Amazon’s Pantry service is already having a significant impact on online grocers in the UK. “Designed to take the heavy lifting out of replenishing the often bulky basics and store cupboard essentials that people need every day," its arrival in this country came hot on the heels of Amazon’s trial to deliver chilled and frozen products via its Prime Now service, as the e-tailer ramps up its expansion of grocery delivery and an expected launch of AmazonFresh in the UK early next year.

To assess Amazon Pantry’s assortment and pricing compared with other retailers, e-commerce data intelligence firm Profitero analysed nearly 3,000 products available on the service on Monday and benchmarked them against the six UK supermarkets that sell online: Asda, Ocado, Tesco, Waitrose, Morrisons and Sainsbury’s. It found that: No UK online supermarket matches Amazon’s selection — none of the retailers carry more than 79 per cent of Amazon Pantry’s assortment; the latter is the clear price winner, overall and for top categories such as food; Other retailers, however, are more developed in ratings and reviews for these products. The analysis shows that relatively few products currently have reviews (just 28 per cent). For these same products, Ocado, Waitrose, Sainsbury’s and Asda each boast a higher proportion of reviews – with Ocado leading the way. The online-only supermarket benefits from having customer reviews on 78 per cent of those products that are also sold on Pantry. Asda wins on sheer number of reviews per reviewed product, 82, compared to 50 for products on Amazon Pantry.

Profitero also notes that already 16 per cent of the products originally spotted on Amazon Pantry in November are no longer available. It says to expect continued rapid turnover in assortment—and changes in pricing—as Amazon experiments and optimises with the service.

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