4.4 PSS Test and Implementation for Domestic Plumbing Services – Phase 3
4.4.1 Benchmark Study in E-Commerce of Home Services in Indian Context
Products and Services
Cleaning & disinfection, Salon at home, electricians, carpenter, plumbers, painters, AC service & repairs, pest control, massage therapy and yoga fitness
Beauty, interior design, construction, and renovation services home cleaning, repairs, painting, installing appliances, pest control, plumbing, electrician, and carpentry services
Online Platforms
Website and App Website and App
Customers served
5+ millions 2+ millions
Total funding $ 190.9 million $ 30.2 million No. of
acquisitions 3
(Handyhome.in; in 2016) (Goodservice.in; in 2016) (Glamazon.com; in 2020)
2
(Mywash.in; in 2016)
(Orobind fitness technologies Pvt Ltd; in 2016)
Investors Steadview Capital, VY Capital, SAIF Partners, ACCEL Partners + 5
Matrix Partners, Amazon, and Vertex Ventures + 6
Type of E-commerce
B2C B2C, and B2B
Value Proposition
For Customers
Ease of browse and booking an essential service. Visit the service provider profile and his qualities. Multiple payment options.
Rate and review the services on their platform. Avail of free service by invite and referring services to friends.
Insurance up to INR 10,000.
Service acceptance notifications to confirm the booking. In-app chat with service professionals.
Verified professional for service requests, Insured work, Rework assurance,
Professional support, Rate and review the services on their platform.
For Service Provider
Expand service business, Flexible working hours, Partner support to solve queries.
Become a tech-friendly professional, Confirmed bookings and business growth, Incentives & conveyances
Revenue
Streams
Commissions, Reverse-Auction.
Advertisement.
Commissions.
Subscriptions.
Lead generation.
Geographical Presence
Location
Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi NCR, Chandigarh, Jaipur, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Ludhiana, Vishakhapatnam, Lucknow, Bhubaneswar, Surat, and Indore.
Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Australia, and Singapore.
Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Mumbai, and Pune
Website Traffic
Total visit in last six months (as of Sept 2020)
756.19K 54.84K
Average time
spent 1.13 minutes 3.16 minutes
Bounce rate 61.72% 62.10%
Traffic source
Search (66.78%), Direct (30.54%), Social (1.75%), Referrals (0.92%)
Search (67.98%), Direct (27.47%), Social (0.04%), Display (3.48%), Referrals (1.03%)
Website Design
Website homepage
Company logo and call to action (CTA) link for blogs, service provider registration, and user signup/login.
Wide range of services depicted with vector images
Cashback offers, bank discounts, service warranty, and minimum consultation charges are displayed.
User testimonials are shown for the safety standards from social media Twitter.
Refer and get free service, download links for mobile apps.
Operational activities were serving in India and International cities.
Social media links for Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, and Pinterest
Company logo, a search query for services, service provider registration, user login, and cart icon
The website navigation represents the drop- down menu for the services.
CTA for a salon at home and home cleaning offers are displayed.
Line diagram representation of several services is depicted to select the required services.
The image and short description for an instant discount, cashback offer for new users.
Subscription offers monthly, annual basis, and the number of services.
Operational activities were serving in Indian cities.
Download links for mobile app.
Social media links for Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and LinkedIn
Business Strategy
Competitive Advantage
Cost leadership, product and service differentiation, demographic presence, niche market acquisitions, and overseas operations Young and aspirational management team.
Use of real-time data and AI techniques.
Customization and ease in online booking services
30,000+ service professionals across India.
End-to-End responsibility on every service.
Aggregator in a niche market of construction and renovation services, Development in brand awareness, new technology, and business expansion in new cities for interiors, renovation and
construction business.
New and experienced leadership team hired with a focus on innovation and digital transformation.
65,000+ service professionals across India.
(i) Organization size: It has been observed that, the Urbancompany has more number of employees (501 – 1000) compared to Housejoy (201 - 500). The benchmarked organizations in this study has market place business model. The number of customers served by Urbancompany is more than five million, whereas, Housejoy has served two million customers, as a status of September 2020. The number of acquisitions by Urbancompany is three and Housejoy is two. Urbancompany has raised $190 million of total funding and Housejoy has raised $ 30.2 million.
(ii) Value proposition: As observed under this study, on-demand services provide different value propositions to their customers like the ease of booking an essential service, in-app chat with the service professional, insurance for damage during service, verified professional, service guarantee, refer and earn free service. These value propositions can be benchmarked during the development phase of on-demand service.
(iii) Revenue streams: It has been observed in this study, on-demand service aggregators have a commission model through the listing of plumbers, carpentry and electrician services. With
advent growth due to funding and capturing niche services, aggregators have subscription fees, reverse-auction and advertisement fees.
(iv) Geographical presence & website traffic: It is observed that on-demand services are operational in India’s urban cities. There is an opportunity to extend these services to tier 2 cities. Website traffic or the total number of visits to websites is a popular measure for online business success. Consumers find on-demand services through search in contrast with direct web addresses. To reach the maximum audience, social media, referrals and advertisements are employed.
(v) Website design: Website design is an essential factor that converts visitors to customers.
Content and information overload could cause customers to leave before making any purchase.
The website’s landing page design examined in this study has a clear layout, minimal content, and more Call-to-Action (CTA) for easy navigation. These factors could be benchmarked for consumers’ willingness to book on-demand services.
(vi) Competitive advantage: In the last few years, many start-ups have evolved to provide on- demand services in India. However, only a few have sustained competitive advantages, such as cost leadership, product and service differentiation, customization and global presence.
Significant differentiating factors may evolve from effective utilization of funding resources, brand awareness, adaptation of new technology, management of leadership team, business acquisitions and expansions.