Art Dragon and the same journey: Chibi before the war

April 10 early morning, the Art Dragon has received a letter from CEO Cui, learned that the art dragon and the same way to reach a strategic cooperation message. At the end of the message, this low-key professional manager rarely used two exclamation points, "There is a way!" It can be done! to motivate its employees.

In fact, before and after the Qingming Festival, Baidu shares Ctrip news has set off the online tourism market uproar, but also let the industry's other competitors insecure. After all, 2013 Ctrip and go where in line travel book market user share reached 33.9%, 22.1%, two together will occupy this billion market half.

It seems that everything on the market as the Chibi more than 2000 years ago, the enemy of the menacing, in the original alone and the Art of the Dragon and the same path before only the United. After all, the market's cruelty is no worse than the battlefield, almost no surrender such an option, and some just to meet the enemy, or curve the National salvation.

And this time, the Art dragon and the same choice is the former.

Attack enemy Live

Prior to Luo teacher has written that Baidu has been in fact the operation of the shares Ctrip, integration to where and Ctrip, but by competitors in advance of the news, this shows that the big online travel companies in the top should be no secret.

Art Dragon and the same process of cooperation is more like in the preemptive opportunity, while Ctrip and where to integrate into the Live, attack the enemy, from the tactical said it is really a bit like the Chibi of the Battle of Zhou Yu.

After all, Ctrip market value of 7.2 billion, to where the market value of 3.2 billion, two of the total market capitalisation more than tens of billions of companies in the integration of the difficulty imaginable. 11th, "21st Century Economic Report" on the news that "the new group will be ZHUNGCHENGSU as CEO, rather than the implementation of the joint CEO", Liang Jianzhang is likely to be out.

But Liang Jianzhang return Ctrip after a large amount of acquisitions and investment, the scope of business quickly pushed away, the intention to establish an online tourism empire is very clear. Want to let him Mathanan, guns hand Ctrip to Zhungchengsu the audience is not easy, even if he is in Ctrip's shareholding ratio is only 1.6%, but influence is not small.

After all, the integration of Ctrip and where it is likely to mean a temporary contraction or even stagnation in its business is a taboo for the online travel industry, which has relied heavily on price wars and advertising campaigns. After all, in a situation where platform barriers have not yet been fully formed, a momentary contraction may lead to a massive loss of users.

What's more, where to go and the combination of Ctrip is likely to let go where both as referees, and when the embarrassment of athletes, and where this situation went to the development of proprietary business also encountered. After all, where to go still need to rely on the art of other than Ctrip, Mango, the same way even the hotel chain group to provide resources.

Earnings data show that the 2013 Art Dragon Night volume of 25.8 million, and the business level more diversified Ctrip in this data does not exceed too much, according to its earnings data calculated roughly between 36 million to 39 million. And 2013 the same journey between the night volume of about 6 million, "art with" the two 2013 years of the number of nights added 32 million, Yi Long and Ctrip in the hotel reservations will stand in the same order of magnitude. I think that's why Cui is full of confidence to say "there is a way".

But obviously, business competition is not simple math plus subtraction, because in another perspective, if you wait for Ctrip and where to complete the integration, the two are OTA business boss, one is the biggest platform, plus Baidu this hand flow entrance behind the boss, The Art dragon and the same journey are again looking for opportunities that may be the only micro-letter this mobile portal, which prompted the two to reach the fastest speed of cooperation agreement.

It is now or never, because in the Art dragon and the same day to reach cooperation, there is "Baidu holding Ctrip's transaction is nearing the end" of the news, leaving them this time window is not big, and hope that in this window to seek opportunities for the player is not a minority.

Why Art dragons and the same journey

Online tourism market has always been a free-for-all, not long ago announced to the United States to the U.S. IPO cattle, the cultivation of mango nets for many years, rumored to accept Ali 15 million investment in the hundred-way network, but as OTA industry second Art Dragon or chose the same as Tencent's network as a partner.

Like, originally Chibi before the war is still useful state Liu Yan, Hanzhong Zhang, West cool Han Ma many forces, but Sun Quan finally chose and only possible choice of Liu Bei, the reason is very simple, they are the most affected by the south of the two sides, only the United World War, there is no alternative.

For the art dragon and the same thread that is the case, Art Dragon in Ota business and Ctrip has been in the price war for more than a year, to pay the price of six consecutive quarterly business.

According to the strong team consulting statistics, this year March can book tickets online, the number of scenic spots, while still occupy the market first, but Ctrip through the big hit price war has quickly leapt to the third, menacing, and even more than the same process to a step-by-step letter. Enemies of the enemy is a friend, two of the natural understanding of this truth.

