The rapid evolution of e-commerce has led traditional retailers to rethink their business models, with many supermarket giants launching their own online marketplaces. Companies such as Carrefour and Kaufland have entered the marketplace arena, inviting third-party sellers to list products alongside their core grocery offerings. This shift inevitably raises a critical question: are supermarket marketplaces truly competing with Amazon, or are they carving out a distinct space within the digital retail ecosystem?
At first glance, the answer appears straightforward. Both models provide platforms for third-party sellers, both rely on digital infrastructure, and both aim to capture a growing share of online consumer spending. However, a closer examination reveals a more nuanced reality.
Amazon remains unmatched in scale, product diversity, and logistical sophistication. Its platform offers an almost limitless ассортимент, spanning electronics, fashion, home goods, and groceries. Its fulfilment network, powered by advanced automation and data analytics, enables rapid delivery across vast geographic areas. For many consumers, Amazon has become synonymous with convenience and choice.
Supermarket marketplaces, by contrast, operate within a more focused framework. Their strength lies not in breadth but in relevance. By centring their platforms around food, household essentials, and everyday products, retailers such as Carrefour and Kaufland are leveraging their existing customer base and brand trust. These are companies with decades of experience in sourcing, quality control, and supply chain management—particularly in the food sector, where consumer confidence is paramount.
Rather than attempting to replicate Amazon’s universal model, supermarkets are pursuing a strategy of integration. Their marketplaces are designed to complement physical stores, creating an omnichannel experience that combines online convenience with offline reliability. Click-and-collect services, local delivery networks, and in-store returns provide a level of flexibility that pure e-commerce players often struggle to match.
From a competitive standpoint, overlap does exist. Everyday items—ranging from packaged foods to cleaning products—are contested categories where both Amazon and supermarket platforms vie for consumer attention. Price sensitivity in these segments can be significant, and retailers must remain competitive to retain loyalty. However, the battlefield is narrower than it might appear.
The strategic intent behind supermarket marketplaces is less about direct confrontation and more about customer retention. Faced with the growing dominance of Amazon, traditional retailers recognise the risk of disintermediation. By offering their own digital ecosystems, they aim to keep consumers within their orbit, reducing the likelihood of migration to external platforms.
For suppliers and brands, this duality presents both opportunity and complexity. Amazon offers unparalleled reach and volume potential but often at the cost of intense competition and margin pressure. Supermarket marketplaces, while smaller in scale, provide a more curated environment where brand positioning can be more effectively controlled. In many cases, success on a supermarket platform can serve as a stepping stone towards in-store listings, bridging the gap between digital presence and physical retail.
The future of retail is unlikely to be defined by a single dominant model. Instead, it will be shaped by a coexistence of platforms, each serving different consumer needs and shopping behaviours. Amazon will continue to dominate as a global marketplace, while supermarket-led platforms refine their role as trusted, specialised ecosystems rooted in everyday consumption.
In this context, the question is not whether supermarkets can defeat Amazon, but whether they can build sufficiently compelling alternatives to remain relevant. Early indications suggest that they can—provided they leverage their unique strengths rather than attempting to imitate a model that was never designed for them.
As the lines between physical and digital retail continue to blur, one thing is certain: competition will intensify, but it will not be fought on identical terms.