So what does the e-commerce have in store for its millions of online shoppers? Well, own-label “nuts, spices, tea, coffee, baby food, and vitamins,” according to sources that spoke to the Wall Street Journal. The news outlet added that Amazon’s efforts to apply for trademark protection on other foods suggest items like pasta, granola, potato chips, and chocolate could also be offered as part of its own-label range.
The marketing team has been busy, too, cooking up catchy names for the expected new lines, among them Happy Belly (basic foodstuffs), Wickedly Prime (snacks), and Mama Bear (baby food).
Products from the new private labels will only be offered to Amazon Prime subscribers, who currently pay $99 a year for membership.
The Seattle-based company has for some time offered private-label items on its site, with shoppers able to choose among offerings such as gadgets, batteries, cables, and clothes. A glance at its AmazonBasics items also reveals single items such as a laptop backpack, a coffee-pod storage drawer, a 360-piece clear plastic cutlery set, and, perhaps the item you’ve been longing for but till now haven’t been able to find, a hanging toiletry kit (priced at $18.99).
The reported new line of perishables looks set to seriously bolster its range of private-label offerings, and if competitively priced could prove tempting for budget-conscious shoppers. The Journal’s report on Sunday suggests the move could also give Amazon “a potential edge in crafting new products ahead of its own vendors,” while it also makes sense considering the gradual expansion of its grocery delivery service for Prime shoppers.
The U.S. market for private-label goods reached almost $120 billion in 2015, so it wouldn’t be particularly surprising if Amazon is seeking a piece of the pie.
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