In Chinese convenience stores, pre-packaged cups of ice have been flying off the shelves as customers experiment with tea, coffee, and juice combinations to make affordable cold drinks, Reuters reported.

Both a record-breaking heat wave and social media have propelled the trend forward, especially as consumers look to find more cost-conscious options for drinks.

"The popularity of ice cups is in line with the characteristics of the young generation who likes trying new things," independent food and beverage analyst Zhu Danpeng told Reuters. "People can post their 'achievement' online to share with friends."

“A search for 'ice cups' on lifestyle-focused social media platform Xiaohongshu returns more than 13,000 recent posts, many of them videos of people in their 20s and 30s showing off their convenience store creations,” Reuters reported. “One post shows an ice-cup three-quarters full of jasmine tea then being topped off with lychee juice. In another, a young woman pours pre-packaged black coffee over orange juice, making a dupe of the orange-flavored coffees popular in Chinese cafes.”

The trend positions convenience stores to compete in the competitive Chinese drink market. Some coffee and bubble tea chains have opened more than 10,000 stores across the country and offer competitive coupons and discounts to attract consumers, according to Reuters.

Though ice cups have long been popular in South Korea and Japan, they've never hit it big in China until this year, according to Jason Yu, Greater China managing director of market research firm Kantar Worldpanel.

"Ice cups have been a sensational success this summer...I think it provides a good value for money option for young consumers to do their own DIY drink," Yu said.