Amazon Axes an Entire Product Line That Many People Loved

Now’s the time to get your refund.

E-commerce titan Amazon  (AMZN) – Get Free Report has a reputation for adapting just about any service to its library of consumer offerings. The company has even come under fire for duplicating products in order to offer a more “Amazon Basic” version — often pricing out independent business owners in the process.

But it looks like there’s one arena in which Amazon couldn’t get its foot in the door in time to price out the competition — exercise trackers. The online retailer has just announced it’s discontinuing its line of movement tracking bands, the Halo series, effective on July 31. 

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“We recently made the very difficult decision to stop supporting Amazon Halo,” read the statement issued by Amazon on April 26. “Beginning on August 1, 2023, Amazon Halo devices, and the Amazon Halo app, will no longer function.”

For customers who purchased the Halo Band, Halo View, and Halo Rise, all purchases made in the last 12 months will be refunded. The company is also encouraging consumers to send any Halo devices to Amazon’s in-house recycling program.

As for the company, the decision will predictably come with a round of layoffs in the Halo development department. In a letter obtained by The Verge, Amazon VP of smart home and health Melissa Cha wrote that Amazon has “made the difficult decision to wind down the Halo program, which will result in role reductions.”

“More recently, Halo has faced significant headwinds, including an increasingly crowded segment and an uncertain economic environment. […] We must prioritize resources and maximize benefits to customers and the long-term health of the business.”

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