- Amazon is developing a furniture-assembly and installation service, Bloomberg reported.
- The service would compete with what Wayfair and others have already been offering.
- Delivery drivers would be tasked with assembling and installing furniture and appliances, per the report.
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Amazon is creating a new furniture-assembly service that would task delivery drivers with unpacking and building items for customers, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter.
The premium service will help avoid customers being disappointed if they didn't realize their purchase requires construction, Bloomberg said. The service is likely to be introduced in Virginia along with two other areas, one source told the publication.
With the new service, Amazon drivers would unpack boxes, assemble items, such as couches and beds, install appliances, like washers and dryers, and then remove the items if the customer is dissatisfied, Bloomberg reported.
Details on any potential pricing or launch date for the service are not available. Amazon did not immediately reply to Insider's request for comment on the matter.
Currently, some customers have the option to schedule another person to assemble the product later on, but the new Amazon service would now compete with online-furniture store Wayfair and other large retailers like Home Depot and Lowe's, which offer similar assembly and installation services of their own.
Shares of Wayfair, the online furniture store, sunk after the news hit, as shares of Best Buy, Home Depot, and Lowe's rose.
E-commerce skyrocketed during the pandemic, and with it, online sales of big-ticket items like furniture also jumped as people stayed in and worked on home improvement projects.
In 2020, online furniture and home supplies sales rose 41%, Bloomberg reported, citing Coresight Research. That rise is expected to continue as people spend their stimulus checks and the pandemic begins to wind down with the vaccine rollout.
Delivery truck drivers have been under increasing pressure amid the rise in e-commerce during the COVID-19 outbreak. Even before the pandemic, though, Amazon delivery drives have cited working conditions in which they've had to pee in bottles.
Are you an Amazon delivery driver? We'd love to hear what you think of Amazon's latest idea. Reach out to the reporter of this article at [email protected].