Group buying industry generally decline, the United States network does not find the Godfather can survive?

　Lead: An indisputable fact is that the group buying industry has generally declined, even the boss of the group buying industry, the business of the tentacles gradually extended to the O2O field. And, the American Regiment net starts to advertise.

2.975 billion. As of May 31 24 o'clock, group purchase website American Group net of May single month turnover fixed in this number.

According to the United States network of data, the 2010-2013 4 years, the United States Regiment turnover is 140 million yuan, 1.45 billion yuan, 5.55 billion yuan and 16 billion yuan, the average annual growth rate of more than 400%. If said in the national accumulation of 90 million active mobile users, 400,000 cooperative business is a solid foundation for the development of the United States, then 40 billion yuan turnover and 300 coverage of the number of cities, is the United States Network CEO Wang to the United States network this year "record" of good expectations. In his 2013 speech, Wang first mentioned that the 2015-year target of the US-net turnover was 100 billion yuan. The recent Wang is to say that the United States and the net revenue forecast this year will increase twice times, the company will consider the U.S. listing in the future.

Still remember 3 years ago "thousand Regiment War" spectacular scene, group buying industry once had five thousand or six thousand companies. According to the China Electronic Commerce Research Center released a few days ago, by the end of 2013, a total of 6,246 domestic group purchase site, is still operating in the 870, group purchase site closed the total number of 5,376, the closure rate of up to 86%. Into the 2014, the current only American regiment, the public comments, glutinous rice, handle, litters Group 5 companies occupy the group buying industry more than 90% of the market share.

After the "Thousand Regiment War" survived the site, such as the public comments, glutinous rice net, behind also have bat investment shares (Tencent, Baidu, Alibaba) figure. However, an indisputable fact is that the group buying industry has generally declined, even the boss of the group buying industry, the business of the tentacles gradually extended to the O2O field. Has it always been stressed that the American network, which tends to "maintain independent growth", is still immune?

Business upgrades

Recently, the United States has always been not to advertise the network began to play ads.

"American Regiment once, the United States once", starting from May 16, the U.S. regiment launched a large-scale brand promotion activities, in Hunan satellite TV, Jiangsu TV and other hit shows on the launch of the United States network ads. In addition, in the country's major cities in the media, public transit subway and other outdoor advertising screen can see the United States group figure. At the end of February this year, Wang, CEO of the United States, is still talking to the media that "the success of the regiment is to spend every penny on the edge."

Prior to this, the United States Mission Network has been focused on the promotion of business systems. 2011-2012, in full, handle, litters launched a variety of shopping malls, seconds kill and other products, the United States network has upgraded its own CRM system, the single flow, business data center, knot system and so on.

In this respect, billion-Huang co-founder of the "China News" reporter said, the United States Regiment's competitors have been destroyed almost, so now the United States to put more market costs and advertising costs, focus on brand building. "The United States Group has not played the concept of group buying, but the color of life services will be more heavy." Once the United States to focus on the scope of internal business, in the national market, a large number of group buying business, now the United States Regiment began to dig the vertical subdivision of the field of business, such as Cat's eye film, the hotel and so on. Huang said.

There are insiders believe that the United States to choose to advertise the timing is very good, before the user maturity of the group purchase is not enough, put the Internet ads can directly take users to the group buying site. And now the user has been nurtured very mature, through television, outdoor advertising can directly bring users to the United States Regiment.

"For the long-term development of the United States, the network needs to start from the user's point of view, to launch a customized group buying activities." Group buying site needs some vertical, can landing business, if there is no user base online, or out of the actual needs of users, the entire company's business development is unfavorable. "Yin Jiwang, a senior analyst at the Internet Industry Research Center, told China News," group buying sites are often from the point of view of the offline entity shop, they have any preferential activities on the Internet to the consumer group. However, in practice, the staff of the United States regiment should be down to the specific stores of various merchants, consumer demand-oriented to contact coupons and promotional activities.

Some insiders believe that the "originator" Groupon's intention is to focus enough users to obtain the advantages of large-scale procurement, to give users more concessions. And China's group buying industry went to an extreme, that is, to lower the profit of the merchant and depress, through the overdraft of merchant brand to attract users, this approach can be a large number of users in the short term, but the development of insufficient stamina.

Yin Jiwang said the group's sales network is relatively sound, the cost of getting orders and coupons is relatively low, but because the overall size of the United States Regiment, profit margins may be squeezed.

"The popularity of the United States and the network of Word-of-mouth in the industry is still good, to continue to maintain, life services in the United States to try to make their own characteristics, at the same time, the United States group is also facing the challenges of enterprise enterprises." Mo Dai, director of the network retailing Department of China Electronic Commerce Research Center, said to the Chinese news reporter.

Breakout O2O

and other group buying sites, the United States is also faced with a low profit margin of the ills, the U.S. map in addition to the purchase business upgrades, "transition" is imminent.

