Flipkart Launches AC Servicing & Other Home Services: Challenges Urban Company’s Dominance!

Urban Company began its journey as UrbanClap when it was first launched in November 2014. The company has enjoyed a near-monopoly in the home services sector since the year 2016, after a meltdown in India’s startup ecosystem wiped out its main rivals. However, now this monopoly is about to end and the company is going to face fierce, well-funded competition from Flipkart, which is planning to launch similar services across India in the coming months.

Flipkart sets foot into home services and is going to become a rival to Urban Company

Ecommerce firm Flipkart has quietly set foot into the home services sector, starting with AC servicing, according to the sources.

Flipkart has been providing the service through Jeeves, an after-sales services company it acquired several years ago.

The service is started in cities like Bengaluru and Kolkata and will be expanded to include other cities soon.

Flipkart’s home services business is likely to also include washing machine repairs and other similar services in the coming months.

Urban Company has new competition

This means Urban Company (previously Urbanclap) has a new rival after various competitors of the company fizzled out a few years ago. Since then, the Urban Company has become a mega-popular at-home services provider across India. However, unlike the Urban Company, Flipkart is not going to offer beauty services, according to some sources. Even the company Tata Digital was also looking to enter the at-home services space.

Up until now, Flipkart has used Jeeves to offer installation services to consumers who bought things like ACs, washing machines and furniture from its platform. Now, consumers can get their ACs serviced through Flipkart regardless of where it was bought from.

“They (Flipkart) have been building these capabilities for years now and are opening up to consumers now directly. Directionally, it will get extended to the main categories where such services are needed, periodically” a person in the know of the matter said.

This indicates Flipkart’s entry into another new business, after travel and epharmacy. Flipkart has also opened up its logistics subsidiary Ekart to other ecommerce firms.