Gome Online gold O2O missed opportunity

Gome Online

Financial Weekly Trainee reporter Li Biwen/shenzhen Report

It is reported that the development of O2O gold business is a push by Huang Guangyu, he hopes to develop the gold retail stores to the United States to achieve "electrical" to pave the way.

Gome is starting to get a little different online.

Recently, Gome has done the online gold business, trying to build a gold O2O platform, which the electric business platform has never tried before. It is understood that the plan comes from Huang Guangyu.

In addition, Gome online September officially open platform, and in the form of free Commission for the first year to attract businesses. And in the PC side after the defeat it also began to regroup, ready to stand firm in this O2O era, Gome online chairman Shangui first vowed to the United States online to create a Chi other electric business platform.

Compared with the relatively crazy rival Suning and Jingdong Mall, Gome has been so conservative that it missed a good chance in the PC era. Now, perhaps, the opportunity for Gome may come.

Gold O2O with exerting force

A long time no movement of Gome online and back to the spotlight. This September, Gome announced a major move online – "Free Commission for the first year". Because the Commission accounted for one-third of the cost of the shop, attracting businesses to settle in, bringing a lot of traffic.

June 2012, Gome's "old Enemy" Suning easy to buy early on the line of their own open platform, the implementation of the same "three-free policy"-free annual fee, free platform use fee, free margin.

What is different, however, is that Gome's online waiver is predicated on the requirement to meet 4 basic requirements, ensure that sales are lower than other dealers, have full service coverage, have a common marketing capability, and have sufficient business model. Although Gome's online intent is to screen quality merchants through the threshold, but for the first request, a person in the industry said it was not practical.

The person said, "The electric dealer must first position, from the consumer point of view, rather than from own advantages to consider." Now Gome online is from the supply chain advantage to consider the issue, through the price to attract businesses, and then the merchant to consider selling to whom. To do the electric business, it is from the user's point of view to consider what products to build what kind of platform. Gome online than other electricity prices to lower the conditions are not feasible, because for the merchant, has previously been in other electric platform cooperation is very mature, such as the price of gome to low, can not be explained with other electric operators. ”

"One is defensive strategy, that is to follow," said Zhong, a researcher in the electric business industry. Old rival Su Ning and Jing Dong do what, it also follow do what. Open platforms or marketing strategies, for example. ”

Take the marketing strategy as an example, this year, Gome has launched the "3 15", "6 18", "9 18" shopping festival, to attract consumers with low prices, its hit the slogan "than Jingdong 100 loss 300" earn enough eyeballs. In Gui Guixian once sent to employees in the internal mail, said, "which system price three consecutive times higher than Jingdong, the person in charge of direct packing out!" Shows its determination to play a price war. The strategy was slightly more effective in the first half of the year.

Gome's financial report shows that in the first half of 2014, Gome online turnover increased 53.7% year-on-year, the second quarter of the increase of 64.8%; Independent user visits (UV) year-on-year growth of 43.8%; and Gome online rankings, also from the last quarter of the nineth name of the electric quotient rose to fifth place, and almost the third of Suning easy to buy.

Of course, the most noteworthy is the United States to invest 1 billion yuan to build the online gold platform-multilateral gold. However, according to Gome online staff of the financial weekly reporter said that the current business department does not belong to Gome online, but by the Gome group directly under the jurisdiction.

The multilateral gold is on the line in March this year, and there are shops in the sky Cat and Jingdong, and the mall gold jewellery brand will open in Beijing on September 19. Previous sources said that the development of O2O gold business is a push by Huang Guangyu, he hoped that through the development of gold retail stores to the United States to achieve "electrical" matting.

In this regard, the industry said bullish, "at present there is no good gold O2O, China has involved in gold, but there is no online system and online business support, so relatively speaking than gome to do it harder." Gome can invest in online shop, and with the line system docking, gold O2O business can quickly rise. ”

In fact, as early as 3 years ago, Gome Online already has the idea of developing vertical subdivision areas. At that time, outdoor sporting goods as a breakthrough point, online and offline set up a gome sports online shopping malls and gome sports chain stores, but due to enter the industry is not right, coupled with high-level differences in this mode led to the failure of the Gome sports chain stores.

Zhong told the financial Weekly reporter, "Gome has no clear strategy before the online, but the whole group's strategy is more obvious." Sporting goods and gold are part of the original group strategy, but the original Chen Xiaoxia did not carry out the strategy in the end. He made a new strategy, but did not do the outdoor shopping. Now after Chen's departure, the internal relationship also took two years to straighten out, so back to the group strategy. ”

The electric dealer slowed down a step

In fact, as early as April 2011, Gome set up its own online mall, when the United States to build Gome online mall IT systems, ERP systems and user systems spent a lot of time, but the early distribution of the field of Gome, but did not really do the electricity business.

According to Gome's 5-year plan, its e-commerce will reach the scale of 15 billion yuan, in order to expand the size of the United States in 2010, the acquisition of the Bowser network, the latter business direction and Gome similar, is the home appliance network shopping platform. At that time, after the completion of the acquisition, Gome adopted a dual brand strategy, that is, Gome Online mall and the independent development of the Bowser network, but because the two have a certain degree of competition, there is the embarrassment of hand to hand. Moreover, after the acquisition, Bowser net performance is not satisfactory, 2011 the site loss of up to 194 million yuan.

After the Gome Online mall and Bowser network integration, integration, Gome Online Mall changed its name to Gome. 2012, Gome for the first time in 10 years, the loss of the scale of 597 million yuan, the main reason for the loss of the offline sales revenue and the huge investment in E-commerce, E-commerce losses of 500 million yuan, accounting for more than 80% of the loss.

Ugly performance is serious for gome, which has been chasing profits. Therefore, in 2013, Gome's strategic focus began to move back to the line, the United States online investment in the relative decline.

Until 2013, Gome finally succeeded in turning the profit. Gome in the year to achieve total income of 57.98 billion yuan, but in the field of electronic business income is far behind competitors. Gome in that year's income is only 5 billion yuan, just the same time suning easy to buy 21.89 billion yuan sales revenue of 1/4 less, is from Jingdong mall 39.6 billion yuan revenue scale is far apart.

For Gome online is always slow half racket reason, China Household Electrical Appliances Business Association Marketing Committee Executive Chairman Hong Shibin Analysis, said, "It is to do the product before the thinking to do the electrical business." The real electric dealer is the O2O Enterprise, the line translates the line, now Gome does not have, it only achieves two product department and the electric Business department to keep abreast with. Organizations determine efficiency, and there are a number of obstacles you can take to locate it under the product organization. In addition, you let the people who do the product to do the electrical business, according to the product's thinking to do is not feasible. ”

In contrast, Su Ning in the process of transformation than gome faster. According to the above industry, mainly responsible for suning O2O full channel operation of the Suningyun business executive vice President Li Bin, now its authority is greater than the responsible offline product platform, in Jindong heart position is the first place, such an organization is also related to Suning's strategy.

In addition, Gome has been a major shock due to the failure of professional managers to restructure. Mr Huang introduced Mr. Chen as a professional manager, attempts to transform Gome from a family-owned enterprise into a modern enterprise, and then the conflict between Huang Guangyu and Chen Xiao led to reform failure, in 2010, the United States and his wife Cuckoo for alleged illegal operation of the crime, such as sentenced to jail, this series of turmoil makes Gome turbulent.

However, after 4 years of adjustment, Gome began to rejoin the team. In the O2O era, Gome online tried to take back its position in the top three of the electricity business. All the remaining variables.