Amazon confronts retailers with new diaper line
December 4, 2014
E-commerce giant Amazon is launching its own line of diapers and baby wipes, hoping to coax more shoppers into becoming Prime subscription members.
The diapers and baby wipes will be the first consumer products available, as a part of its new Amazon Elements line, which is available only in the United States. Amazon said it planned to add other competitively priced, "premium" everyday items to the list.
The Seattle-based company already sells other store-brand products, from patio furntiure to home and office goods.
Amazon said Elements would provide US shoppers with "an unprecedented level of information," including the origins and sources of ingredients. Each item would also hold a code that could be scanned by the Amazon app for further product information.
But by offering its own brand-name products, the online retailer is competing more directly with the manufacturers and distributors that already sell their wares on Amazon.com.
Elements would initially be available only for members of Amazon Prime - a program that offers certain benefits and deals after online shoppers pay a $99 (80 euros) per year membership fee.
Amazon Prime subscribers who are also a part of the Amazon Mom group, a membership program for parents and caregivers, would receive additional discounts for products sold on Elements.
el/cjc (AFP, AP)