Product/Service Environment Fitbit Fitness Tracking Introduction Fitbit Inc. is an American company based in San Francisco, California. It was founded by James Park and Eric Friedman. According to the company’s website, their mission is to inspire people to live healthier and active lives. Their well-known products carry the same name as the company which produce a range of exercise and activity trackers. The products, that are worn on the user's wrists or clothing, collects and measures data including the quality and pattern of sleep, the intensity of exercises, and other personal metrics. The fitbit range has proven its significance through the growing demand for a healthier lifestyle and a product that …show more content…
With the development of mapping systems and new technology Garmin has been the go to for travellers, military personnel and adventure professionals around the globe. In 2003, they released their first ‘smartwatch’, being one of the pioneers in the industry with unparalleled accuracy due to their history with leading GPS advancements. Jawbone: Jawbone markets themselves as the ‘world leader in consumer technology and wearable devices, building hardware products and software platforms powered by data science’. They were founded in 1999 with the purpose of developing noise-cancelling technologies and soon released a range of portable listening devices. As the market moved, as did they, producing a range of fitness trackers named the UP, UP2 and most recently the UP3. Noted by many as producing some of the best fitness trackers on the market. Jawbone UP2 - “Best overall fitness tracker” - Wareable, 15 December 2015. Moov: Moov, a new start-up company, creates some of the most diverse sports tracking bands on the market. Although the products lack some of the sophistication and technology of the other products on the market; this was the first brand to develop a band specifically for ‘sports coaching’ and development in running, cycling, swimming and boxing. With the inclusion of an accelerometer, gyroscope and magnetometer the band
Old is new again, hopefully not tie tied shirts and flared jeans, the Fitbit One is a 21st century update on the basic and time proven method on how to lose weight and improve your health and fitness.
Park and Friedman were able to ship around 5,000 units with a further 20,000 orders on the books. Park and Friedman raised more money for their product from Brad Field and teamed up with Best Buy. Fitbit products are now found in 650 Best Buys and thousands of retail stores worldwide. The first tracker was reviewed as “pretty good”. In 2011 Fitbit was improved by adding an altimeter, digital clock and a stopwatch. In 2012 Fitbit One and Fitbit Zip were the first wireless fitness trackers to use Bluetooth 4.0/ Bluetooth Smart. This model allowed people to sync their Fitbit with IOS and Android as well as the Fitbit website. In 2013 Fitbit created a wearable bracelet: Fitbit Flex. Although the product was not entirely successful. The wristband was irritating people’s skin due to the nickel in the product. This resulted in a recall in 2014 and the irritating factor can still be a problem in some of their products today.
Fitbit has been around for less than ten years and is popular with those who looking live a more healthier lifestyle. Fitbit was founded by Eric Friedman and James
Expected technological advancements in health products are likely to contribute to greater spending on health. The FitBit as a technological health device shall greatly meet local consumer’s needs.
Identifying and evaluating the market would be the best course of action for Fitbit. A global presence is a terrific opportunity. Data surrounding markets which have the capability to leverage the tool would be important. Third world countries may benefit from the product, but not have the electronic capability to support and/or use Fitbit. In addition, the culture and social dynamics of the market would play a factor into how Fitbit is received and would be adopted. A health conscious country similar to the United States dynamics would be ideal. Or segments such as Hong Kong and parts of China may prove as ideal locations, due to the forward thinking
They have begun to also utilize the fitness tracker fitbit into their wellness program. The fitbit program can help with tracking employee’s fitness in real time. This is a great tool to have to motivate people to get in shape. This is a great way to use new technology and also help people connect with other people who have the same type of goals.
Fitbit is an American company that produces activity trackers, wireless-enabled wearable technology devices that measure data such as the number of steps walked, heart rate, quality of sleep, steps climbed and other personal metrics.
At the heart of every Fitbit is an accelerometer that measures a plethora of factors while exercising and even sleeping, depending on the device. They also all contain some form of a vibration motor that acts as an alert mechanism. All bands come in two sizes: small and large to cater to the variety of wrist sizes people have. Fitbit wristbands are composed of a synthetic polymer substance that is soft enough to rub against skin without harming it, yet strong enough to endure a fair amount of force and strain without breaking. Certain premium Fitbits have sections that are made with surgical-grade stainless steel. Fitbit product has been around for a number of years, but the market is just now warming up to the idea of fitness tracking devices. Consumers care more now than ever before about being healthy and that has led to huge spikes in earnings for Fitbit.
Consumers are becoming health conscious and Fitbit’s is certainly in the right direction to help them with the wellness progress. However, given the fact Apple products crushed many companies and its iWatch is a key competitor for Fitbit Inc. when it comes to wearable products. Garmin also comes with GPS technology that certainly adds more values to its wearables.
Misfit, Inc. manufactures wearable and smart home products; they present activity tracking jewelry, leather sport bands and necklaces, tees, socks, sleep monitors, fitness notebooks, and LED light bulbs. The corporation delivers fitness and sleep monitoring products which track and report activities through iOS, Android, and Windows Phone constructed applications. Misfits’ products are obtainable online and through a network of retail stores in the United States and intercontinentally. (Bloomberg Business,
Fitbit, Inc. is a private start-up company specializing in consumer electronics related to the health and fitness industry. The company is headquartered in San Francisco, California and was founded in 2007. The Co-founders and managers are James Park and Eric Friedman. Fitbit, Inc. manufactures and markets products which track people’s fitness activities, routines, nutrition and sleep. The founders believe that Fitbit products will help transform people’s lives with these wearable devices that can help people monitor and be inspired to increase their daily routines. According to Fitbit.com, “Eric and James embarked on a journey to create a wearable product that would change the way we move and
This new product launch is new for the New Balance Company, but is not a new product being brought to the marketplace. This could be both advantageous and detrimental to the company. The advantage would include the ability to look at the successes and operations process of companies such as FitBit and Nike who have a similar product in the market. The challenge will be how to differentiate the product and gain market share that might already be taken from other companies. The company will be using the “American made” approach for this product launch with the company opening up their own U.S. manufacturing plants which will help promote the marketing as well as helping to boost the local economy by providing U.S. jobs. The ability to connect this smartwatch to other products, tracking steps on shoes, heart rate on athletic shirts, etc. will also provide a competitive advantage.
Fitbit uses its product as a positioning strategy. The products possess unique primary values that distinguish it from its competitors. The devices cover diverse functions that can also be found in smartphones. The trackers work in association with Android mobile apps that enable the user to record and monitor their progress. Fitbit has added an aspect of fashion to its products where the user can insert in their accessories depending on their clothes
Fresh of the IPO diving block, Fitbit Inc. shares have since soared, more than doubling in price at its peak. The company pioneers an industry of wearable technology, being one of the first to develop and manufacture wearable, fitness trackers. Their products allow users to monitor basic health statistics, such as calories burned and distance walked. Their products also track some unique metrics, such as active minutes and stairs climbed. Fitbit also manufactures the Fitbit Surge, a more complex fitness tracker, but with added abilities comparable to smartwatches. Furthermore, Fitbit offers a premium, subscription based service that allows users to enhance their experience with more insight and analysis on the data collected by the trackers.
sort of antenna to communicate and Fitbit had an issue with getting this to work in the beginning with their initial circuit board and balsa box (Martini, 2014). The network security system in place in the beginning was not able to detect the communication or data. There could also be security vulnerabilities in some places where there are blocks on connectivity.