Amazon Fresh UK: How does it work and where is it available?
A competitive grocery delivery service at an attractive price, but Amazon Fresh is still a postcode lottery
Amazon’s food delivery service, AmazonFresh, is an all-encompassing grocery hub where you can order anything from birthday cards and wine to salads, salmon and fresh artisan pasta.
Available exclusively to Prime members, it’s essentially a standard online grocery shopping service but with an amalgamation of UK shops and smaller brands.
While Amazon Fresh used to be an add-on that Prime members could pay for alongside their Prime membership, the service is now included in the price of a standard Amazon Prime membership, with free delivery on any delivery over £40.
Amazon has, for a long time, worked on being a one-stop-shop for pretty much anything and everything you could possibly need. Fresh is a great addition to this, if you live in the right postcode. So if you’re ready to never leave your house again, read on and we’ll tell you everything you need to know about Amazon Fresh including what it costs, what you can get and where you can get it.
What can you get on Amazon Fresh UK?
With Amazon Fresh, you’ll be able to buy everything you normally would from your weekly shop, plus a number of artisan and gourmet items. There’s a selection of retailers to choose from, as well as many smaller brands and specially picked food items.
Browse items by food type, retailers, current offers and even by what’s in season.
Retailers currently on Amazon Fresh:
Morrisons – Buy grocery basics such as milk, eggs, bread and veggies. You’ll also be able to get a wide selection of Morrisons ‘The Best’ range including ready meals, frozen foods and fresh meats.
Booths – Originally a household name in the North, Booths specialises in ‘high quality’ gourmet and artisan groceries. Amazon Fresh customers will be able to get their hands on a wide selection of deli meats, dips, confectionary, ready meals and drinks.
WholeFoods – If you’re interested in all-natural, all-organic produce then you’ll be delighted to hear that WholeFoods is on Amazon Fresh. Shop everything from fresh organic meats and fish, to vegan, gluten and dairy free products.
Local shops and markets – Another great Amazon Fresh perk is selected products from smaller retailers. Find food and drink from Gail’s Artisan Bakery, C.Lidgate, La Tua Pasta and Press, to name just a few.
There’s a lot to choose from here, and that might worry other large retailers if Amazon Fresh eventually decides to roll out nationwide. It’s especially damaging for the likes of Ocado, which arguably has a business model most similar to Amazon Fresh.
Where is Amazon Fresh available?
Right now, Amazon Fresh is available in hundreds of postcodes across London and southern England. Whether Amazon will expand to deliver nationwide remains to be seen, but you can check if your postcode is eligible on the Amazon website.
What’s the difference between Amazon Fresh and Amazon Pantry?
Amazon Prime members do already have access to a grocery delivery service of sorts, in the form of Amazon Pantry. With Amazon Pantry, you can only order dry foods, household and beauty items.
Amazon Fresh, on the other hand, gives you access to all this plus a huge number of fresh and frozen perishables.
One thing it does have going for it is UK-wide delivery, something that is not currently available with Amazon Fresh. So if you’re in the market for non-perishables and don’t live in an Amazon Fresh eligible area, Amazon Pantry still has some worth.
How much does Amazon Fresh cost?
One of the biggest competitive advantages Amazon Fresh has over other online grocery services is delivery, assuming you live in an eligible postcode. Amazon Fresh is now completely free for Prime members, with a minimum order spend of only £15. Delivery is currently £3.99 or FREE if you spend £40.
What’s more, in selected postcodes, you can get your shopping in as little as two hours. This is incredibly good value when compared with the online delivery times and costs of other supermarkets.
To put it into perspective, Ocado has a minimum spend of £40 but still charges on average £7.99 for popular delivery slots. You can buy a monthly Ocado Smart Pass to save on deliveries, but that’ll still set you back between £6.99 – £10.99/mth, when not on offer.
READ NEXT: The best Manuka honey
Even Morrisons, which has a large selection of its own products on Amazon Fresh, still has a minimum spend of £40 and a weekend delivery charge of £5. Neither Ocado nor Morrisons offers same-day delivery options.
You also won’t pay any extra for the food and drink you buy through Amazon Fresh. For example, the prices you’d pay in-store at Morrisons are the same on Amazon. In fact, you’ll also get many of the same in-store deals and discounts from retailers.
How to use Amazon Fresh
You can order on Amazon Fresh through Amazon’s main website and the Amazon App; it isn’t available through the app if you’re using a tablet, however.
How to order on Amazon Fresh online via the website: On the Amazon homepage, click on the dropdown department menu next to the search bar at the top of the page. From here you’ll see an option for Amazon Fresh. You can then browse items on the home page or find specific groceries using the search bar.
How to order through Amazon Fresh on the Amazon app: Open and log in to the app, then tap the menu button on the left-hand side.
From here, tap shop by department and you’ll see an option from Amazon Fresh. You’ll then be taken to a dedicated area for Amazon Fresh and can browse items or use the search bar.
Unfortunately, using Amazon Fresh isn’t as smooth of an experience as it could be. In comparison to other online shopping services, its user interface is a little clumsy.
As the service doesn’t currently have its own standalone app, you have to take extra care when using the app to ensure you’re searching for products in Amazon Fresh, rather than in the main Amazon store or Amazon Pantry.
The easiest way to make sure you’re searching for products in the right place is to ensure the search bar at the top of the app says ‘search in Amazon Fresh’.
READ NEXT: The best frying pans
While Amazon Fresh has some handy features like recipe ideas and seasonal produce lists, it doesn’t have the basic time-saving extras you’ll find on other services.
Things like favourite item lists and the option to reorder previous baskets are missing, which is a shame as they’re handy to have. Without the addition of a dedicated app and time-saving features, Amazon Fresh does fall behind its competitors when it comes to general user experience.
Is Amazon Fresh worth the money?
If you’re already a Prime member, live in an eligible postcode and like the idea of same-day food deliveries, then Amazon Fresh is absolutely worth trying out.
Even if you’re not fussed about same-day delivery, but are a regular online shopper interested in the selection of gourmet and artisan items available at Amazon Fresh, then it’s still worth your money.
Considering you can try Amazon Fresh with a free 30-day Amazon Prime trial – as well as reaping all of the other benefits you get with an Amazon Prime membership – you’re not taking a huge risk if you want to give it a go.
