Facebook has announced a partnership with Pro.com, a marketplace that connects vetted home services professionals with customers, to let users get an instant quote and book an appointment through its messaging app, Messenger. The service is initially available in Seattle and San Francisco, the companies said. Pro.com also announced on Wednesday a similar service that works through text messages.
Initially, Facebook (FB) won’t make any money from the partnership, according to Bloomberg. Instead, it’s working to turn Messenger into a mobile hub for services in a way similar to popular Asian messaging apps like WeChat. In March, Facebook announced that users will be able to send money through the messaging app, laying the foundation for online commerce. Though Pro.com is the first home services partnership for Messenger, it’s already working with other commerce companies like Zulily, Everlane and Fancy.
But despite Facebook’s global brand recognition and having 700 million monthly active users on Messenger, the social network already has stiff competition in the home services space, including giants like Amazon (AMZN) and Google (GOOGL), startups like Thumbtack, and more established companies like Angie’s List and HomeAdvisor.