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Amazon bets big on wearables too, but not how you might think

Published Apr 29th, 2014 3:35PM EDT
Amazon Wearable Technology Store

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Amazon has yet to come out with its own wearable devices, but that won’t stop the giant retailer from selling as many wearable gadgets as possible in the future no matter who makes them. In fact, the company on Tuesday announced it launched a special section on its website – the Wearable Technology store – where it will promote and sell only wearable devices.

The Wearable Technology store will be Amazon’s “one-stop shop where customers can easily discover the latest in wearable technology and research wearable devices including activity trackers, smart watches, wearable cameras and more.”

Amazon will initially have various wearable devices from well-known companies including Samsung, Jawbone and GoPro, but also from emerging brands including Basis, Misfit, Narrative and Bionym.

Considering the large amount of buyer data Amazon sits atop of, the creation of a special wearable store seems to indicate that Amazon also knows the wearable market will explode in the following years, with more companies looking to sell various wearable smart gadgets to interested customers.

The new site section can already be accessed at Amazon.com/wearabletechnology, where buyers can explore special pages for existing wearable devices available from Amazon.

The full press release follows below.

Amazon.com Puts Wearable Technology at Your Fingertips with Launch of New Store

The new Wearable Technology store features the largest selection of items from top brands including Samsung, Jawbone and GoPro

Customers can now easily discover, research and shop the latest wearable devices including activity trackers, wearable cameras and smart watches

SEATTLE–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Apr. 29, 2014– (NASDAQ: AMZN)—Amazon.com, Inc. today announced the launch of its Wearable Technology store – a one-stop shop where customers can easily discover the latest in wearable technology and research wearable devices including activity trackers, smart watches, wearable cameras and more. In addition to the largest selection of items from top brands including Samsung, Jawbone and GoPro, the store features products from emerging brands like Basis and Misfit as well as devices coming soon from brands like Narrative and Bionym.

“Wearable technology is an exciting category with rapid innovation and our customers are increasingly coming to Amazon to shop and learn about these devices,” said John Nemeth, Director of Wireless and Mobile Electronics at Amazon. “We’re thrilled to bring our customers a store with the largest selection and great prices that helps eliminate the guesswork when deciding which wearable devices best fit their needs—whether that is tracking activity, staying connected through smart watches or capturing their next adventure with wearable cameras.”

While wearable technology has been available for nearly a decade, the category has only recently captured the imagination of customers with the introduction of new, exciting products like smart watches, activity trackers and wearable cameras. To help customers learn more about wearable technology, the new store features a “Learning Center” which includes product videos and detailed buying guides. These resources provide information about device compatibility, product comparisons and use-case suggestions to help customers find the right device for them. Customers can also take advantage of the “Editor’s Corner” to find information about wearable technology industry news, device reviews and more.

Customers can shop the Wearable Technology store by category, compare products and discover the devices that are right for them. Customers will find the same shopping tools they’ve come to know and love from Amazon, including fast and free shipping, Free Two-Day shipping with Amazon Prime, editorial reviews, personalized product recommendations, customer reviews and best sellers. To learn more about the new Wearable Technology store, customers can visit http://www.Amazon.com/wearabletechnology.

About Amazon.com

Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN), a Fortune 500 company based in Seattle, opened on the World Wide Web in July 1995 and today offers Earth’s Biggest Selection. Amazon.com, Inc. seeks to be Earth’s most customer-centric company, where customers can find and discover anything they might want to buy online, and endeavors to offer its customers the lowest possible prices. Amazon.com and other sellers offer millions of unique new, refurbished and used items in categories such as Books; Movies, Music & Games; Digital Downloads; Electronics & Computers; Home & Garden; Toys, Kids & Baby; Grocery; Apparel, Shoes & Jewelry; Health & Beauty; Sports & Outdoors; and Tools, Auto & Industrial. Amazon Web Services provides Amazon’s developer customers with access to in-the-cloud infrastructure services based on Amazon’s own back-end technology platform, which developers can use to enable virtually any type of business. Amazon Fire TV is a tiny box that plugs into your HDTV for easy and instant access to Netflix, Prime Instant Video, Hulu Plus, WatchESPN, SHOWTIME, low-cost video rentals, and much more. Kindle Paperwhite is the world’s best-selling and most advanced e-reader. It features new display technology with higher contrast, the next generation built-in light, a faster processor, the latest touch technology, and exclusive new features designed from the ground up for readers. Kindle, the lightest and smallest Kindle, features improved fonts and faster page turns. The new Kindle Fire HDX features a stunning exclusive 7” or 8.9” HDX display, a quad-core 2.2 GHz processor, 2x more memory, and 11 hours of battery life, as well as exclusive new features of Fire OS 3.0 including X-Ray for Music, Second Screen, Prime Instant Video downloads, and the revolutionary new Mayday button. The all-new Kindle Fire HD includes an HD display, high-performance processor and dual speakers at a breakthrough price.

Amazon and its affiliates operate websites, including http://www.amazon.com, http://www.amazon.co.uk, http://www.amazon.de, http://www.amazon.co.jp, http://www.amazon.fr, http://www.amazon.ca, http://www.amazon.cn, http://www.amazon.it, http://www.amazon.es, http://www.amazon.com.br, http://www.amazon.in, http://www.amazon.com.mx, and http://www.amazon.com.au. As used herein, “Amazon.com,” “we,” “our” and similar terms include Amazon.com, Inc., and its subsidiaries, unless the context indicates otherwise.

Forward-Looking Statements

This announcement contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Actual results may differ significantly from management’s expectations. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that include, among others, risks related to competition, management of growth, new products, services and technologies, potential fluctuations in operating results, international expansion, outcomes of legal proceedings and claims, fulfillment and data center optimization, seasonality, commercial agreements, acquisitions and strategic transactions, foreign exchange rates, system interruption, inventory, government regulation and taxation, payments and fraud. More information about factors that potentially could affect Amazon.com’s financial results is included in Amazon.com’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and subsequent filings.

Chris Smith Senior Writer

Chris Smith has been covering consumer electronics ever since the iPhone revolutionized the industry in 2008. When he’s not writing about the most recent tech news for BGR, he brings his entertainment expertise to Marvel’s Cinematic Universe and other blockbuster franchises.

Outside of work, you’ll catch him streaming almost every new movie and TV show release as soon as it's available.