Amazon struggles selling groceries online; might open brick-and-mortar stores

Despite several attempts to break into the $800 billion grocery industry and almost a decade in the business, Amazon has struggled to entice shoppers en masse to buy eggs, steaks and berries online the same way they have flocked to buy books, tablets and toys.

"Online grocery is failing," said Kurt Jetta, chief executive of TABS Analytics, a consumer products research firm. Only 4.5 percent of shoppers made frequent online grocery purchases in 2016, up just slightly from 4.2 percent four years earlier despite big investments from companies such as Amazon, according to the firm's annual surveys.. . . more