Can Shopify Work for Local Service-Based Businesses Like Cleaning Companies?

[umarkhan-1]

Hey everyone!

I run a local cleaning company called Hellamaid, and we’ve been looking into expanding our reach by offering gift cards, maybe even selling some eco-friendly cleaning products online.

I’m curious, has anyone here used Shopify for a non-product-based business, like services or bookings?
Would love to hear how others approached this. I’m especially curious about things like local delivery, service scheduling, or using Shopify as a storefront for physical services.

Thanks in advance!

[Kudosi-Carlos]

Hello @umarkhan-1 

You can definitely do this. Here’s how I would have set it up:

1. First, gift cards are built in. Just enable them under Products → Gift Cards, and you’ll get a digital gift-card product you can sell at any price.
2. For service scheduling, merchants often use a lightweight booking app like Sesami or BookThatApp. They let you:

• Create “service” products (e.g. “1-Hour Cleaning”)
• Define your available dates and session
• Block out holidays or fully booked days

Customers pick a session right on your product page, and the appointment shows up in your Shopify Orders. If you want to sell eco-cleaning products alongside bookings, just treat them as normal inventory (you can even bundle a cleaning service + starter kit as a single product).

For local delivery or in-home service, use Shopify’s Local delivery settings. You can:

• Define your service area by postal code
• Set a flat delivery/visit fee or tier it by distance
• Restrict delivery days so you don’t get requests on off-hours

On the back end you’ll see those fees right in the order—no need for a separate invoicing system. A few real-world tips:

• Use Calendar integrations (Google or Outlook) so every new Shopify booking auto-appears in your schedule.
• If you need deposits, set a partial-payment app like PayWhirl or use a 100% gift-card-based workflow (sell a “Service Voucher” gift card for the visit).
• Leverage the “Thank You” page for upsells—offer your eco-product line right after their booking is confirmed.

[LeoP]

Hi there

I'm Leo and i've built Cowlendar over the past 3.5 years which is now the highest rated booking app on Shopify (both in terms of review and in the official Shopify ranking system)

If you have any specific question, i'll be happy to answer them.

Until then, I've found a few shops using Cowlendar for their cleaning business, feel free to check them. They're managing thousands of bookings per year on our app. 

https://pulirr.com/ 
https://www.sunflowerfamilycleaningservices.com/ 

https://clean4uny.com/ 
https://consentcleaning.org/ 
https://outperformancecleaning.com.au/