Amazon could soon become the sixth largest grocer in the UK as it becomes a “double threat with the launch of Amazon Fresh”.
According to new data from technology consultancy TWC, Amazon is poised to make a significant share steal of the grocery market over the coming months as it continues its rapid roll out of physical stores across the UK.
Its Trends Spring 2021 Report suggests that if customers swapped just one grocery shop per month to Amazon, it could overtake Co-op to become the UK’s sixth largest grocer.
Currently Co-op accounts for around 6.2 per cent of the market, ahead of Lidl’s 5.8 per cent but behind its discounter rival Aldi’s 7.8 per cent.
TWC believes that major supermarkets could soon lose loyalty from younger generations and more affluent shoppers, who are increasingly favouring convenience over price.
“Here at TWC, we believe that although Amazon is discussed a lot as a threat to our channel, the fact that 72% of the population has an account really emphasizes that threat,” TWC’s development manager Tom Fender said.
“And now, it is a double threat with the launch of Amazon Fresh and a triple threat with its investment in Deliveroo.
“Their online platform may not impress Gen Z but their food to go and delivery solutions are sure to be winning hearts and minds in this consumer cohort.”
Fender continued that Amazon has a significant advantage over its rivals thanks to its in-depth customer data, something “many people in retail overlook”.
Its comes after Amazon opened the doors to its third physical Amazon Fresh grocery store in London in just two months.
Amazon Fresh has now opened in White City, one of London’s busiest shopping destinations which hosts Europe’s biggest shopping centre Westfield London.
Like its two other Fresh stores in Ealing and Wembley Park, opened on March 4 and March 16 respectively, the new store will feature Amazon’s flagship “Just Walk Out” shopping’ technology.
The 2500sq ft store uses “computer vision, deep learning algorithms and sensor fusion” to automatically detect any items a customer puts in their shopping basket or returns to the shelf.