Handle nets three cells into the master, rejuvenation is difficult to have surgery

2014 for the field of group buying, is by the smoke of the thousand regiments of the world after the reshuffle of the development of the oligarch market year. Unable to fight again those big Regiment small regiment, is not the direct closure is bought and finally, from the regiment treasure nets, 24 coupons to full, glutinous rice is nothing more. In a group of frustrated names, the most frustrating when a handle, the first group buy big guy has not only been the star of the United States Regiment flung far, even by glutinous rice riding on the head.

Three cells in the master, rejuvenation difficult to have the technique

Several attempts to get the IPO out of the handle, the bitter support to this year almost mountain poor mountain, seeking gold master acquisition is the only way out. With the three cell group in October 19 decided to shoot, the handle seems to see the hope of a comeback, when they even shouted out the revival to be listed in a share of the slogan. But the slogan after all but only slogans, the reality of cruelty often can not have the slightest illusion. Recently, there have been news that the handle is not only shrinking sharply, but even the executive team has fallen apart as a result of the personnel turmoil.

According to the disclosure of people familiar with the matter, the original executive team core members, including the financial VP, put VP, etc., have just left the former CEO Feng together to leave, the top only incumbent CEO Chiliping one. Due to the management team fault, the handle has recently had to promote some of the middle, grassroots staff to the position of Vice president. This is unthinkable for a company with a large scale. Whether these new executives have enough leadership and experience, employees are afraid to doubt it. In terms of layoffs, the number of people involved has reached nearly 300 from terminus to substation. As the current volume of operations has been greatly reduced, a large number of operators have been cut at the head office, accounting for One-third of the total, while the number of stations has reached 200, and almost every sector has shrunk.

According to the plan previously disclosed by the acquirer, the handle will shrink the group buying business and integrate with the three cell group's sales business-to become the online sales channel of the three cell group's retail business. Considering that the three-cell owned grand three cell, music language communication, Nanjing New Hundred, Brookstone and House of Fraser and other companies can provide a variety of products for the handle network, it seems that this is a good transition road. Handle through such a broken wrist-like downsizing to the force to hold out, in order to survive in the picture, in fact, is the best choice in the present situation.

But does it really help? In the two months since the takeover, the handle has not seen a noticeable improvement in performance, and the situation is still precarious, and the transition has forced them to navigate the edge of group buying and online sales. Continue to do so, small within the view that the situation is rather pessimistic. Why do you say that?

Let's talk about the handle. The current situation in the field of group buying: Analysys International released the "2014 3rd quarter of the Chinese group Purchase market quarterly monitoring" shows that the current domestic group buy market size of 23 billion yuan, almost doubled in the first quarter, the United States Group Network with 55% of the share of the majority, followed by the public comment on the 22.1 %, then is the Baidu glutinous rice accounted for 13%. Handle nets not only failed to catch up with the market situation has turned good, but has become a "other army" in a member, the share of the small. The only thing to be thankful for is that the brand recognition of the handle network is still in the market, only the three strong. In addition to these already figure gradually distant old opponents, there are more and more vertical Field service providers appear, handle unless can be "in situ full of blood resurrection", otherwise difficult to have the opportunity to roll over. Although the three-cell aspects of the handle will not give up the purchase business, but from the grim situation, the handle only transformation is wonderful.

Then look at the handle and the tri-cell fusion, the prospect of a transformation: as a traditional retail enterprise, the channel is being quickly eroded by the electric dealers, the transformation of the situation they bought 5 of companies this year, including Macquarie and handle the two Internet companies. Because of their different business scope, the three cells so far have not been able to make each other gas color and did not accelerate their own electronic business process. As for the integration with the handle, the same is not good to go. As we all know, the core competitiveness of group buying is price. Under the line of Suning, Gome, online Taobao, Beijing East has been in the competition price to the bottom line. If the three cells are just the company's physical goods on the handle to do group buying or sales, the price is difficult to have an advantage. No price advantage, handle talk about what stand out? Handle as a group purchase platform, if the switch to online sales of the most matching their own characteristics will be life service products rather than 3C category, the three cells once again encounter a different business scope of the problem. To pull the point, the offline traditional retail enterprises such as Suning, Gome, such as the aircraft carrier in the electronic business of the road on the thin ice, did not have too much performance, three cells and how to make sure they can do better? Therefore, the handle and the three cell "weak weak joint", the future is indeed worrying.

