Sears enters online home services market

Rather than let third-party platforms have all the online home services fun to themselves, Sears is joining the game.



Sears Home Services is launching a new site, SearsHomeServices.com, aimed at connecting homeowners with Sears-certified technicians. The site also offers do-it-yourself information. Technicians are regionally listed and rated by criteria such as number of repairs completed, average cost, and length of repair time. Customer reviews are also featured.



Appointments can be scheduled online with text confirmations and updates. Customers can also find locations and hours of nearby Sears repair centers.



Earlier this year, Sears Home Services opened a technology office in Seattle to develop technological innovations based on proprietary home and appliance repair data. Sears will continue to update the website in the coming months, adding more features and home service categories.



"You don't have to go it alone," said Sean Skelley, president, Sears Home Services. "We are the house experts for homeowners, and our new website connects homeowners to repair or improvement experts quickly. So whether it's one of our more than 6,000 technicians to fix a washer or a home improvement specialist to provide specifications for a new heating system or roof, SearsHomeServices.com has you covered."



The first major retailer to enter the online home services market, which had previously been dominated by portals such as Craigslist.com and AngiesList.com, was Amazon.com. Google entered the space in August. However, even Amazon essentially serves as a third-party marketplace for independent contractors, although the retailer says it verifies providers and tracks their performance data.



Sears is changing the model by focusing on Sears-certified technicians, who do not exclusively but primarily offer services for products sold by Sears. Sears has long been a pioneer in seamless digital customer experience with offerings such as the ShopYourWay social network, but so far has not really caught on with younger, digitally savvy consumers.

By fitting its seamless retail experience with its more traditional customer base of homeowners, Sears is improving the chances of success in the digital era.