Books were the first product category sold by Amazon when Jeff Bezos launched the company online in 1995.
Bezos incorporated the business in 1994 and initially operated it under the name Cadabra. The company opened its website in July 1995 as an online bookstore. Books were a logical starting point because a physical shop could hold only a limited selection, while an online catalog could offer far more titles.
Amazon's early headquarters and warehouse operations were based in the Seattle area. Its rapid growth was driven by a large catalog, online ordering and a customer-review system that helped distinguish the store from traditional booksellers. The company later expanded into music, video, electronics, household goods and many other categories.
The first product is sometimes described as one particular book, but the historically precise answer is the category books. Amazon's launch was not based on selling a single title; it was designed as an online bookstore. The company's name was chosen partly to evoke the vast scale of the Amazon River.