Let’s be honest, during the height of quarantine we all became great friends with the Amazon delivery man. I kid you not, my delivery guy came every single day to drop something off. But it was all necessary, I promise. Either way, we all have had some interaction with Amazon. We know it’s a great online retailer, but did you ever think it would make its way into the healthcare industry? I wouldn’t either, but last week they launched Amazon Halo, a wristband for health and fitness tracking.
Although Halo is entering the wearables market, alongside Apple Watch and Fitbit, it’s completely different. For starters, Halo does not come with a screen and includes a subscription service. (Seems like they’re realizing the value of the subscription model just like everyone else). It also provides a point tracking system that encourages exercise. However, unlike its competitors, Halo also takes away points if you’re not being active in some way. I guess I have to start going back to the gym.
It also includes two unique features labeled tone and body. The tone function will listen to the sound of your voice and determine your emotional state. The body function (which is done via the smartphone app), will provide users with information about their weight and body fat percentage by doing a three-dimensional scanning of the body. While these are very new to the industry, Amazon has stated that the data collected can be deleted at any time and will not be used for any marketing purposes.
The goal of this new device is to provide health access that may not be available to all consumers. Amazon also hopes that they can continue to deepen their relationship with consumers with this new product. It is also important to note that unlike Apple Watch and Fitbit, you cannot buy Amazon Halo by itself. It will only be available as part of a subscription service for $99.99 or $64.99 for those who want early access. Afterward, the consumer will only need to pay $3.99 per month. I guess it’s all about subscription services now.
Interested in learning more about customer-centricity in the healthcare space? Tune in to our webinar, A Deep Dive Into Patient Experience, where we chat with leadership at one of the top hospitals globally.
Itzell Ramirez-Lopez is the social media assistant for Worthix. She recently graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in Marketing, with an emphasis in Digital Marketing. She also completed a certification in Legal Studies.
