Dive Brief:

• Amazon Tuesday launched its Amazon Local Services marketplaces, where consumers can find professionals like handymen, auto mechanics, or guitar teachers and contract their services.

• The setup allows consumers to look for a professional in a given field like computer repair, look at rates, schedule an appointment, and pay through the website. Some are offers with temporary discounts that include a ticking clock until the deal expires.

• The idea is similar to services offered by Home Depot and Lowe’s and by startups like Thumbtack.

Dive Insight:

For a company that usually unveils its innovations in dramatic fashion, as it did with its delivery drones and Fire phone, this is a low-key reveal. Maybe the e-retail giant is taking things slow because this area is so unusual for Amazon: It’s not clear if the dominance Amazon enjoys as a marketplace and in logistics like delivery can translate to services.