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Amazon.com ( AMZN ) and its Home Services business has expanded to more than 90% of the U.S., according to Amazon spokeswoman Erika Takeuchi. Home Services helps shoppers find and hire local businesses to do things like housecleaning, or assembling furniture — much like the Yellow Pages, but backed with Amazon’s customer service and guarantees. The service also has an on-demand component. In a press release, Amazon said that the on-demand market for home services is estimated to be worth between $400 billion and $800 billion. The company has added 500 services, bringing the total to 1,200. The largest markets are Los Angeles, New York and Washington D.C., Takeuchi said. “It’s because of the density of the metro area,” she said. The company is in 30 metro markets, up from four a year ago. Takeuchi says the most popular services are television wall-mounting, treadmill assembly, and housecleaning; and that services offered via the site are subject to seasonal trends. For example, she says, cleaning and home-improvement-related services are most popular in spring and housecleaning before the holidays. When asked about competitor Angie’s List ( ANGI ), and the company’s recent announcement about tearing down its paywall — it previously was a subscription service — Takeuchi said that Amazon does not comment on competitors. Scalper1 News
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