On the other hand, the data from the strong consulting team showed that last year, the same network online hotel business market share of only 2.1%, in the independent development may pay a huge market promotion costs, the master of a large number of hotel resources of the Art Dragon is undoubtedly an excellent cooperation object.

And for the art dragon, Cui after taking office has been shrinking front, hope will be more focus on hotel and air ticket business, so intensive, so in the ticket booking market and no layout. But in the face of the total size of 140 billion tickets booking market, Art Dragon naturally do not want to obviously do not want this is still in the user education phase of the market is the old enemy Ctrip, through the provision of exclusive front pay and buy hotel products, in exchange for the exclusive attraction tickets products, both to complement their own product chain, But also enhance the same process to resist the ability of the intrusion, is a good deal.

I said that the art of the night in the volume of this data and Ctrip gap is not big, the two in the huge gap in revenue from where? The key lies in the high-end hotel business. Art Dragon this time with the way of alliance, will their tentacles to the surrounding hot spots around the high-end hotel booking business, is to improve their profitability, even in Ctrip's site to exert pressure on Ctrip.

But similarly, the middle and high-end hotel reservations business users price sensitivity is low, but the user experience requirements are higher, how fast and convenient to complete a series of booking business has become the focus. As each online travel site starts to fight a one-stop service at the same time as the price war, spell user experience, Art Dragon This is also regarded as the shortest time to make up the tuition fees owed before, quickly completed their own pan-online tourism business platform to build, so as to obtain platform benefits, Cui in the mail even directly expected this cooperation will give the art Dragon bring 10 % to 20% of hotel business growth.

However, from Cui's internal mail, the art Dragon is still not out of the "focus on the hotel business" thinking, we are also difficult to make a decision now, to judge such a focus in today's platform strategy, talk about a large business environment, will not get its due return. But at least cui such a rare preoccupation in an impetuous environment is admirable, especially given the identity of his professional manager.

Of course, perhaps two of the source of co-operation is still from Tencent, the behind-the-scenes shareholder, two months ago I wrote that the art Dragon is waiting for the same as Gordo wait for the micro-letter, perhaps this time, it really brought Tencent waiting.

Two unseen hands.

The Tencent pedigree of two companies has no need to say much, as early as 11, Tencent bought a 84.4 million-dollar art dragon 16% of the shares, while the same process has been accepted Tencent's two investment, the most recent one is Tencent received 500 million U.S. dollars, is still the largest online tourism market financing.

For Tencent's O2O business, which has been expected to hit the ground, although Lau repeatedly stressed the spirit of openness, but whether it is the public comments, or jingdong, or in the acceptance of Tencent's investment to really enjoy the "open", Tencent nature is also hope to rely on micro-letter in the line tourism market to find opportunities. After all, the hotel, air tickets for the representative of the online travel is the most original O2O business, and the market itself is not the same as the electricity, buy these previously hyped areas of small size.

In the PC era, no matter where to go, Ctrip, Art dragon, or the same process, can be grouped into the middle page Li said, Baidu can master the flow of traffic enough to affect the overall market trend. So if Ctrip and where the deal happened five years ago, then this merger is basically enough to lay the pattern of online tourism market. But with the advent of the mobile Internet era, the future of the online tourism market is full of unknown.

The original mode of online tourism is more users to complete the travel plan, and with the popularity of intelligent terminals, online travel products more diverse use of the scene, such as tickets, hotels, business immediacy is increasing, tonight hotel specials The popularity of this product largely reflects such a trend.

Therefore, with the art dragon and the same way, Tencent is likely to continue to improve its layout in the line tourism market, increase the support of the Art dragon and the same process, thereby restricting Baidu in this market to form a monopoly, and even subversion of Ctrip and where the traditional middle page mode.
When Bat is in a balance, a strong cut into a new market, always attract the other two sides of the restrictions, and thus plunged into another new dynamic equilibrium.

But for the art dragon and the same way itself, the art dragon this time may really wait until the Tencent this Dongfeng, back leaning on the tree to cool the shade they are clearly indeed "there is a way". But just as Chibi before the war, Cao Ipan serial meter chain Even the ship's faint strokes, the art dragon and the same process to want to really subvert the imminent birth of "to carry", perhaps also need to see where, ctrip whether the smooth completion of integration.

However, in any case for them, Ctrip and where the marriage may not be a disaster, but is a chance to achieve subversion. Just as the original Youku, potato merger, how many people think the overall situation of video industry has been set, but did not expect to fall into today's giant melee.

Because when a market appears to trend towards monopoly, it will inevitably trigger the corresponding strength rebound. Especially when the resource provider and the owner of the resource trading platform are not a subject, hotels are obviously more likely to have more options, just as many OTA and chain hotels have put pressure on where to go, and it may be hard for the future "to carry" group to add to a simple market share.

The business charm may be here, always let people guess the beginning, but can not guess the end.