The Google Store serves as the place to learn more about Made by Google and the way to buy products directly. Made by Google is now advertising the Fitbit acquisition with a prominent store link.
Shortly after the acquisition closed this morning, all Google Store pages were updated with a dark blue banner. It only appears when you scroll to the top of the page.
Fitbit, welcome to the Google family. Explore fitbit.com
This is a prominent statement for everyone who visits the store. The link leads users to the main Fitbit product page which contains everything from smart watches and fitness trackers to smart scales. Accessories, such as additional tires and replacement chargers, and subscription services also appear here. Finally, Fitbit has a “gear” section to buy track jackets and other branded clothing.
Meanwhile, there’s another welcome message among the full screen banners on the Google Store homepage advertising the Pixel 5 / 4a 5G, Nest Audio and Chromecast with Google TV, as well as the “all products” carousel. This one contains the flagship Fitbit Sense with a second link to “Explore”.
Aside from Twitter and Facebook, the store is the main way Google tells the public that it now owns Fitbit.
It remains to be seen whether the Google Store will start selling Fitbit products, as the recently acquired company has had a retail website for some time. Google may initially only add and sell Fitbit products in a manner similar to third-party accessories. (Another question is whether Fitbit’s help documentation and community will move to Google Support.) If so, it will indicate the return of smartwatches to the site following the LG Style and Sport.
One historical precedent is the Nest acquisition. Nest.com for product discovery and purchase was shut down in June 2019 after being announced a month earlier by the unified Google Nest monk. Fitbit could be sent on a similar path in the long run to better align it under the Made by Google brand.
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