Benign thinking of O2O business model: O2O core is traceable passenger flow

Intermediary transaction SEO diagnosis Taobao guest Cloud host technology Hall

O2O is a very hot term recently, especially after Ma's mention.

In fact, do not like the word O2O, not only that the abbreviation is not directly to express the intention of the online2offline, or the opposite of Offline2 online easily confused, and no matter offline and online are too large two baskets, So that the whole concept will involve too many things, so that the guidance of this concept will be much worse.

Although there are now narrow o2o and generalized O2O distinctions, they are also rigidly defined flavors--not to mention that many of the applications that are defined as O2O have been done for many years without the word, and it is more visible that there is no O2O this term is insignificant.

Of course, since everyone is keen on this word, by the hot atmosphere of the O2O this vocabulary to make a different interpretation, itself is a business model of benign thinking and abstraction, not bad.

Recently also concerned about some of the applications known as O2O, and some people in the industry to exchange, in my opinion, the core of O2O should be "traceable passenger flow."

Although virtual goods virtual services growing, but the world's core or entity goods entity Services, said Online2offline is a very large pattern this is indeed true, after all, the size of the offline placed there.

Both the manufacture of physical objects and the provision of entity services require consumers. Most of the time, the two may not be directly or not very good contact, so need "channel", of course I prefer to call it "broker." How to measure the value of the channel, nature is to see how much the channel can bring business volume. In manufacturing, this is well measured. Many of the channels themselves will have inventory (such as a lot of business), how much they eat on behalf of their ability to bring passenger flow; Of course, some of the stock-free brokers such as Taobao on the orders to allow vendors to ship the sellers, they sent a number of orders, manufacturers are also at a glance. As a result, as a channel, or the profit of the broker is very simple and easy, or make a difference, the latter earn a return.

However, when the offline part becomes the service industry, many problems become complicated, and the profit model is complicated.

Say that the public comments on Internet cafes, the public comment on the network can bring huge passenger flow, I think no one will deny this point, how many people around is the public comment on the network after the restaurant. However, although the overall public comment network for the entire catering industry has brought the passenger flow can not be ignored, but specific to the micro-individual businesses, the simple comment system (Mass comment network now has a lot of services, here only refers to the most pure comment system) brought by the flow is not traceable, Specific businesses can not know this guest is the public comment on the network or the same kind of XX comment network-after all, we can not expect from the public comments on the net to see the real food consumption after the guests will really be in the bill to a "I read the comments on the net to come." This is the problem, is willing to pay for the passenger flow must be microscopic business, although we all know that the public comments network system can bring huge traffic to the catering industry as a whole, but because it can not be accurate to every business, specific businesses will be difficult to pay Commission.

How to let these passenger flow become "traceable", this is undoubtedly the core problem of O2O, and then also determines the O2O in the specific business model difference.

For example, ordering a small secretary, it compared to the public comment on the network has increased the service of ordering meals, this is an additional value-added function for consumers and can also be discounted, but for the order of the small secretary this means the easy traceability of passenger flow, because it is scheduled to be completed, it can bring a lot of passenger flow is clear, with accurate figures, It's also easy to settle with a restaurant rebate. The same is true for e-generation on mobile phones, where apps do not directly provide the contact of all the drivers, but are dialed by the app, so how much flow of traffic is also traceable. Of course, if the future of similar software increase, a driver to join a number of driver service app, only rely on calls will still have the problem of traceability, this question does not know e-generation has a complete solution.

Of course, the order of the small secretary in this way to create a link between the enormous human and material resources, e generation driving so that the two sides before contact opacity is only suitable based on lbs both sides can not have repeated the application of many cooperative relations.

So we will see that more services use other "traceable" ideas. For example, the public comments network very early introduction of membership card and coupons, are a "traceable" way. When the user shows the public comment network membership card or coupons can be preferential, then at least the merchant flow is at least from the public comments network, this is a small progress, but not big enough. Simply showing existence is difficult to pinpoint or even use, and can only be traced back to which Web site is not traced to which site users, which is obviously not enough for marketing. More importantly, this level of traceability is only for businesses, not for the public comment network, the latter can only passively wait for the merchant may not be accurate feedback-this means that such a "traceability" degree is very difficult as the basis for the rebate, because the business has moral hazard, such as low membership card and coupon usage or use amount.

Of course, the public comments network can be integrated membership card system, so that the "traceable" degree of improvement, but the disadvantage is to have a business to talk about, if not the use of this system of special businesses, still can not "traceable."

In my opinion, the first two years of group buying is so hot, in fact, group buying for the precise "traceability of passenger flow" provides the possibility. Buy this thing, online pay, obviously in line with the narrow O2O business, but in view of the current mainstream can be paid at any time can be expired refund, so group buying is essentially a "coupon", but this advance payment is the first link fixed the transaction amount, and the second is to make the business and the site has a capital settlement link Also make the effect of passenger flow can be accurate settlement, and then the return of domestic helpers can be accurately calculated.

Because to "traceability", so the two-dimensional code has a excessive, this is not wrong Ma said. Of course, to "trace" is not not without two-dimensional code is not possible, for example, the author used the group buying business, only to provide a number of businesses, businesses copy this number and the United States Group settlement-but this way is too primitive, if the volume of business or processing speed, it is clear that the need for two-dimensional code to help fast processing.

The advantage of two-dimensional code is of course not only in the rapid identification, but also in the framework of a more complex traceability system, which makes even if not group buying, many O2O can be easily traceable. Traditional coupons, for example, are issued on the street, unless you mark each coupon, otherwise it is difficult to know in that area issued coupons can bring the most passenger flow, but O2O website provides two-dimensional code can do this, this platform two-dimensional code industry is the eldest of the wing code has been done for many years, there are many applications, A large number of cases proved through two-dimensional code, even if only a simple coupon, for customers can not only know which O2O site brought this passenger flow, even can know which site users. In fact, to do this, the two-dimensional code is not the only choice, such as NFC near-field communications can be, but now the hardware maturity of the decision, two-dimensional code is the most popular possible way.

Of course, although the use of two-dimensional code can be traced to specific Web site customers, but in a long time this does not have practical significance. Because this must rely on an open platform, allowing businesses and end customers to communicate directly to have further marketing significance. This is where the imaginary space of micro-letters is located – because micro-letters are a communication platform, if the use of two-dimensional code to do O2O, when the business can be traced to the end customers, and using the micro-letter on the pretext of their consumption records to regularly distribute personalized preferential information, it is a more powerful CRM system.

However, while micro-letters have an innate advantage in this field, but in fact, whether the public comments on the network or the United States, the use of two-dimensional code to achieve accurate backtracking, can be part of the open platform, allowing businesses to issue preferential information, although not many people open countless times every day to facilitate the micro-letter, but also has great significance.

Traceability → Traceable to the O2O website → traceable to the O2O site users, in my view this is the core path of O2O business development, as to say that the path to provide what services, that is another need to play the imagination of the problem.