As part of Amazon’s quest to rule the retail world, Reuters has learned that the company “later this year plans to launch a marketplace for local services, a broad term that encompasses anything from babysitters to handymen, several people familiar with the matter said.”¹ In what is certainly a clear mission to upend services like Yelp, Angie’s List, and even Home Depot and Lowes, Amazon is looking to capitalize on a somewhat fragmented market. The new – as yet unnamed – service will begin testing in a way quite similar to Amazon Fresh:

Amazon plans to start in one market to test demand and logistics before rolling it out nationwide, mirroring its approach to its grocery delivery service, Amazon Fresh. Fresh was tested in Seattle for years before expanding to San Francisco and Los Angeles last year.²

Further, according to the Reuters report, Amazon has already begun reaching out to local service providers:

In recent months, Amazon has reached out directly to service providers as well as to several startups in Seattle and San Francisco that already connect service providers to customers through their own web sites and mobile applications, the sources said.

At least one of the startups contacted by Amazon focuses on home repair. Others offer a broader range of services that include massages and haircuts.³

No longer will we have to click on Angie’s List links, hidden behind a pay wall!