The trusted intelligence layer for teams selling to Hospitality & Retail
The formula
Combo attach rate (%) = combos that include your product / combos that include the category x 100
The term is used in two ways, so say which one you mean. In restaurant operations, attach rate is order-based: the share of orders in which an add-on, such as a drink or a dessert, was bought with the main item. Brand teams looking at delivery apps rarely see orders, so they use the menu-based version above: the share of combo offers on the menu that contain their product.
Two choices change the number:
- The denominator. Combos that include the category (every meal deal with a soft drink) or every combo on the menu. The first measures your share of the drink slot; the second also shows how many combos have no drink at all.
- Default or option. A combo can name one drink, or offer a choice of several. Count both, and report the default share separately, because the default is what most shoppers accept.
Worked example
Take one city and two soft drink brands: your brand and a rival brand.
- In the city, 500 storefronts list at least one combo, 2,000 combos in total. 1,400 of them include a soft drink. That is the denominator.
- Your brand appears in 560 of those combos, as the default or as one of the choices. Combo attach rate = 560 / 1,400 = 40%.
- The rival brand appears in 700. Its attach rate = 700 / 1,400 = 50%.
- Your brand is the named default in 210 combos. Default attach rate = 210 / 1,400 = 15%.
Now compare with the menu outside the combos. If your brand holds half of the soft drink listings sold on their own, it is strong on the menu and weak inside the meal. The 840 drink combos without your brand are the list a key account manager works through, starting with the storefronts that already sell your brand on its own.
Combo attach rate is not shelf share
Three numbers get mixed up in delivery reporting, and each answers a different question.
- Numeric distribution: in how many storefronts is the product listed at all?
- Digital shelf share: of all the category listings, how many are yours?
- Combo attach rate: of the combos that carry the category, how many carry you?
- Combo gap: storefronts that list your product on its own but leave it out of every combo
How Dashmote data helps
Dashmote reads full delivery menus, marks which items are combos, meal deals or bundles, and records which drinks and snacks sit inside each one, per storefront and per app. Brand teams see their attach rate next to competitors, by city and by chain, plus the storefronts with a combo gap. Because a combo is only counted when the app or the menu section marks it as one, attach rates count the combos the menu marks as such. See combo and meal deal tracking, and delivery listing compliance for the fix list your team or agency works through. The same outlets are on the on-premise side in on-premise brand tracking.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good combo attach rate?
A good combo attach rate is at or above your share of the same category on the rest of the menu. If you hold half the soft drink listings but a third of the drink combos, the meal is where you lose shoppers.
Is combo attach rate based on orders or on menus?
It can be either, so state which. Operators with order data measure the share of orders that include an add-on; brands on delivery apps usually measure the share of combo offers that include their product, because order data is not public.
Does a combo with a choice of drinks count?
Yes, if your product is one of the choices, but report it separately from combos where you are the default. The default is what most shoppers take, so it is the stronger position.
How do I get my drink into more combos?
Start with storefronts that already list your drink on its own but not in a combo. The product is already in the kitchen, so adding it to a meal deal is a menu change, not a new listing.
How often should combo attach rate be measured?
Measure it at the same cadence as your other delivery KPIs, and always on the same storefronts. Dashmote refreshes delivery menus monthly, so a month-on-month trend is the natural view.