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 Amazon Home Services, which will launch on Monday, will allow
customers to buy 700 services such as car maintenance, TV
wall-mounting and house cleaning at upfront prices. The quality of
the service will be backed with an Amazon guarantee, which the
retailer uses to vouch for products sold by third-party sellers on
its website.
A home services marketplace will extend Amazon's role as a middleman
for third-party vendors, which account for about 40 percent of its
sales. It would also help Amazon gain an edge in the fast-growing
services industry in the U.S. which the retailer estimates to be
around $630 billion.
"Third party estimates show that customers spend four times more on
services each year than they do on physical products," Peter Faricy,
vice-president, Amazon Marketplace told Reuters.
"So for us the opportunity is very big," he said.
Around 85 million Amazon shoppers buy products that require
servicing or installation, the company said. Amazon will roll out
the service nationwide with "high coverage" in Seattle, San
Francisco, Los Angeles and New York.
Services marks a new frontier for Amazon, which has focused on
selling products as it expanded from books into consumer goods,
groceries and media. Local services have been tough for marketplace
companies to turn a profit, since offerings must be tailored to each
city or region.
Amazon will be in direct competition with Angie's List Inc,
Craigslist Inc, and Yelp Inc as well as U.S. home improvement chains
like Home Depot Inc and Lowe's Companies Inc, which have invested in
ways to link customers with local plumbers, painters and other
service providers.
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Amazon will hand pick service professionals after running background
checks and offer to match prices if customers get a lower price for
the same service and professional on another site, store or directly
from the professional within 30 days of a purchase, Faricy said.
Amazon Home Services will have a revenue share model with the
service providers. The retailer will charge a 5 percent transaction
fee, along with platform fees ranging from 10 percent for custom
services and 15 percent for standardized services.
(Reporting by Nandita Bose in Chicago)
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