Online shopping for groceries is still in its infancy in Mexico but is expected to grow at a rapid rate over the next decade.
Leading the charge to corner this segment of the e-commerce market is Walmart, the nation’s largest employer. Now in its wake, comes Amazon.
This week, the U.S.-based company announced that it will begin selling food and drink on its online Mexico site – amazon.com.mx.
Among a large range of items offered for online purchase on the site are coffees, teas, liquors, wines, beers, organic products, oils, cereals, pastas, sauces, snacks and sweets.
Amazon’s incursion into the grocery market is another salvo in an escalating commercial battle that saw Walmart open its first omnichannel store in Mexico a few months ago.
The store, located in Tlalnepantla, Estado de Mexico, features a drive-through zone where online purchases can be picked up, self-checkout machines and digital catalogues that customers can browse through and use to order products that are not in stock.
Walmart executives say the concept represents “a new generation” of stores that will be expanded throughout the country over the next few years.
Walmart already has more than 250 stores in Mexico that can handle e-commerce, and around 100 that offer home delivery, including several in Guadalajara.
Amazon, on the other hand, believes offering groceries will spur its growth rate and attract more customers to its Prime service.