Gelato Fever! GrabFood Reveals Ice Cream Orders Surge 70%, Pistachio Gains Popularity Amid Rainy Season

Gelato fever! GrabFood reveals ice cream orders surged 70%, breaking through the rainy season aided by the viral Gelato Effect. Chocolate remains the top seller, while pistachio emerges as a rising star with searches increasing sixfold.

Gelato fever! GrabFood reports a 70% surge in ice cream orders, with pistachio gaining momentum during the rainy season.

Thailand's dessert market is lively again despite the rainy season, as an online viral trend has sparked a new phenomenon in the ice cream industry. Recent data from GrabFood, a popular food delivery app, shows ice cream orders on the platform soared over 70% in the past two weeks (15-29 July 2026).

The viral Gelato Effect boosts off-season sales growth.

Typically, ice cream sales peak in summer or during festivals, but this year Thailand’s 25-billion-baht ice cream market has been significantly boosted by the "Ultra Smooth Gelato Effect" viral trend on social media.

Jirakit Kwangsuksatit, Senior Vice President of Delivery Business at Grab Thailand, stated that the ultra-smooth gelato viral trend has positively impacted major brands, small shops, and delivery platforms alike. Consumers who might not have had the chance to try trending products have turned to easily accessible alternatives. Notably, ice cream orders in packaged form via GrabMart for home consumption have doubled, with over 40% of customers being new users who have never ordered ice cream before.

Chocolate remains dominant while pistachio rises as a new favorite.

Besides the overall growth in orders, GrabFood’s data reveals interesting insights into Thai consumers’ preferences as follows:

• Popular flavors: Chocolate still leads Thai preferences, accounting for over 70% of sales, followed by vanilla and matcha.
• Emerging flavor: Pistachio has quickly become a rapidly popular choice.
• Search trends: Searches for the menu item "gelato" on the platform have increased sixfold compared to usual.
• Purchasing behavior: 60% of customers are repeat buyers, with average spending between 150 and 300 baht per order.

Specialty shops reap benefits with sales doubling.

Among popular brands, major chains like Swensen's, Dairy Queen, and MIXUE continue to top sales charts. At the same time, specialty ice cream shops have greatly benefited, with combined sales doubling. Examples include Guss Damn Good, Molto Gelato, GERTO Gelato, and Daddy Don’t Know. The top five provinces for ice cream orders are Bangkok, Chonburi, Chiang Mai, Phuket, and Khon Kaen.

The Gelato Effect phenomenon highlights the clear influence of social media trends on Thai consumer behavior. Even during the rainy season, when sales usually slow down, viral trends can stimulate business opportunities and revitalize the ice cream market with remarkable growth.