Amazon is quietly revamping one of its most under-the-radar services - and it should terrify Yelp and Handy
- Amazon has hired its own cleaning crew for a new service called Amazon Home Assistants.
- It's part of a pilot program in Seattle, where Amazon's cleaners can come to customers' houses to clean for you, Bloomberg reported.
- The cleaners can be booked on Amazon Home Services, which previously only connected customers to independent contractors.
Amazon is bringing its in-home cleaning in-house.
The retailer has hired its own staff and cleaning crew, according to Bloomberg, bringing its in-home cleaning services closer to its chest. The crew is known as Amazon Home Assistants and can be booked through Amazon Home Services.
Amazon Home Services previously only connected customers with independent contractors. Amazon would then take a cut of each sale.
Bringing the cleaning in-house allows for Amazon to have greater control over the products being offered on its site, much like Amazon's private-label goods allow it more flexibility with things like pricing and inventory.
"All our technicians are Amazon employees who are trained professionals," the Amazon Home Assistants advertisement reads. "We use 100% eco-friendly and kid-safe cleaning products which are rated 4 stars and above on Amazon. All our services are backed by our happiness guarantee. If you're not satisfied, we'll come back and fix any problems."
The crew will clean, take out the trash, do laundry, and do dishes. The service is currently only available in the Seattle area.
The new in-house service indicates a renewed focus on the Amazon Home Services platform, which remains somewhat secret even among frequent Amazon customers. Amazon's in-home services are likely to become more important as the company focuses on delivering experiences inside the home, like smart-home consultations or installations of Amazon programs like Amazon Key.
Amazon Key itself is a perfect candidate for synergy with Amazon's new cleaners. Since the cleaners are Amazon employees, customers could be more likely to trust the cleaners to come inside their homes while they're not there.
By the same token, another use case for Amazon Key may increase adoption of the program for those customers on the fence about it.
Amazon's cleaning service also puts it directly in competition with other home service platforms that connect customers and cleaners, like Yelp and Handy.