Amazon's grocery push playing catch up with Chinese e-commerce giants

Both US and Chinese e-commerce firms are grappling with the challenge of increasing their margins on fast moving consumer goods (FMCG).

BEIJING: As Amazon.com Inc looks to swallow US grocery chain Whole Foods, China's tech giants are already digesting hefty bricks-and-mortar deals, taking the lead in the battle to transform supermarket shopping with big data and better supply chains.

China's Alibaba Group Holding and JD.com Inc have invested heavily in offline retail – bricks-and-mortar stores – in recent years to complement their online offerings.