O2O is the next trillion market, and group buying is O2O the most convenient breakthrough, there are insiders think. In the tide of O2O, group buying boss American Regiment also sped up horsepower, hope to be a piece.

"We started by doing O2O things. Wang that all industries, including catering, hotels, KTV, hairdressing and other common local life services, will undergo O2O transformation. American Group Network began to deep into the film tickets, hotels and other subdivision areas, and the development of the corresponding cat's Eye movie app, Hotel app. The cat's Eye movie offers not only discounted movie tickets and group buys, but also a series of value-added services after the movie ticket, such as the search information, online selection, and so on, in which the film group purchase in the United States 2013 turnover accounted for 9.5%, reached 1.5 billion yuan. The United States (billion European network note: "Picture" changed to "Regiment") Hotel is "fruitful", its hotel group purchase business accounted for the National Hotel Group Purchase Market 70%, is said to be after Ctrip and Yi Long China's third-largest hotel distributors. In addition, the U.S. group also in Beijing, Xian, Xiamen and other dozens of cities to promote the takeaway business, expanding product lines, expansion of the substation.

Huang that the United States network can be from the "Thousand Regiment War" in the fore, and it has always been to do life service business has a great relationship. The core of the American Regiment is efficiency, and much higher than the peers. A movie ticket in the United States network, handle network and the public comment network price is the same, but in the United States and the network is sold the most. The company's products in the technical level is indeed better than the peers to achieve, and many times O2O and technology, products closely related.

However, the internet giant's intervention has undoubtedly added to the O2O market. The internet giant bat in the local life service market is full of pieces: Tencent shares in the public comments, Baidu wholly-owned purchase of glutinous rice nets, Alibaba to buy handle nets, litters Regiment news also once spread uproar. The United States network in the defeat of the original group of independent groups, but also to the rival to the Giants, virtually to their own increased more powerful competitors.

Mo Dai Green, the United States Group of users stickiness is still, the U.S. regiment's top priority is to further improve service quality, especially after-sales service.

U.S. team CEO Wang has said that the United States network in the short term there is no financial pressure, and the company does not want to be acquired. "We are more likely to have independent growth because we believe the market is big enough," he said. ”

"The United States Group in group buying is the horizontal leading, bat in the local life service areas are relying on acquisitions, holding to complement their own capabilities, in the O2O link the United States are fully capable to pk them." Sun Mengzi, an analyst at Analysys think-tank, told the China News reporter.

Yin Jiwang that, in fact, the group-buying enterprises in terms of users, funds, technical aspects are deficient, they also need to bat resources, in such a large environment, the United States may not be able to be immune. At present, group buy products homogeneous competition is serious, if there is no huge user base and user habits, it is difficult to maintain market share. The United States to do O2O lack of differentiated independent competition system, need to build a vertical depth into the direction, such as in the Local Service platform, with a relatively large user base of the city as a sample of early innovation, from the user's actual demand, in the user side to launch the most desired group purchase products and Group purchase service form for product innovation, Set up the core competitive system of the American Regiment. And the relationship between the Giants can be on this basis to seek cooperation, such as the user's cooperation, the flow of imports, is mutual recourse to resources, rather than a single acquisition.

In fact, the market is generally optimistic that the United States will become the next generation of tens of billions of dollars company leader. Insiders said that Alibaba connected people and merchandise, Tencent connection people and people, Baidu connection and information, if the United States Regiment has the opportunity to make "connecting people and services," the eldest, promising.

O2O in the field of the United States has the potential to become the strongest competitor, the United States Regiment will not take refuge in the Giants, but the United States can eventually become a giant can not say. Huang said.

The way of listing

In the United States to release the "2015 billion, 2020 trillion" target, the public comments ready to go public news "from the sky."

According to Bloomberg, June 12, the public comments are working with investment banks including Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley and Deutsche Bank to prepare for initial public offerings in the US, with financing at between 500 million and 1 billion dollars. The public commented that it would not comment on the matter.

Some insiders believe that, with the U.S. capital market for group buying industry, the gradual decline in the acceptance of Tencent strategic investment after the public comments ushered in the capital market "storytelling" the best opportunity. If you miss the window period, do not know how long to wait.

In any case, the public comment on the pace of the listing has begun to accelerate, now it seems that the timetable of the U.S. listing is still undecided. On the issue of ringing bells in the United States, how can the "story" of the United States go on?

Sun Mengzi believes that the United States to go public is a matter of morning and evening, but the valuation of the problem, the United States group model will be better than the public comment.

"Compared to the public comment on the U.S. team's competitiveness is obvious, but in the IPO may be the public comment on the United States and the US group quickly." Perhaps after the listing, the public comments on the formation of a new mechanism of the new model, will reverse the current situation. Huang said.