Classified information website is in doubt Whirlpool

Classified information site is stuck in a questioning whirlpool. March 25, 58 the city was accused of a problem with the capital chain, cash flow only enough to maintain the operation for 4 months. Earlier, net was sent to mass layoffs and face closure.

Caused by rumors of the capital chain all around the culprit, such as "group buy", such as "58 monthly net loss of 10 million Yuan", the future may "cut off", and net is said to lay off 600, abandon group buying business.

NET's official response to this is that this spring festival, net to the group buying business adjustment, some business assessment substandard staff turnover, but the value in 5%, is normal. "We're not going to give up group buying, we're just not putting in too much manpower. "NET E-commerce Business Department Vice president Wang Liantao told reporters, now full-time responsible for group buying business staff has 100 people, other group buying staff has been transferred to take charge of short-term rental.

"The classification information website is thin, generally is the intermediary thought, mainly obtains the revenue through the advertisement." In contrast, buy more heavy, need to find another merchant, project promotion, account settlement and other industrial chain links. "Group 800" co-founder Hu Chen believes that it needs to invest a lot, and now average profit is less than 10%, short-term returns less, the amount of money on the site is a challenge.

But another classified information site 58 with the city CEO Yiu Jingbo said, "2012 is 58 group to continue the wonderful year, not only will not be cut off, and the scale will continue to expand." ”

In 2005, the Craigslist Chinese apprentice, after 7 years of waves, only the market, 58 with the city and the people. In the Regiment and not regiment, why regiment, why not regiment and other operational ideas, their respective differences are more and more obvious.

Market Transfer Short Rent

According to group buying navigation Portal "Regiment 800" data: 2011 Market Group Purchase turnover rose, last November for 66.11 million Yuan, December, the highest value of 70.84 million yuan, but this year January, its turnover suddenly contrarian decline, only 47.26 million yuan.

"This year, each of the live Group purchase site turnover has been growing rapidly, an increase of 30%, individual sites reached 40% to 50%." "Group 800" co-founder Hu Chen believes that the rush to buy the company and industry trends do not match.

This shows that net is active compression group buying business. Market CEO Yang Hao in the interview with this reporter also confessed: "Group buying is not the market focus." ”

Late start to rush group purchase has lost the opportunity of industry leader. At the end of 2011, the prudent market is still thinking about what to do. March 2011, the group to catch the official online, and handle, the United States Regiment, litters, 58 city in the first half of 2010 online. At present, by the turnover, the group purchased in the whole site 10.

Yang Hao-hu that, under the Internet Matthew Effect, the group purchase site can only enter the first three opportunities. At present, the surviving group buys are equal, and because the group buys the big stall, if does not have the sustained strong capital investment, it is difficult to go through.

"The biggest harvest is to find that the market is not only running the flow of information, there are transactions." Wang Liantao told reporters that group buying is an attempt, in fact, to the market strategic layout help not. Yang Ze pointed out that with group purchase need to constantly on new projects, provide services, compared to short-term rental more like platform business, just the landlord, tenant accommodation, the basic can be "once and for all".

Profit angle, buy average net profit 5% to 6%, short rental will be the landlord's income of 10% as a commission, higher profits. In addition, the short term rental in the market appears to play a "strategic product" role. "With the help of short rent, the market hopes to build a platform of electric business." "Yang believes that short rent is the market to find information on the classification of the important profit of the site."

August 2011, Buy is still flourishing, rush group purchase and short rent integrated into E-commerce department, by Wang Liantao, ant short Rent just on line, is in the bud, two business common set of men and horses. At present, after adjustment, the size of the Department of Electrical and commercial personnel reached 400 people.

Group purchase into 58 with the city flagship

58 Group buying Business online earlier, in June 2010 officially online. According to Hu Chen revealed the "Regiment 800" data, this January, 58 group purchase revenue of about 80 million yuan, February is 90 million yuan.

"Do group buying fast two years, 58 with the city's advantages of further expansion of the field." Before, we in the frequency low, the unit price high service has the superiority, like moves, the photography and so on. Group Buy let 58 with the city in high frequency, low unit price before the advantage of the service to obtain user identification, such as KTV, catering, spa and so on. "58 Zhangkuang, vice president of the city, group purchase also let it explore a number of users to provide standardized products experience."

Taste the sweetness, 58 with the city in the spring Festival to recruit heavily. In Yiu Jingbo's view, many of the future segments of the industry will be electronic commerce, group buying ultimately from information to trade, the overall size will expand.

