SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Fitbit (NYSE:FIT), the leader in the connected health and fitness market, and Tmall.com, China's largest third-party platform for brands and retailers, owned by Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA), today announced that they have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to significantly expand Fitbit’s reach in China. With the mission of helping people achieve a healthier, more active lifestyle, the partnership will introduce the Fitbit® platform to hundreds of millions of people across the country. The Fitbit platform – which consists of devices, apps, social and motivational features, advice and personalized coaching – helps people make behavioural changes to be more active, exercise more, eat smarter, track their sleep and manage their weight.
Alibaba and Fitbit today formalised their intent to enter into a strategic partnership at a signing ceremony at Alibaba’s global headquarters in Hangzhou, China. As part of this arrangement, Fitbit will establish a major retail presence on Alibaba’s Tmall.com online shopping site as one of Tmall’s key brand partners. Tmall will also aim to help Fitbit become one of the first 10 global brands within Tmall’s electronics category to achieve 10 million fans in Asia.
“Alibaba is the gateway to China for international brands seeking to access one of the world’s largest consumer markets, and we are pleased to announce this partnership to provide Chinese consumers greater access to Fitbit products,” said Hao Li, GM of 3Cs Business Unit of Alibaba. “Across China there is a growing interest in personal health, fitness and overall well-being, and we see very strong demand from our customers in these categories – specifically for Fitbit devices. We look forward to leveraging Fitbit’s leadership in the emerging field of connected health and fitness to connect our consumers with the budding national fitness craze.”
To introduce the retail partnership, Tmall.com plans to host a Fitbit Super Brand Day on May 18, to promote Fitbit’s newest devices, Fitbit Blaze™ and Fitbit Alta™ in China. This promotion will be Tmall.com’s first Super Brand Day for an activity tracker and will directly reach consumers via the Tmall.com portal and mobile app. On Super Brand Day, Fitbit will be one of the most promoted products on Tmall.com, with strong traffic directed to Tmall.com’s Fitbit page. Super Brand Day will extend Fitbit’s exposure to millions more Chinese consumers, helping build brand and category awareness across China. Fitbit Blaze and Fitbit Alta join the diverse line of award-winning products from Fitbit including Fitbit Surge™, Fitbit Charge HR™, Fitbit Flex®, Fitbit One® and Fitbit Zip® activity trackers, as well as the Aria® Wi-Fi Smart Scale. The products are part of the Fitbit platform, which empowers people with information, offering a fun and engaging experience, providing insights and guidance for users to get the most out of their trackers and help them reach their health, fitness and wellness goals.
“Since 2014, we’ve seen steady growth in the market as Chinese consumers become more aware of how Fitbit devices enable you to live a more balanced, more active life. Like millions of people around the world, Chinese consumers are finding that Fitbit can help you to make small changes, like walking more, that can add up to big health and fitness benefits,” said Woody Scal, Chief Business Officer at Fitbit. “In partnering with Alibaba’s Tmall, we have the opportunity to reach millions of Chinese consumers. We’ve always seen great potential in China, and we’re looking forward to launching the fashionable Fitbit Blaze and Alta devices through Tmall.”
Fitbit recently announced it had shipped more than one million Fitbit Blaze devices in its first month of availability in the U.S., Europe, Australia and South Asia. The company also announced that more than one million Alta devices have shipped since it went on sale in the U.S. in March.
About Tmall.com
Launched in April 2008, Tmall.com (http://www.tmall.com) is dedicated to providing a premium shopping experience for increasingly sophisticated Chinese consumers in search of top-quality branded merchandise. A large number of international and Chinese brands and retailers have established storefronts on Tmall.com. According to iResearch, Tmall.com was China's largest third-party platform for brands and retailers in terms of gross merchandise volume in 2014.
About Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA)
Alibaba Group's mission is to make it easy to do business anywhere. The company is the largest online and mobile commerce company in the world in terms of gross merchandise volume. Founded in 1999, the company provides the fundamental technology infrastructure and marketing reach to help businesses leverage the power of the Internet to establish an online presence and conduct commerce with hundreds of millions of consumers and other businesses.
About Fitbit, Inc. (NYSE:FIT)
Fitbit helps people lead healthier, more active lives by empowering them with data, inspiration and guidance to reach their goals. As the leader in the connected health and fitness category, Fitbit designs products and experiences that track everyday health and fitness. Fitbit’s diverse line of award-winning products includes Fitbit Surge™, Fitbit Blaze™, Fitbit Charge HR™, Alta™, Fitbit Flex®, Fitbit One® and Fitbit Zip® activity trackers, as well as the Aria® Wi-Fi Smart Scale. Fitbit products are carried in 50,000 retail stores and in 63 countries around the globe.
Fitbit, the Fitbit logo, Fitbit Surge, Fitbit Blaze, Fitbit Charge HR, Alta, Fitbit Charge, Fitbit Flex, Fitbit One, Fitbit Zip, and Aria are trademarks, service marks and/or registered trademarks of Fitbit, Inc. in the United States and in other countries. All other trademarks, service marks, and product names used herein are the property of their respective owners.
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Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements, within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, that involve risks and uncertainties including, among other things, statements regarding the certainty of reaching a definitive agreement regarding a future partnership between Fitbit and Alibaba or the timing and terms of such a partnership, as well as the timing and terms of future marketing events and initiatives such as Fitbit Super Brand Day. These forward-looking statements are only predictions and may differ materially from actual results due to a variety of factors, including the effects of the highly competitive market in which we operate, including competition from much larger technology companies; any inability to successfully develop and introduce new products, features, and services or enhance existing products and services; product liability issues, security breaches or other defects; and other factors discussed under the heading “Risk Factors” in our most recent report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. All forward-looking statements contained herein are based on information available to us as of the date hereof and we do not assume any obligation to update these statements as a result of new information or future events.
