Best Buy Expands Wearable Tech Offerings With Oura Partnership
Oura, the company behind the emerging smart ring and mobile app for personalized health insights and daily guidance, has formed its first U.S.-based, large-scale retail partnership — with Best Buy. The Oura ring launched on BestBuy.com on April 24 and will be available at more than 850 Best Buy stores over the next week.
Approximately 250 Best Buy stores will stock top-selling Oura ring colors and styles and allow shoppers to see and, most importantly, get fitted for the Oura ring using an in-store sizing kit. The remaining stores will offer shipping and/or in-store pickup.
Oura ring sizes are slightly larger than U.S. standard sizes, according to a dedicated brand shop within BestBuy.com, making it important for shoppers to try them on before they buy. Shoppers can also order a sizing kit online for $10. Best Buy is also offering a $10 e-gift card incentive for the retailer with purchases of the kits online.
Notably, Best Buy and Oura are rolling out a dedicated “dynamic” in-store experience at 50 locations aimed at bringing the brand and product to life through visual displays showcasing the the Oura ring’s features and the value of an Oura membership, according to a media release. (The Oura membership offers personal guidance, data and insights delivered daily for $5.99 a month.)
The locations will feature an 11-feet-by-11-feet Oura experience that includes videos, educational information and the ability to see, touch and try on the rings.
“Brick-and-mortar retail is a natural next step for Oura and marks a pivotal moment for the business as we continue to expand into the mainstream,” Tom Hale, Oura CEO, said in the release. “Introducing more people to the benefits of Oura’s technology and providing an impactful in-store and online experience with the help of Best Buy is an exciting step forward for us as a company.”
Most stores will carry inventory of top-selling Oura ring colors and styles, including Heritage black, Horizon silver, Horizon stealth and Horizon gold. All sizes and styles are available on the retailer’s website.
“There's been incredible innovation in the wearables space, and we know our customers are excited to utilize technology to enhance their health and wellness,” Frank Bedo, senior vice president, Best Buy, said in the release. “Oura ring is a natural fit for us as we continue to bring our customers the latest innovations in health technology.”
This partnership comes on the heels of several smaller-scale retail activations for Oura:
- In May 2022, Oura partnered with Gucci for a limited-edition Gucci x Oura Ring, which was sold on Gucci.com and in select stores around the world.
- In October 2022, Oura partnered with Therabody to offer Oura ring in more than 20 of its retail and Reset locations across the U.S.
- In December 2022, Japanese retailer Softbank (SB C&S Corp.) began a partnership that saw Oura rings offered in seven brick-and-mortar locations in Japan and Softbank Selection Online Shop, with plans to expand to the rest of the store fleet in 2023.
“Growing Oura’s presence in retail has been a long time coming, and we’re thrilled, as leaders in wearable technology, to partner with Best Buy,” Doug Sweeny, Oura chief marketing officer, added. “We both value the power of technology to enrich people’s lives, and this partnership allows us to bring Oura to life in a dynamic and visual way for a new audience across the country.”