Diapers.com

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Diapers.com
Subsidiary of Amazon.com
Founded 2005 in Montclair, New Jersey
Founder Marc Lore and Vinit Bharara
Website www.diapers.com

Diapers.com, founded in 2005 by Marc Lore and Vinit Bharara in Montclair, New Jersey, is the largest online specialty retailer for baby products.[citation needed] Initially founded as 1800DIAPERS, the company set out delivering consumables, such as diapers, wipes, and formula. It uses Kiva robots for warehouse automation and a combination of UPS Ground and FedEx delivery. In late 2008, Diapers.com expanded its selection into far-reaching baby categories, including clothes, car seats, strollers, and toys.[1]

Diapers.com was ranked #35 overall, #1 for Retail, #3 in NY-NJ-PA, and #5 Top Indian Run Companies by Inc. magazine in 2009.[2]

Sister site Soap.com was started in July 2010; BeautyBar.com in October 2010; Wag.com in July 2011; Yoyo.com in September 2011, Casa.com in February 2012, vine.com in September 2012 and AfterSchool.com in October 2012. The site currently operates with a shared shopping cart with its sister sites.

Amazon.com acquired Quidsi, Inc., which operates Diapers.com and Soap.com, for $550 million on November 8, 2010.[3] However, it will continue to operate independently and follows an integration model similar to the one Amazon uses with Zappos.com.

History

In 2005, best friends Marc and Vinit started Diapers.com with a simple idea—to make life easier for new parents. There was one huge obstacle: most major manufacturers would not sell their products to a startup. So, using their personal credit cards, they rented trucks and headed to wholesale stores up and down the Eastern Seaboard to buy diapers, wipes and formula in bulk.

Marc and Vinit opened a formal office in Montclair, New Jersey, in 2006, and the following year hired their first full-time employee. By 2009, the company was renamed Quidsi (meaning "what if" in Latin) to serve as an umbrella for all its sites. Quidsi added Soap.com for health, beauty and household essentials; BeautyBar.com, a luxury beauty destination; Wag.com, a pet specialty site; YoYo.com for toys and games; Casa.com for décor and home products; VineMarket.com for natural and organic groceries; AfterSchool.com for kids' sports and activities; Bookworm.com for children's books; and Look.com for kids' clothing. Customers now had a seamless way to shop for everything they needed with one shared cart and easy checkout.

Seattle-based Amazon purchased Quidsi in 2010, but the company operates independently out of New Jersey.[4]

References

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