Buy this thing

In the http://www.aliyun.com/zixun/aggregation/12842.html "> Internet circle for a few years, but also know some people." Group buying just came out of the time, there are some people asked me about the idea of group buying, I did not exactly answer. However, I used to answer a person like this: Wang is also my friend, so I can't comment too much. The meaning of the words is actually very clear.

But that doesn't mean I don't care about this stuff. Group buying mode of follow-up more and more, there is news that more than 400, known as the Hundred Regiment War. Some commentators think that this has herd suspicion, and concluded that the future of the 400-strong site can survive the growth of several home. I never thought of "herd" as a bad thing, and that's what it should be like in a completely competitive market. and brutal competition is bound to make the final winners are not many or even winners take all. The crux of the matter is, what group buying website can Deus, become the final winner.

The core of group buying is the merchant, whose income comes from the merchants ' concessions. And the logic of business is two. One is similar to discounting, which is the quick cash withdrawal that a businessman gets when he gets a one-time high-volume consumption. This kind of quick withdrawal needs the merchant to pay a certain cost to obtain, the popular point says, is the difference between the wholesale and the retail. The second aspect is the acquisition of a consumer database. Through the first big concessions, so that businesses can quickly establish a product or interested in the demand for the target consumer list, for it to do more in-depth value mining. In order to obtain such a list, the merchant pays the cost to be taken for granted.

The former belongs to the price difference, which belongs to the transaction category. And one kind belongs to the advertisement expense, belongs to the marketing category. From the current competition pattern of group buying, both exist, but from the strength of business discounts, more inclined to the latter-a service or product sold at 10 percent-20 percent, unless its original price of water is too large, it can only show that it is not directed at the rapid cash withdrawal.

Group buying website can bring to the merchants to dig again, contribute more consumption amount of consumers, is its fundamental survival cornerstone. In other words, the group buying site has become a marketing tool in terms of current conditions. This kind of marketing tool and a very multimedia platform is not the same place, it has a strong local characteristics. Most of the businesses that yell on group buying sites are localized businesses that offer services rather than products. This feature makes buying sites like e-commerce sites, business more than electronics. That is, online on the appearance of the site, in fact, offline cooperation to negotiate the implementation of more important than web technology.

In fact, even Wang himself admits that the group purchase site does not have any technical barriers, one or two of qualified technicians can completely build this site. 400 deals are not about technical competence, but business negotiation. In my opinion, selling just one thing a day is just a gimmick. If the group buying site can have the strength to sell 10 things a day, it is difficult to find reasons not to do so.

In addition to offline cooperation in the implementation of the key elements, the group purchase site financing capacity is also related to life and death. Basically I can be more arbitrary that the independent group purchase site in the next year will not attract venture capital in general would be a rest. Access to finance allows the site to quickly control resources and let the unfinished competitors out.

As I mentioned earlier, the group buying network relies heavily on local businesses. The third-tier city is small, the competition is not fierce to the need for businesses to use the marketing tool group buying site. Relatively underdeveloped economies have made large businesses skeptical about the potential consumption of such cities. And in the first-tier cities to fight, control of resources is very important. There are reports that some group buying sites have entered the stage of earning a profit, which is the result of competition, is bound to have this step.

It is hard to make a vertical website for group buying: for example, a website dedicated to the fitness service. Because it is ultimately a marketing tool, a vertical fitness service group buying site will make the health service provider suspicious. And the level of full coverage of the Web site, can not be rapid rise of the meaning of rapid death.

Buy this thing, from the commercial logic, there is the necessity of its existence. 400 Group Buy station war, I estimate not only their business. In fact, large horizontal sites, especially local portals, do this advantage more clearly. There is not much time left for independent group buying sites. This is not a marathon, and within 1-2 years it will be known.

(This article is transferred from NetEase Science column)