Fitbit may get 1 million new users thanks to link up with Singapore government

Fitbit has teamed up with the Singapore government to offer residents the option to pick up an Inspire HR at no cost, as long as they commit to one-year of Fitbit Premium Service.

Essential reading: Top fitness trackers and health gadgets

With fledgling sales of its fitness trackers and smartwatches, the San Francisco outfit has been looking to enter the health services area for a while now. The Singapore deal represents Fitbit’s first integration with a major national public health programme and may be a sign of things to come.

Seeing that Singapore has 5.6 million inhabitants, the collaboration could net Fitbit over 1 million additional users. The country is recognised globally for its world-class health system. In fact, Bloomberg ranked it second in the world last year, only behind Hong Kong. The US was joint 54th with Azerbaijan, slightly above Bulgaria. Not good…

This is all part of a scheme (Live Healthy SG) designed to help Singaporeans get healthier. Despite the longevity of its population (life expectancy 81), there’s a rise of chronic conditions such as hypertension, diabetes and cancer, amongst its rapidly ageing population. Fitbit is one of several partners identified through the call for collaboration by the Health Promotion Board for industry partnerships.

“At Fitbit, our focus has always been on making health more accessible and achievable by giving people fun, simple and innovative technology – and this focus has driven results for millions around the world,” said James Park, cofounder and CEO of Fitbit.

“Our partnership with the Singapore Health Promotion Board is a recognition of our work to date, and we are confident that the powerful combination of our devices, software and services will motivate Singaporeans to improve their health, while also tangibly helping a nation to improve health at scale.

Pre-registration for the Live Healthy SG initiative starts mid-September with the programme set to officially go live a month later. Inspire HR will be free, while the premium service which includes guidance and one-to-one coaching costs $10 per month.

“We think this program could reach up to one million people,” Park told CNBC.

“[It’s an indication] hopefully to investors and other potential customers that the transformation that we’ve talked about in our business model is becoming real.”

Fitbit shares climbed 2% on Wednesday on the New York Stock Exchange. A slight improvement which still leaves them more than 40% down on the start of this year.

Like this article? Subscribe to our monthly newsletter and never miss out!