58 City Crisis Transformation Yiu Jingbo still magical?

To put it bluntly, China's complex market environment makes 58 of the same city in an awkward situation that can neither crash nor die quickly.

The external manifestation of China's internet is nothing more than imitation, but it can be like 58 with the city so groping for so long, but still see no dawn, really not much.

Classified information mode China's failure

It is generally believed that the 58 city, founded in 2005, is the largest classified information website in China. Is this description correct? The first half is correct and the latter part is not necessarily. In the 58 city of Baidu Search results, the description is "China's first classified information site", but after the page opened, this description is difficult to find its trace, the website introduction of the Readme as "the world's leading life service platform."

Because Yiu Jingbo is a successful entrepreneurial experience of the CEO, he created 58 of the same city in the classified information market accounted for more than half of the market share, there is reason to think that 58 of the city at this stage of the vague readme, is close to accurate. The subtext: Classified information sites have failed in China, but not yet acknowledged.

By 2005, 58 of the city had been invested in millions of dollars before it was established. This is the classified information site, the first time in China as a capital-driven appearance. Classification information the originator of Craigslist, although the volume is very large, lucrative, its not cooperative posture but let the capital strength is very hurt. China is the world's largest market, the population is rich in resources, the demand for classified information is huge, this business model of the Chinese model, gives the capital with infinite imagination space.

But over the past 7 years, 58 of the same city and the original object of the imitation of Craigslist gradually away, through a tortuous road:

1 Web site Two years later, the choice of another set of development model, that is, through sustained investment in the rapid expansion of scale, the establishment of a huge sales force, from the line to kill.

2) Soon after, in the see the line is too big, the enterprise faces the risk, 58 with the city decisively chose to shrink back, again main line.

3 in the rise of group buying, the nature of its life services stimulated 58 of the city's sensitive nerves, so decisive intervention, when group buying faced a crash, and decisively quit.

2011, when the competitor net for the expansion of the scale of the full launch of the IPO advertising, 58 of the city was forced to intervene decisively again, to the market as the key, regardless of other, investment strategy is one of the opponents, and net launched a crazy burning money war. After the smoke fell, people suddenly found that 58 of the city has completed the D-round financing. The last round of financing, Yiu Jingbo himself invested 5 million of dollars, people are aware that 58 of the city before the listing, will not usher in a new round of financing.

There have been some ideas, perhaps 58 with the city to the electronic business is a good medicine, Yiu Jingbo I also personally confirmed, and soon afterwards denied, firmly declared himself a life service platform.

In any case, the classified information model has also failed in China, because 58 of the same city is still floating around, has been far away from this goal, and never come back. Classified information Site originally belongs to the light assets, 58 of the city intentionally to do it heavy. This is not a strategic mistake, it is more likely to be a helpless.

To put it bluntly, China's complex market environment makes 58 of the same city in an awkward situation that can neither crash nor die quickly.

58 in front of the city is the flow of the entrance Baidu, next to the competitor net, as well as adhere to the light mode of the people network, behind the rapid rise of the social marketing platform. In particular, before the inefficient flow of wholesale to 58 with the city of Baidu, also began to implement the "middle page strategy", the next few years from the Baidu flow of access may not be so smooth.

58 with the city in such a sinister situation, if not courageously break through, the future is unbearable imagination. How to break out a new road, has become in 58 with the city before the grim task.

Last chance?

Yiu Jingbo most often on the program is Tianjin satellite TV recruitment category "Not You Mo", to apply for job seekers, 58 home page Reviews A lot, each will let him very helpless. 58 The same city page, is a typical classification information web site style, simple, straightforward, a variety of categories, less new elements and long-term unchanged. Although Yiu Jingbo is unwilling to publicly admit that 58 is a classified information site, it has to borrow the potential of classified information, because the adjustment has been continued, has not been successful.

58 of the same city income more than half of the generated from the paid member, for such a large number of visits to the site, this is a very large group. Assuming that 58 has 200,000 paid members, can it be turned into online consumer power, the line of business offline, to intervene in the online transactions, thereby transforming into the electricity business platform? This is the future that many outsiders have conceived for 58, and 58 has been cautious in trying this direction, and the effect is unknown.

Judging from Yiu Jingbo's career, he should be very clear about the difficulties, the first difficulty is the acceptance of the service members. To the Internet basic services for example, 300,000 of small enterprises registered domain name from you, bought virtual space, but do not necessarily want to complete the electricity business here, because these services are completely different, have a user habits and use of psychological in the inside function. Fortunately, 58 with the city did not accept the outside world, but creatively put forward the "Life service class electric business platform" this concept. This gives me the feeling that it is possible to go two extremes, or another Taobao, or nothing.

Life services are not as specific as physical goods, but the volume is huge, if the traditional life services to all the transactions moved to the line, the scale will be more than Taobao several times, but this is too difficult. The difficulty of the local life service is that the standardization of service and goods is far from standardized, and there is no way to simplify the transaction process and reduce the risk of transaction. For example, the process of dealing with second-hand goods is fraught with uncertainty, and meeting deals are still the mainstream, and it is not easy for a 58 of the city to stick in. Not only is responsible for the development of service standards, but also responsible for changing user habits, the task of market cultivation is not heavy. This direction is not necessarily a rush to the listing of 58 in the city can afford to play.

However, the concept of O2O, in fact, also divided into two directions, one is the business of consumers, equivalent to the consumer, one is consumer to consumers, the equivalent of Consumer-to-consumer. 58 with the City of Life Service electric business platform, it is inevitable to focus on one, it is impossible to double head simultaneously. Just as the shift from a classified information site to a business focused on a merchant's revenue-oriented business, it is still a possible option.

58 with the city in the past 7 years to cultivate one of the advantages, is to precipitate a strong offline team, with a certain line of control, has been heavily invested but unsuccessful group buying also makes 58 first foray into the O2O business, accumulated a certain amount of experience. This is 58 of the city's strengths, not to avoid weaknesses, unfortunately. 58 in the City of Life services, electricity business platform, it is likely to focus on the consumer, the merchants and consumers together to complete the transaction online. Of course, the Consumer-to-consumer attribute of this platform will not give up completely, just cannot become the mainstream direction.

For 58 with the city, the life service type of electric business platform or O2O, the key lies in the online transaction, 58 in hundreds of columns to try to this, see the final test results, then 58 can determine the real development of the electronic commerce platform.

Only, due to the rapid changes in the Internet development environment, the capital of the liquidity pressure, leaving 58 of the time with the city is not too much, this direction of choice, it is likely to be the last of the 58 city, is the only rising vitality.