Looking back on history, fate is doomed

In August this year, the near-ammunition handle was expected to get a new round of financing, but after that it was completely out of context. We look back at the handle from the fame to the peak and then from the throne sadly step down from the process, you can find that the handle network missed too many opportunities to learn. Their fate seemed destined to be the outcome of the takeover. Small is not a fatalistic, but from the handle of the story we can really experience the cruel and weak fate.

We first cut the time back to 2011, the establishment of only one year's handle has been 3 rounds of financing, is the limelight is Sheng, is one of the largest group buying site. At that time, also in Sina Sports bitter forced to do internship Night Edition, every morning from Zhongguancun against the People ride home, every time in the bus station, subway station is the most seen by the national Big Uncle "GE" endorsement of the handle network ads. In the starting stage to obtain the advantage of the handle, with the current words is "rich and capricious", but this also for the future difficulties buried hidden worries. At that time, there are insiders pointed out that the handle network operation from the beginning is not customer-centric-in the United States, the public comments, such as peer hard skills to do the push, they are in crazy advertising, playing the game of burning money, such a model can not be healthy to continue.

Sure enough, after a crazy burn money and leap, the entire group buying field in the second half of 2011 early into the winter. Handle at that time the daily revenue is not enough to burn off a fraction of the money, but they are still bucking the trend to submit a listing application, trying to seize the "window before closing" the last chance. Upstream of the resistance of the big, completely out of the handle management's imagination. Like our familiar stories about internet companies ' IPO frustration, handles have been seriously challenged by financial opacity, a single pattern, and management chaos, and a trademark lawsuit. Eventually, in the midst of endless wrangling, the pull net missed the best time and had to withdraw the application in June of the following year. It now seems that the 2012 IPO is no doubt the handle network from Sheng to decline in the watershed.

Handle NET then the situation, you can fight back such as change knives, the soldier defeated like Mountain pour to describe. First CEO Wu, handle by the Jinsha-dominated investors took over. But after the performance did not see a turnaround, but the acquisition of rumors are constantly spread, which has Alibaba, 360 and other giants, but also glutinous rice, litters Regiment, such as peer opponents. However, the handle is denied. In the small, only the interests of the first investor is afraid to be in the grabs mentality, I am afraid there is no idea to revive the handle. In this way, the morale of the handle is a great loss, and many problems that have not been exposed have erupted at the same time. The handle began a brutal office political struggle and was exposed by the media to the rampant corruption within. In the management of the thin, the human feelings, many founding members have left, the company vitality big injury. As the upper level of turbulence, the foundation of the handle also began to instability, at that time even appeared in eastern China, some team collective mutiny to competitors.

In this situation, the handle net through this sad urge 2012 years. Handle the king status of Nature no longer, but by virtue of the strength of the foundation is still in the Thousand-Regiment war survived. But the face has been gradually away from the United States, glutinous rice and other opponents, the strength of the handle has been unable to chase, and investors have inadvertently fighting, the best choice to survive. Since then, we have been very difficult to see the handle of the ads, the number of group purchase and the site is also decreasing, is a completely holed up state. Unfortunately, in 2013, the field of group buying has also accelerated mobile Internet, the flow of major sites are beginning to tilt to the mobile end, and the cash-strapped handle is simply unable to join the fight in the new field too much.

Make the situation more serious is, into the 2014, the United States group basically lay in the field of group buying hegemony and gradually expand into a larger company, the public comments and glutinous Rice then joined the Tencent and Baidu's camp, handle the situation can be said that the Phoenix inferior to the chicken. But they eventually wait for the "Pan-man", although not the right has long been like Ali, 360 such giants, but at this time there is no qualification to pick again. As a then, the three cells quickly and handle hold together.

In the handle this 4 years of course, although in the initial stage very smooth, but they ignore the internal strength of the cultivation, only the IPO first, blind expansion buried the infinite hidden dangers. Later, the fortune, encountered the IPO window end grief and return, internal problems began to expose, the founding team with the departure and disintegration. Later, investors introduced the management team is still the same as the same, did not grasp the business base is unrealistic to think in the capital market for profit, helplessly watching competitors bigger and stronger than themselves. Finally, close to the desperate situation, and not suitable for their own three-cell hasty union. As for the future of the handle, it will be a long time to see what happens.

The handle is filled with impulse, and it is lost in confusion. Small inner sorrow its misfortune, anger its not contend.