Industry chaos appears to face shuffle group buying website Savage growth

Intermediary transaction SEO diagnosis Taobao guest Cloud host technology Hall

As of June 2010, the number of Chinese market group purchase has broken through 400, but after the next 3-5 years of shuffling, the group will leave no more than 5 sites.

In the last two weeks, in the June Yue Oriental (Beijing) Media organizations to do the planning director of the Xiao Ning, during the work in addition to the normal Internet browsing related industry dynamics, every day also in a number of group buying sites for Exchange to pay attention to their daily discount products released. "From the glutinous rice net to 58 with the city, from the United States Group Network to the first group purchase, I have registered 16 group buying site, every day thinking about to buy something online." ”

As a consumer, Xiao Ning seems a little crazy. But crazier than she is, the global group of Groupon entrepreneurs and investors who follow suit. Reporter to "buy" as a keyword input Baidu search, spents 0.063 seconds that appears about 100 million related pages.

The wave of group buying originated in the US Groupon website. The network company, which was founded in November 2008, has reached a profit-and-loss balance after half a year, now covering 100 U.S. cities with registered users of 3 million, and is expected to earn more than 50 million dollars a year. April 19, the Russian investment company DST's consortium to invest 135 million U.S. dollars to Groupon, so that Groupon's valuation reached a record 1.35 billion U.S. dollars, the "New York Times" as the most crazy Internet companies in the history of the United States.

The legend of rapid creation leads many entrepreneurs to imitate. In the United States, "cottage Groupon" has nearly hundred. Worldwide, such as Britain's Snippa, Wowcher. Co。 UK, Germany citydeal. DE, Brazil's Pechilbano and so on have also made vivid. Groupon's copycat Buywithme. COM gets 5.5 million dollars in venture capital, Europe's first copycat citydeal. De also gained 4 million euros in venture capital.

"A few people, a few computers, ten thousand or twenty thousand dollars can build a group purchase site, coupled with the success of the United States Groupon model effect, not crowded into the market will appear strange." "Analysys International analyst Shou Send analysis, group buying site is the reason for the rapid rise, because the threshold is lower."

According to Analysys International statistical data, as of June 2010, the number of Chinese market group purchase has exceeded 400. The surge in domestic buying began in February this year, peaking in April-June, especially in May this year, some big websites such as love help nets, happy net all joined to buy, F Regiment, group Treasure, Cool Regiment, 515 group buy, 1288 group buy, handle, 24 coupons, full, litters, full net, glutinous Rice NET, first group purchase and so on are also on-line. The 2010 is expected to be in China by group buying mode will be the annual transaction size of 980 million yuan.

"The market on the purchase site so many, mixed, to the market is not standard laid the foreshadowing, the market will soon enter the shuffle period." "Beijing 58 Information Technology Co., Ltd. (referred to as 58) Vice President Xu Guipeng said that in the next 1-2 years, will leave the 2~3 home to buy a platform, those a large number of personal stationmaster to build" hundred Regiment War "even" Thousand Regiment War ", will perish. Thousand Oak Group Vice President Shenboyang's estimated time is a little more optimistic: "5 years later, just like today's video site slowly left Youku, potatoes, and I think the site will not be more than 5 group." ”

Research Center analyst Zhangyanan that the nature of the group buying site is not simply selling goods, more crucial is the follow-up service. But after a wave of group buying swept through, these sites can precipitate down to do service is a big problem to be tested.

Easy to recruit users, difficult to retain users

From the first day of 150,000 users down to 1000 users, the sticky rice net only took a week.

Xiao Ning's first group purchase experience from glutinous rice net.

June 23, thousands of oak Group buy platform glutinous Rice Network officially on the line, to "quickly about a little girlfriend, little boyfriend Bar" as the theme, launched the first group purchase activities: 40 Yuan Double summer package, you can buy the original price of 176 Yuan Chenglongyao Lai International Film City Package, Including movie ticket 2 + Cola 2 cup + popcorn 1 + Haagen-Dazs ice cream ball 1. The reporter in glutinous rice net test run when found that the purchase number is only 1000 people, but only after one night, the next morning when the official launch, there are more than 10,000 people; a morning passed, the number of tickets to buy the film soared to more than 80,000 people; At the end of the day, The number of buyers is fixed at 152151.

