eBay teams up with suppliers to offer home installation services

No primary category set

eBay announced yesterday the launch of its new home installation services via a partnership with Handy, Porch and InstallerNet.

The marketplace says that customers can now easily book the service on a large selection of its inventory that requires installation or assembly. Shoppers can add the solution as part of their checkout process from the most suitable of providers. These include; Handy, which offers from home cleaning,  TV mounting to furniture assembly, Porch, which delivers TV mounting, furniture assembly as well as ongoing home maintenance projects, and InstallerNet, which coordinates installation of consumer and commercial electronics.

A massive amount of home and electronic items are sold on eBay daily, many of which require professional installation. With these new partnerships, we’re able to combine our incredible selection of inventory with easy access to affordable and trusted service professionals, making eBay a one-stop shop for our customers. -Alyssa Steele, vice president of merchandising at eBay.

Handy, Porch and InstallerNet offer customers in the US exclusive pre-screened local service professionals to allow extra convenience for their to home-improvement initiatives.

This news follows the introduction of eBay’s tire installation services in October 2017. eBay shoppers can bundle new tire purchases with professional installation in their local area.

The marketplace promises to seek new opportunities to expand its service offering to keep customers happy. But, it remains to be seen how eBay sellers will react if the installer results in them getting negative feedback or late delivery metric for a service they didn’t sell. Merchants are responsible for supplying and delivering an item on time, but will the buyers differentiate the product from a missed service call or a botched installation?

Is eBay following  Amazon’s footsteps?

Amazon, eBay’s competitor, had launched its ‘home services’ offering in the UK in June 2018, following an earlier introduction of the service in the US. Shoppers can book in an installation or assembly support on a wide range of products via a trusted pool of merchants.

The marketplace went as far as commissioning a study of 1,500 adults to understand shoppers’ preferences when it comes to their DIY initiatives. The analysis suggests 61% of the polled clientele say that they have suffered a ” DIY disaster” when attempted to assemble a new item.

Earlier this year, Amazon has secured a number one spot as a top performing retailer in the UK Customer Satisfaction Index for the sixth consecutive year, outperforming eBay’s ninth score. As it appears Amazon continues to innovate at a higher rate to deliver customer satisfaction, whereas eBay seems to only be catching up.

2 Responses

  1. “The analysis suggests 61% of the polled clientele say that they have suffered a ” DIY disaster” when attempted to assemble a new item.”

    That’s funny, i sell flat pack on ebay, and not a single person has ever admitted to suffering a DIY disaster.
    100% of them do EVERYTHING perfectly, and the only problems are completely my fault and result in me losing money. even when the photos show clearly that they haven’t followed instructions, even when they say in ebay messages they didnt follow the instructions, ebay still insist the customer is right and i deliberately caused this disaster.

    “but will the buyers differentiate the product from a missed service call or a botched installation?”
    No. and ebay will encourage them to blame the seller, as they always do.
    why risk them blaming ebay or ebay’s ‘partners’, stick to the old “sellers are evil” routine. it doesnt cost them anything.

RELATED POSTS..

Sophie Slade Hunswick, Content Director from Amazon consulting agency Sitruna

Mastering the Amazon: Navigating the Currents of E-comm Logistics

Amazon Business in Europe

New Amazon Business ‘Prefer Small and Medium Enterprises’ feature

Lessons from optimising Beechmore Books - An Amazon Best Seller

Lessons from optimising Beechmore Books – An Amazon Best Seller

eBay.com offer White Glove Consignment for luxury apparel

eBay.com offer White Glove Consignment for luxury apparel

Meet the woman behind a 6-figure health snack brand Kooky, selling on Amazon

Meet the woman behind a 6-figure health snack brand Kooky, selling on Amazon

ChannelX Guide...

Featured in this article from the ChannelX Guide – companies that can help you grow and manage your business.

Register for Newsletter

Receive 5 newsletters per week

Gain access to all research

Be notified of upcoming events and webinars