"Our goal is to provide a simple, convenient recruitment, sales and marketing tool platform for local service companies through 58 group deals." Zhangkuang told reporters that group purchase is only 58 of life service business continuity. 2011, 58 Group buying has been transformed into the center of the electric business, no longer for group buying and group buying.

Beginning in April this year, local service enterprises can get a free shop in 58 with the city, the latest information and offers to 58 yellow pages, can be sent to 58 group buys, recruitment information to 58 recruitment.

"' 58 Yellow Pages +58 Group buy +58 recruit ' all concentrates in the shop one-stop service, the local merchant can conveniently complete the recruitment, the marketing, the promotion and so on enterprise basic demand. Zhangkuang told reporters, this is to buy for the vanguard of the integration model, the next 58 can also provide to find a house, shop and other series of integrated services.

According to the "Regiment 800" data, the current 58 group buy group buying industry third Echelon. The first echelon of the handle, the United States, litters and other sites, such as Web site revenue more than 200 million yuan, the second echelon of the Review Group, glutinous Rice Regiment revenue more than 100 million yuan, 58 with the City and F Regiment, full, tick and other revenue but 100 million.

58 The city is also brewing short rental business, but not yet online. In Zhangkuang view, the user demand for rental large, short rental, day rent ideas may not be fully satisfied. He revealed that the 58-group Hotel channel, 58 real estate channel short rental added up, daily sales of more than 3000 rooms. 58 Short rent is 58 will "hotel group purchase" Peel out, only as an Internet product, and ants short rent ideas have differences.

Zhangkuang that in China to do vertical type of platform road will be more and more narrow, better days than the big platform. and Wang Liantao that, the scope of a small group, should choose a subdivision industry as the starting point, such as short rental, real estate, second-hand and so are better choice.

People cling to Craigslist.

Whether it is the market, or 58 of the same city, the ultimate ownership seems to be the electric business platform, business model is, the profit model is advertising sales, buy, to the merchant charges. The establishment of the earliest classified information Web site Bai is still craigslist.

Bai CEO Wang Jianyue that second-hand classified information site is Consumer-to-consumer business, the end point is the individual, not the merchant: "The keywords in the classified information industry are ' personal to individual ' and ' meeting transactions ', whose advertising model is for the premium service charges for personal information, and for businesses in some fine-grained categories."

Under such a concept, Bai has been taking a small and beautiful route. At present, there are only 50 Bai employees, most of them are technology and operation, few sales staff, most of the business directly outsourced. Wang believes that "Profit = Total revenue-cost", once established into the size of the sales team, the cost of sales will be very high, eventually this cost will be passed on to the user.

To buy and short rent, Wang Jianyue also not cold. At the end of 2010 domestic group buying in full swing, Wang Jianyue made clear that Bai will not touch group buying. In the face of higher profits of the hotel short rental, Wang Jianyue also not tempted. "Group buy and classified information site is two completely different business, group buying is actually the company, need to mobilize enterprise resources, does not conform to the classified information site's ' light ' route." Hotel Short rental will also be connected to a large number of enterprises, need to invest a lot of human management. "Wang Jianyue told reporters that the domestic classification of the Web site from the advertising revenue has not been a large-scale outbreak, once you do group buying, short rental, its operating costs, marketing costs will remain high, which will let the classified information site without thinking.

But Yiu Jingbo that China does not like the United States such a second-hand goods trading integrity culture. "Meet the transaction" the risk is larger, not reliable information, even if one side is not deceived, but also pay higher time cost. Now, although demand has burst out, but because of trust and transaction costs, second-hand trading is often only a subdivision of the forum, some of the real community booming.

"In the future, second-hand trading will be a big market," he said. "Wang Jianyue that second-hand trading is the user's inner needs, and that the good thing to buy cheap is human nature, and culture has no relationship." The atmosphere of integrity can be changed with platform and user maturity.

Previously, Bai investors, Benchmark Capital Partners, Facebook's former CTO and vice president of operations Matt Cohler had a point of view: "Internet entrepreneurship is a sprint marathon", online classification market is a marathon campaign, Craigslist also took more than 10 years to mature, and the Chinese began to have idle goods for nearly 10 years.

In the classification information site before spring has not come, Bai adhere to the "Meet the Transaction" principle, do not welcome online payment, delivery mode, and with "Report" button, the user can identify the authenticity, effectively prevent counterfeiting.