Amazon plans online trade in groceries

Amazon.com is going to the farm -- literally -- under a pilot program to sell fresh food like eggs, vegetables and fish.

When was the last time you ever visited a bookshop? Probably not after you became aware of a web site called Amazon.com. After throwing most booksellers out of business, the major e-commerce site is now out to ensure that your visits to the friendly grocer are also few and far between. To put it straight, Amazon.com is planning to sell fresh food like eggs, vegetables and fish.

The company began a pilot program, AmazonFresh, in Seattle, Washington on Thursday selling farm produce. According to spokesman Craig Berman, “people are ordering and trucks are delivering”. Berman said repeated requests from customers for perishable groceries prompted the pilot program.

Remains to be seen whether the pilot program translates into a full-fledged business for Amazon, given the risks in online grocery business. Profit margins are thin in grocery industry owing to the perishability of fresh food.

[ Via reuters ]