360 Foundation instability, diversion Limited

With UC Ali launched God Horse Search, the second largest security manufacturer Cheetah Mobile successful listing, mobile strategy for a long time not clear, slow development of the 360 recently finally sit down! The three-month-old Zhou announced a few months ago, proposing a 360 mobile development strategy, announcing a move search. During the earnings meeting, Zhou said in an analyst question that the mobile search app would be released, with 360 mobile phone assistants and 360 mobile browsers working together to guide the mobile search. Then 360 search app finally long-awaited began to come out, 360 aspects claiming to be mobile search app to get through all of its mobile products.

At present, 360 on the mobile end of the development strategy and the PC-side three-stage rocket development model is the same: Mobile Guardian/Mobile phone assistant + Mobile browser + mobile search. Just unlike the PC end, 360 mobile first-class rockets, mobile phone security guards, mobile assistants. Objectively speaking, although the 360 mobile development path is slightly clear, but the outlook is not optimistic. Compared to the traditional advantages of the PC side, the 360 mobile end of the so-called three-stage rockets, whether in the product's user size, user influence, the use of stickiness, or in the channel capacity, commercial liquidity ability, and the advantages of the PC is far away, depending on the development of the three-stage rockets can be successful, still make people full of doubts.

First level: Unstable Foundation, limited diversion

Analysis of the 360 level three rocket strategy, may wish to start from the first level.

In the field of mobile phone security, although 360 mobile phone security guards currently occupy a leading edge, but still face many challenges.

First, the overall demand for security defender products is decreasing. This reduction is reflected in the new installation, but more importantly, the user's use of frequency. In fact, on the PC side also face the same problem, recall how long our computer has not been virus or Trojan?!

Second, security Guardian products are taking the "light" route. Lighter products such as leopard-cleaning masters are being welcomed by more and more users than the bulky products of security guards. From the Cheetah Mobile (formerly Jinshan Network) to successfully listed in the United States, you can see the mobile phone to clean up the energy of such products.

Again, is 360 old rival Baidu's aggravating. 360 wanted to move from mobile security, into mobile search; Baidu played a engagement, moving from mobile search to mobile security. And Baidu has handed over a fairly good report card in the Mobile-security field, compared with a slow 360. According to the well-known third party data research organization Enfodesk, "China Mobile phone Security Market Status Report 2014" shows that the first quarter of 2014 Baidu mobile phone security products Baidu Guardian, online 100-day active user market share that breakthrough 18%. 360 in just one quarter, the market share decreased by more than 10 percentage points.

In addition, the previous "Apple under the door" also let 360 impossible, the iOS platform for the increase of 0,360 is facing a very passive situation.

Then look at 360 mobile phone assistants, according to 360 of the said current mobile search has been placed in 360 mobile phone assistant search inside, because 360 mobile phone helper users are very large, can search for mobile phone. In fact, the ability of 360 mobile phone assistants to guide mobile search is actually very limited. Users use 360 mobile phone helper Search, the demand is very clear--search for the application they want to use, that's all. On this basis, you have to provide users with more things are useless, the user clicks the possibility of little. Imagine, ordinary users who would like to use 360 mobile phone assistants to search today's weather?

Second level: One step behind, backward step by step

Indeed, one of the big challenges facing 360来 is the fall of the portal to the mobile browser. Data from China's It research center showed that, in the first quarter of 2014, the market share of 360 mobile browsers was only 7.5%, and was left behind by UC, Tencent and Baidu, and was on the verge of a rather awkward position. Market share is about one-third of Baidu, and more than one-sixth points of UC. Such a low market share, if not changed, means that 360 in the mobile phone browser This product, will be a complete failure.

It's not too late to say 360 into a mobile browser, but why do you get up early and catch a late set? Among them, in addition to mobile phone guards, mobile phone assistants, security desktop and other Zhou more value of the mobile products involved in more than 360 of the energy, and looked at the strong rise of millet mobile phone, so that 360 also once want to take the "hardware with software" route. Only 360 of the company's own reputation, as well as Zhou strong, so that relatively conservative major hardware manufacturers at a respectful distance. This toss, let 360 mobile phone browser missed the best opportunity for development.

In the wrong pace, the 360 mobile phone browser positioning also appeared problems. And UC Province, Baidu Fast, Oupeng light etc, 360 of the core selling points in its expertise in the field of "security." Browser market, security is not just needed, "fast" is the first demand. Under such a premise, 360 dozen safety card again, obviously is the medicine is not right disease.

It is also worth emphasizing that the channel is not omnipotent. In the PC Internet age, 360 of users, many of them are small white users, 360 security guards, 360 browsers, provide what products, these users what products, this also fully play the channel capacity of 360. But in the mobile era, the user's willingness to choose more strong, more willing to choose to meet their own needs of QQ, micro-letter, mobile phone Baidu and other products, 360 of the channel drainage capacity, was greatly weakened. This is why 360 of mobile browsers have not been able to move the end of the mobile, continue to replicate its magic on the PC side of the important reason.

Still, 360 of the current mobile strategy does not completely abandon the intention of the mobile browser. Zhou, 360, CEO of the company, said in an analyst conference call that a new version of the mobile browser would soon be released. "We believe that with 360 security and brand awareness, the browser should be given the share it deserves," he said. "Although 360 of mobile browser development is more confident, but the edge of the 360 mobile phone browser also want to rely on the past rely on security products bundled installation, etc., to surpass the front of the three mountains, quite a bit of the Arabian Nights."

Third level: Mobile search, self-supply ability not

Failure in the field of mobile browsers means that the path of feeding the mobile search, mobile search app from the mobile browser is already blocked.

Although the three-stage rocket strategy, but now Sogou search, on the one hand can be fully accommodated Tencent's product line, including QQ, Qzone, Tencent Network, QQ Browser, QQ Web site navigation, QQ Mobile browser, etc. on the other hand can get Sohu group in the media platform, video, Games and gaming platforms, and so on to give Sogou search support. From the point of view of resource support, 360 is obviously a big cut.

If the control industry leader Baidu, 360 is a big difference. In addition to search engine technology, cloud platform and other low-level technology and user base far behind and Baidu, now Baidu has formed a "Baidu mobile phone browser + mobile phone Baidu + Vertical content" of the self-running ecology. Mobile search for vertical content to continuously import large and accurate traffic, and vertical content for mobile search to build an insurmountable moat. According to Baidu Cloud technology director Wang Jingyu before the 201,400-degree Alliance Summit released figures show, "Baidu Mobile search to the third party day to export traffic has reached 1 billion." ”

When this article was written, the shares of Qihoo 360 fell again. For several months, Qihoo 360 's share price fell to around $70 from the top 124 dollars, evaporating nearly half of its market capitalisation.

Behind all this, is 360 in the mobile phone security core business by Tencent, Baidu's fierce impact; in the field of application distribution, was "Baidu mobile phone assistant 91 mobile phone assistant Android Market" overtook; in the absence of smartphones, there are few bright spots in other intelligent terminals, in the cloud computing, O2O, Internet finance and other fields, no ......

Mobile Internet is a rapidly changing field, and the capital market is as ruthless as the vast number of users. There are still some old lines to eat in 360, but if this is the case, 360 will lose more than just the development opportunities in mobile browsers and mobile search directions, but perhaps the second-tier Internet company from bat to the edge of the mobile wave. This is clearly not what Beikewen Zhou want to see.

In this sense, to make up for the edge of the industry has been marginalized mobile phone browser This weak point, to find a spark to ignite the three-stage rocket, for 360, already imminent.