Amazon launched its online grocery delivery service, Amazon Fresh, in 2007. It began as an invite-only service in the Seattle area, then expanded gradually into other metropolitan markets.
The service was designed to combine Amazon’s ordering and delivery infrastructure with everyday groceries, including fresh food and products from local specialty stores. Availability depended on a customer’s location, delivery slots, and the products stocked for that region.
Amazon later introduced AmazonFresh Pickup in 2017, allowing Prime members to order groceries online and collect them from drive-up locations. Amazon Fresh is often confused with Whole Foods Market, which Amazon acquired in 2017; the two businesses initially operated with separate inventories and facilities.
Another common mix-up is treating Amazon Fresh as only a physical supermarket chain. Although Amazon experimented with cashierless Fresh stores, the brand originated as an online grocery delivery service.