Amazon enters grocery business with $13.7 billion purchase of Whole Foods. After testing a variety of concepts to enter the grocery store segment, Amazon recently announced an agreement to acquire Whole Foods Market for $13.7 billion. The purchase gives the e-commerce giant instant access to the grocery store business, which accounts for consumer spending of more than $636 billion per annum. More importantly the purchase highlights the importance of omnichannel platforms, which incorporate a blend of brick-and-mortor establishments with an online footprint to drive traffice and sales.