Facebook is taking a page from Amazon, Walmart, and Ikea
- Facebook is launching a new home-services feature for Marketplace.
- It looks a lot like other existing services that offer vetted professionals for hire, like Angie's List and Amazon Home Services.
- Users can enlist professionals to do things like plumbing, cleaning, or performing home renovations.
- Facebook has partnered with Handy, HomeAdvisor, and Porch for the new service.
Facebook wants to be a bigger part of your home.
The social network's Marketplace section is moving further into commerce with the addition of home services. Starting Wednesday, users can enlist the expertise of local professionals to do things like plumbing, cleaning, or performing home renovations. Communication happens directly on the site, via Facebook Messenger.
Facebook says it got the idea from its own users, and it's working with partners like Handy, HomeAdvisor, and Porch to verify the providers on the site.
"More people ask for recommendations related to home services on Facebook in the US than any other topic," Deb Liu, head of Facebook Marketplace, said in a blog post announcing the new service.
Here's how it works:
- Users select the service they want done using the Marketplace menu.
- Facebook asks a few questions to identify what a user needs done.
- Enter a zip code, and Facebook will provide a list of professionals able to do the work.
- Users can then browse the providers and select them based on their profiles and reviews.
The service is a lot like other online portals that allow users to enlist professional help, like Angie's List or Amazon Home Services, which connects customers to local contractors to do work like cleaning and appliance installation. Amazon recently decided to hire its own cleaners in the Seattle area, signaling it might have more ambitious plans in the space.
A number of retailers are launching initiatives to bring home-improvement professionals into customers' homes. Walmart recently announced a partnership with Handy to bring its home-improvement and cleaning services to 2,000 stores, and in September, Ikea acquired TaskRabbit to integrate its assembly expertise into the stores' offerings.