Thumbtack brings together customers and the local service providers they need to get things done. But in light of the COVID-19 outbreak, the right thing to do now is to stay home and stay apart.
Today, we’re sharing data from the month of March on how this sudden shift has affected the local businesses we serve. These are individuals who often do work in people’s homes – like electricians, house cleaners and painters.
We want the world to see this data because we all need to rally behind the local businesses that are so fundamental to our communities and economy. It’s also critical to get them some immediate relief from local, state and federal governments.
You can see more detailed data showing the impact of COVID-19 on customer projects started on Thumbtack here.
The regions losing the most work.
Virtually no community has been untouched by this outbreak. Some, however, have seen greater decreases in business than others, particularly the areas that issued social distancing orders early on.
From March 1 through March 31, the biggest decline in customer projects are in regions* experiencing some of the highest cases of reported COVID-19.
- San Francisco: down 61 percent
- San Jose: down 60 percent
- New York City: down 49 percent
- Detroit: down 47 percent
- Seattle: down 46 percent
*Regions are defined as Core Based Statistical Areas (CBSAs)
Because of different social distancing policies by region, the impact today looks worse in some areas than others. But, the trend is happening nationwide.
The industries losing the most work.
With stay-at-home orders now covering a majority of Americans, local service industries that require in-person interactions and projects that aren’t time-sensitive are seeing dramatic declines in requests.
Event services have been hit hardest.
Weddings, anniversary parties and other gatherings are being called off to adhere to CDC recommendations. That’s good news for social distancing and giving healthcare workers a chance to stay ahead, but it’s devastating news for event-focused businesses like DJs, caterers and entertainers whose purpose is to bring people together.
There’s one exception: Some couples didn’t want to wait for the all-clear signal to tie the knot. We saw a double-digit increase in requests for wedding officiants between March 3 and March 13 (before most stay-at-home orders were issued).
Home systems and business services adapting to more time at home
Homes that were largely empty except for weekends now host makeshift offices, schoolrooms and leisure activities seven days a week. That puts a lot more strain on home infrastructure. We’re seeing only a slight dip in demand for some home systems categories like plumbing and appliance repair, while larger home projects that can wait like renovations and painting are being put on hold.
As people tackle the projects that they can while staying at home, we’ve seen increases in categories like lawn care, gutter cleaning, pool maintenance and sprinkler and irrigation repair, which are all up over 40 percent.
We are tracking how COVID-19 is affecting local services across industries, cities, and job categories and have more detailed data here.
How Thumbtack can help
Our teams are working to help local businesses through this uncertain time. For pros using Thumbtack, we are building features that support remote work. These range from things like enabling video consults for traditionally onsite jobs like a sink replacement or interior design project as well as packages for ongoing services like personal training or math tutoring. We are also sharing research on how to best communicate with customers and best practices on how to perform contact-free work.
In addition, we have been pushing and will continue to push for local, state, and federal programs and funding for these small businesses. To any policymakers out there doing work that affects small businesses, consider us an open resource and partner to you as you develop plans.
How to support businesses in your neighborhood.
Now, more than ever, we need to support one another and mobilize to help small businesses manage this period of uncertainty. Here’s how you can help your neighborhood local service businesses:
- Hire local service providers who offer remote consultations, do digital work or can work at a distance where local guidance allows (like landscaping or exterior painting).
- Ask pros who do recurring work (like tutoring or fitness instruction) if they can offer video sessions.
- Consider tipping or paying now for work that you’ve postponed.
We will continue to measure the impact we are seeing from COVID-19 on small businesses and will share updates.
About the Data
The data shows the percentage change in the number of customer projects submitted on Thumbtack, indexed to March 1st, 2020. The index comparison is calculated by comparing 7-day moving averages to account for day-of-week fluctuations.
Each day of the week is calculated by taking the average of the day assessed and the preceding 6 days. Each day’s average is then compared to the 7-day moving average of March 1st, the baseline being indexed against.
Only the top 30 Core Based Statistical Areas (CBSAs) are listed above.
