Walmart (WMT) has teamed up with Angi (ANGI) to offer easy access to a list of professional service people who can help out with nearly any household project you can likely name, from mounting a television to getting your plumbing looked at.
The handy people’s services will soon be available for purchase on a dedicated spot for Angi at Walmart’s homepage or can be purchased in-store.
Once a service is purchased, Angi will reach out to coordinate the booking, and all projects are backed by the Angi Happiness Guarantee, which covers projects up to their full purchase price. This will be the first time Angi has exclusively partnered with a major retailer.
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What Is Angi?
Angi is the result of a 2017 merger between two separate companies. Angie's List started in 1995 and was one of the first comprehensive online guides to local home-improvement contractors. It originally existed as a subscription service, before it was purchased by IAC and combined with HomeAdvisor, a similar service.
Currently, Angi offers service people for more than 150 household projects, including painting, furniture assembly, appliance repair, snow removal, gutter cleaning, and general handy person repair services, with prices starting at around $49 for furniture assembly. The company says it has more than 250,000 professionals in its ranks, who are available for more than 500 different projects.
For larger projects such as painting and flooring, a dedicated project advisor will find a professional and provide a custom quote, and will work alongside the customer to make certain the job is completed to their satisfaction.
In 2018, Walmart teamed up with the company Handy to sell in-home installation and assembly services; Handy was later acquired by Angi.
Is Walmart Trying To Catch Up To Lowe’s And Home Depot?
This alliance seems like it could be a win-win for both companies. Angi gets access to a new customer base, who might not be inclined to shop online or believe the process is too complicated. Walmart, for its part, gets to partner with a trusted brand that will allow it to compete with the services offered by Lowe’s (LOW) and Home Depot (HD).
Lowe’s Livable Home Services connects customers to Professional Independent Installers, in select locations, who can install anything from a new door to a smart-home heating device. Home Depot will also help customers find an Authorized Service Provider, for everything from flooring to landscaping to garage door installation.
