Amazon is deepening its health and wellness involvement as fellow big tech companies Apple and Google fight for fitness-related dollars.
“Alexa, start my run,” will now trigger the company’s Echo Buds headphones to start tracking the basics of runs and walks, like distance and pace. Voice commands will dictate those stats back during a workout, while past data is viewable within the Alexa app.
All three companies have made efforts to stake a claim on the $50 billion wearables market. In the past year, Apple launched a fitness service powered by Apple Watch, while Google is still waiting to close its $2.1 billion acquisition of Fitbit. Amazon also has its own fitness band and subscription service called Halo.
The e-commerce giant is looking across the wellness industry as it pushes further into health care with Amazon Care, Amazon Pharmacy, and Haven Healthcare, in partnership with Berkshire Hathaway and JPMorgan.
Amazon is deep into health & wellness investments:
- Zwift: Recently raised $450 million from a variety of investors including Amazon.
- Tonal: Amazon Alexa Fund was part of a recent $110 million raise.
- Aaptiv: A $22 million raise in 2018 included Amazon and Disney.
- Endel: The personalized soundscape app recently closed on a $5 million round that included Amazon.
