The US arm of Jawbone is experimenting with a new retail strategy, directly marketing and retailing complementary products from other suppliers on the Jawbone Marketplace which launched this week.

Jawbone Marketplace retails devices and software which complement its activity trackers to US-based customers. Australians browsing the merchandise on the website are redirected to the manufacturer’s own eCommerce site. In Australia Jawbone does not sell any of its own products direct to consumers but redirects them from the Jawbone website to their retail partners.

A screenshot of the Jawbone Marketplace.
A screenshot of the Jawbone Marketplace.

The third party products being sold by Jawbone do not need an Up device to function, however the company says one of its wearables will enhance the product features in a mutually beneficial fashion.

The company says: “Our all-new marketplace delivers essential apps and devices that will make your Up smarter and stronger. Revolutionise the way you live with personal coaching, home automation and more.”

Jawbone VP of eCommerce Matthias Schaefer wrote in a blog post, ” Members of the Up community are currently able to connect their Up accounts to dozens of devices and partner apps that enhance their Up experience. Today, we’re excited to take that offering to the next level by launching our very own online Marketplace.

“To put it simply, we’re bringing the best of the Internet of You to our customers, in a very real and tangible way.”

One category of products on Jawbone Marketplace are smart home devices such as the Nest Learning Thermostat and SmartThings Kit for Jawbone. Packed full of sensors, Jawbone activity trackers can be utilised as a starting point for a system of home automation using the principle of  “if (this) than (that)”. For example, if the activity tracker senses you’ve woken up it can turn on the lights downstairs and start boiling water in the kettle. If it senses you’ve fallen asleep it will tell the thermostat to alter the bedroom’s temperature a few degrees.

The marketplace is selling smart kitchen products like the Orange Chef Prep Pad, a food scale that provides real time nutritional information about food, including calories, carbs, and protein. Other gadgets on the Jawbone Marketplace include Whistle, an activity monitor for Dogs and LoseIt! scales which can connect to an Up wristband, and import your weight data automatically to the Up App every time you step on your scale.

Software available at the Jawbone Marketplace includes subscription to apps which encourage fitness and wellbeing.

Jawbone Marketplace
Jawbone Marketplace