives to traditional soda.

At the same time, operators should not treat AI visibility as a substitute for item-level sales data — the proprietary information they have about what their customers are buying.

Instead, they can use it to identify products worth testing and gain insights into merchandising beverages by function or use occasion.

Read the full report.