"I bought two movie packages that day, have not had time to see, mainly is not suitable for the times, from Monday to Friday my time is relatively free, but my girlfriend needs to work, if she went to work after the West four ring to see the film, Night back to Tongzhou's home, too inconvenient. Xiao Ning said, the girlfriend for this matter also said oneself "cheap, bought a burden".

glutinous Rice Network is responsible for operation by Shenboyang, Shen in the interview with the glutinous rice network defined as "Local quality guide to life." "Sticky rice nets attract users, not just discounts, but a new way of life." Each day the user can be in the glutinous rice net under the guidance, discovers hides in the city the fresh and the fun thing. ”

Although Shen does not want to "low price discount" to attract users, but not every day so many netizens will choose a "new way of life." In a few days after the lack of attractive enough, the number of users involved in the glutinous rice net group purchase fell sharply, such as its June 29 launch of the yoga double card, only 1000 people participate in group buying, July 1, the introduction of chocolate classic cake, but also only 1193 people, not the first day to participate in a fraction

From 150,000 users down to 1000 users, the sticky rice net only took a week. A daily low price products as a selling point of the way, the number of its users are highly mobile, especially experienced a "roller coaster" like changes.

In fact, the group purchase site through viral marketing and social communication, access to users relatively easy, "entry threshold is lower, but the threshold to retain users is quite high." "As Xu Guipeng said, the launch of a hot activity, a successful, may have come together tens of thousands of, a hundred thousand of users, but if the activities behind the organization without characteristics, or other sites have a lower price, better activities, before the users may be like the tide of rapid retreat.

It's easy to do the stunts and it's hard to deal

Do group buying site easy to fall into two traps: the misappropriation of consumer funds, ignore the user experience.

"To see that, the team has to have more than 100 meters, after being told that there are few in the hall, just outside the line." When the ticket was changed, he was told to pay 20 yuan in cash. Come on, let's go! The so-called cola and popcorn packages are just two small cups of cola and a bucket of popcorn with half the water. Even more pathetic is that the film has not started, popcorn and Coke has basically bottomed out ... And that Haagen-Dazs ice cream ball, really just a small spoon, the taste is nothing special ... Follow the bandwagon need to be cautious!!! "This is the Netizen" is Sophia "in the Baidu space write down the glutinous rice net buys the impression feeling.

Glutinous rice NET is not a case. Through the sticky rice net "movie package" and like to buy the Xiao Ning also quickly found that too much of the purchase information to make themselves at a loss, it is difficult to judge the authenticity. "Last Friday we had a two-person package at a hot pot shop in the east third ring and found it was ' shabu '." The package said there are two fish, come up to see is two only fingers thick, not to chopsticks so long small fish. The waiter said, this is also two fish. "Xiao Ning said, after the group purchase, must first carefully see the various restrictions and their own consumption habits, not simply for cheap and cheap."

In fact, at the same time as domestic group buying sites are rising, more and more "group buying scam" is also beginning to surface. Recently, a media report said, 1288 group buy the net because the low price attracts the buyer to pay but does not ship, delays the buyer to refund for no reason, has been investigated by the police;

This is the current popular users to buy the site reflects a larger problem: Group buying site and some of the cooperation of business services to be promoted. According to Shou, the biggest test for group buying sites is the ability to organize and operate offline, especially the cooperation with partners, which is very demanding on the site.

