Wedding registry platform Zola is venturing into the realm of baby products with the launch of its Zola Baby app.

The app’s launch comes in direct response to continued customer demand for a baby registry service, with the company amassing more than 500 emails over the past decade to that effect. Moreover, over 1,800 Zola users have already adapted the wedding registry service to accommodate baby and family-related items.

The new app offering aims to distinguish itself by offering a carefully curated assortment of baby essentials that users can add to their registries, along with the option to register for various services and experiences.

The launch of Zola Baby also encompasses exclusive partnerships with Tiny Hood, an online course provider, Boram, which offers post-natal retreats, and Stocked, a marketplace specializing in prepared foods.

In the past, traditional physical stores used to dominate the registry scene, but Zola’s foray into the baby sector aligns with the prevailing trend toward the adoption of digital services. This shift has been partly accelerated by the surge in online shopping during the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, several major players are already offering baby registries today, making the space a lot more competitive. Roughly 80% of parents now lean toward Amazon when crafting their registries, while Walmart and Target are also favored selections, especially among millennial parents. Meanwhile, Babylist, founded in 2011, boasts an impressive user base of over 9 million customers who actively participate in its registry services and engage with its editorial content.

Still, there is room for growth for players such as Zola, especially considering the recent shutdown of BuyBuy Baby, brought about by its parent company, Bed Bath and Beyond’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing. In its last complete year of operation, BuyBuy Baby recorded $1.4 billion in total sales.

Although the closure of BuyBuy Baby was not the primary catalyst for introducing Zola Baby this year, Zola’s primary goal was to provide a solution for customers with limited access to physical stores, the company said. The process of developing and launching the app spanned approximately four months.