this is a shot across the bow of instacart and even uber and walmart. amazon wants to own all consumer data so it can know what you want to buy before you do. i

this is a shot across the bow of instacart and even uber and walmart. amazon wants to own all consumer data so it can know what you want to buy before you do. it's a strategy that's hard to bootstrap, but they're already been at it for 20 years. whole foods fills a retail direct distribution hole in their product line that their own automated grocery stores are just not ready to do. this is they type of acquisition that seems a little puzzling at first, but makes sense in the context of their overall strategy (unlike most acquisitions, which just remain puzzling since they're usually ego/prestige plays).