China's founder Linchompo is also preparing to do a group buying platform: "and ordinary shopping sites, group buying site on the site to organize activities under the operation of the ability is a huge test." How to cooperate with merchants, the introduction of attracting users to buy items, how to do a good job in advertising and marketing, these are placed in front of the big problem, not a few people can solve. ”

Xu Guipeng that if the site underestimated the user's feelings, underestimated the potential of the various service industry thresholds, it may be to participate in group buying users harm, and ultimately affect the survival of the group buying platform. "Do buy net easy fall into two traps: one is a small site capital chain is relatively short, when it access to user funds, it may occupy, misappropriation or even the consumer's advance funds, the occurrence of vicious events; The second is a large group purchase site may have funds, users, but lack of revenue sources, resulting in the neglect of user experience. ”

A lot of group buying website to buy information and the lack of inspection of manufacturers, directly to buy information to rub together, and some group buy navigation network also do bidding rankings, as long as pay can rely on the front display, but do not review the site's qualifications. For example, the Group Quartet site on the home page, wrote: "The Regiment quartet on all the group purchase information from the major group purchase site, the quartet only for each group purchase information to integrate the site, the site itself does not provide group buying services, also does not buy information authenticity and reliability is responsible for!" ”

Xu Guipeng reminded the group-buying entrepreneurs, "if not good faith, will soon destroy the newly arisen group buying this market." ”

Imitation entrepreneurial easy, business innovation difficult

User stickiness Business power shortage, small platform for advertisers do not recognize, group purchase site lack of profit sources.

Groupon deals for a city, selling just the same product (or service) every day, with a daily update, a model of low goods prices, attracting a certain number of buyers, and then receiving a 30%~50% from the supplier. In addition, is the merchant on the website advertisement promotion fee.

But domestic group buying site is still at the initial stage of development, the lack of commodity category and product novelty to affect the user choice, resulting in insufficient popularity of the site, can not form scale, it is difficult to rely on enough ads to obtain revenue.

For example, 58 with the city, the current stage in its buy platform on the launch of activities, for businesses is to provide a free platform, not with the merchant divided. Xu Guipeng's explanation is: "Group purchase profit is not our main goal, the purpose of launching the platform is to better serve our customers." "58 with the city is based on classified information, users are mainly divided into two categories: a Class B users, namely, real estate intermediary, moving company, water station, etc., are paid users; the other category is C customers, such as renting a house, the transfer of second-hand goods personal free users. "How to make a good interaction between Class B and C users is something we've been thinking about." Finally decided to do group buying, it is also positioned in the merchant's own release of the purchase and discount platform. ”

Although there are a variety of problems, but the entrepreneur is still on the wave, Lian Xiaoning around the friends are also beginning to stare at the industry, to "a server, two people, 30,000 yuan investment, millions of return" to tempt Xiao Ning into the occupation.

"Group Buy if really do it, will be a good model, but now just follow the hype only, some small sites that is to earn some popularity, and then sell out." "China's founder Linchompo said that group buying is not without the threshold, on the contrary, the threshold is very high." Technology platform construction, user accumulation and promotion need a lot of funds to support.

It is understood that the domestic current some large group buying platform, are the consumer's purchase funds in the designated account, and then will be used to promote, for example, to reward the form of 10 yuan to get a link to obtain a recommended user. "Now everyone wants to make a big stall, open to dozens of cities, hundreds of cities, single this will occupy huge funds." For example, you get 500,000 users in a city, you get 5 million users in 10 cities, a user you send 10 yuan to return, then you have to spend 50 million yuan. Where does the money come from? "Xu Guipeng does not approve of this" rebate "behavior, that it will lead to the use of funds risk and irresponsible.

On the other hand, compared with the enthusiasm of the group-buying website entrepreneur, the only business that can make the entrepreneur earn money at present, does not appear to be full of power. For businesses, although they can get more advertising benefits from group buying, reduce the marginal cost, bring the full flow of people, but due to the users of the business of the strong picky and the excessive pursuit of discounts, businesses often rarely get repeat customers, coupled with some of the characteristics of catering businesses, itself has a good brand effect and high turnover rate, will not buy this form of excessive favor.

Dcci Internet Data Center Director, Internet Industry observer yanping that the domestic group buying site attracted customers are mostly for cheap, repeat less, this is inconsistent with the original intention of the business, whether long-term adherence is a problem. In fact, 58 of the city's group buying business is still only its overall classification of information services in a channel, Xu Guipeng said: "Our motives may be more pure, that is to use this more advanced business model, to provide users with a very good experience, enhance user stickiness, improve user loyalty to our site as a whole." ”