While looking at Amazon’s various sub companies for some start-up research, I ran into Amazon Fresh. Those of you in the Pacific Northwest may have heard of it, but this is news to me here in Chicago. At first swipe, it’s a Peapod competitor that, for now, serves only the Seattle/Tacoma area.
“That’s great Bill, but what does this have to do with the task at hand?”
Glad you asked. Hopefully, it’s a glimpse into the future of gluten-free shopping:
From the get-go, Amazon Fresh lets you filter products based on its nutritional characteristics. Unlike other eCommerce sites I’ve used, this filter can be applied at any time. Meaning, if you check that little gluten-free box when you first arrive to the site, you are presented with gluten-free items (774 items if you’re counting). This effectively makes Amazon Fresh a boutique gluten-free grocer. A quick glance at Peapod and I see no such feature.
Even though it’s virtual - not to mention only serving Seattle for the time being - it was a great feeling to peruse the site knowing everything on the shelf was OK for me to eat. Now if I could only say the same for my local Dominick’s.


