Electric Business Guide Winter: Mushroom Street brewing sell beautiful said transformation fashion

A once hot third party shopping site is due to Alibaba roller-style attitude and show a sharp decline in the trajectory.


　　


2011, with beautiful said, Mushroom Street as the representative of the Shopping guide Web site swarmed. At that time, the two also appear frequently in Alibaba's official activities. However, in May 2012, Alibaba Group board Chairman Ma Yun (Micro-blog) said in an internal speech that does not support the upstream shopping site to continue to big. After that, the Mushroom street began to "be suppressed" under the survival. According to the shopping guide industry insiders said, Alibaba has been tightening on the shopping Guide website Open API interface.


　　


learned that some time ago Alibaba on Mushroom Street and other large shopping guide website Commission interface restrictions, which will directly affect the revenue source of the shopping guide website.


　　


However, Alibaba is not to the shopping guide site "put to death." September 16 This year, Taobao announced that its shopping guide class sharing platform will be officially opened to Third-party Shopping Guide website. At the same time, Alibaba set up a 500 million-dollar fund to invest in and support the third party shopping and other external partners.


　　


This fund will be first applied to the incorporation of Mushroom Street. According to Lilac Garden technology leader Feng Dahui revealed that Alibaba is with Mushroom Street to negotiate acquisitions. Tencent technology from many investors understand that the two sides have reached a preliminary intention, but has not reached a final deal. Neither the Alibaba Group nor the Mushroom Street has denied the matter.


　　


from repression to acquisition, there are insiders will call it "slap, give a chocolate". "From the business point of view, Alibaba really need mushroom street to bring quality flow, but also to control it; from the valuation point of view, the first crackdown can reduce the value of Mushroom Street." ”


　　


if it is difficult to develop independently, Alibaba is also a better home of Mushroom Street. Mushroom Street is the "Ali department" Entrepreneurial team, four co-founder of the Three (Chen, Yeu Xuqiang, yan beads) are from Alibaba, after the acquisition of cultural integration in the absence of any obstacles.


　　


Suppress


　　


Since last May, Ma Yun published in the internal "do not support the upstream shopping site to continue to expand, Alibaba's traffic should be grassland rather than forest, not to support the return of the type of site" view, Alibaba Taobao guest policy has been adjusted.


　　


this year, there is a shopping guide to Tencent Technology revealed that Alibaba's policy to guide the site further tightening, restricting the number of Web site to the API interface calls, resulting in the inability to crawl more data, can not expand the scale.


　　


"Like a faucet, the water in the faucet was used indefinitely and is now subject to many restrictions." said the person.


　　


According to a large shopping guide website related personage discloses, Taobao open interface has been shrinking. At present, in addition to some of the most basic interface, technical interface such as commodity evaluation interface, the past price interface, etc. have made a lot of restrictions.


　　


recently, Taobao has limited the relevant Commission interface. Taobao sellers have revealed to Tencent Technology, the treasure before the treasure on the shelves, the name of "Mushroom Street" content can not be published successfully.


　　


"Limited commission interface, means that the source of revenue is cut off, which is the main revenue from the commission of the shopping site is fatal." said the shopping guide industry personage.


　　


but Alibaba said not to ban the beautiful said, Mushroom street, but invite it to join the excellent station. This September, Taobao launched excellent station, excellent station is the official Taobao shopping platform, by a number of third-party shopping guide, the talent to provide shopping guide content, together into a social shopping guide platform.


　　

The difference between
and the third party guide is that you can grasp the user access to these shopping site data. For example, before, users visit a shopping guide website, data from the shopping Guide website, and then to Taobao. Shopping Guide Site to join the excellent station, the data from Taobao, to the shopping guide site, and then to complete the transaction Taobao.


　　


Cat Browser, good credit net founder Li Mingshun (Micro bo) that Taobao has control over these data, in fact became the import "entrance", "the Third party shopping guide is an ' improved encirclement and suppression '." ”


　　


It is reported that Taobao and Mushroom Street had previously on the excellent station cooperation to negotiate, but the Mushroom street has not settled. "If you join the excellent station, you need to follow the system to do." and Mushroom Street user habits have been formed, if preferential station visits, there will be some not adapt. ”


　　


Acquisition


　　


for the recent news of Alibaba's desire to buy Mushroom street, Li Mingshun that "this is an unexpected, understandable thing." ”


　　

What is the logic of the takeover after
first?


　　


Li Mingshun believes that Alibaba's attitude to the shopping guide market is "playing a stick, to eat some sugar", which for Alibaba, more bargaining power, control, but also to depress valuation practices.


　　


rumors, Alibaba bought Mushroom Street capital 200 million dollars. Since the final deal has not yet been completed, this figure is still unknown. But what can be compared is that this figure is less than the valuation of Mushroom Street in the third round of financing.


　　


Previously, Mushroom Street had a total of two rounds of financing: in 2011, Mushroom Street had a total of 20 million U.S. dollars in financing, a round of investors have Bertelsmann, B-round investors for Qiming venture. October 2012, the completion of the C round of financing, IDG collar. The third round of the Mushroom street was valued at more than $200 million trillion, according to sources. Mushroom Street PR director Xuda also did not deny the low price acquisition.


　　


on the other hand, from the business point of view, Alibaba purchase Mushroom Street can make up for Community products Short board. Alibaba for the external quality of the flow has two kinds of attitude: one is the thirst, and the other is the fear of uncontrollable. Therefore, it is necessary to obtain quality flow, but also want to be controllable, the best way is to buy shares or acquisitions. Internet commentator Bo said.


　　


from repression to acquisition, Bo that the biggest reason is "Can't hold." "For Alibaba Group merchants, the internal flow can not afford to seek external low-cost flow of demand." Alibaba is difficult to really seal the live. ”


　　


In addition to a stake in the Sina Weibo, the acquisition of Mushroom street, such as external quality flow, Alibaba Group has been in the exploration of social products, such as the introduction of class Pinterest products Wow, shopping sharing platform love shopping, photo interactive community of the rabbit, interest map of the site circle, but not the flow of beauty, Mushroom Street and other Third-party shopping guide station.


　　


Bo that Alibaba's own difficult to make social products because of the lack of day-to-day relationships between users, more is the relationship between the sale. As a result, Alibaba's own social platform tends to become an active place for marketing experts, rather than a place where users are active.


　　


Overall, Alibaba is still increasing the resources of Community products investment, Taobao excellent station, love Taobao is in the new version of Taobao home page present.


　　


Breakout


　　


experienced a glorious period and downturn, Mushroom Street development is a guide to the industry in miniature.


　　


Shopping Guide The ceiling of the business state is obvious. Warburg Pincus investment consultant Huang Jo in its "I see the electricity quotient" a book pointed out that the shopping guide is a main reliance on Taobao environment to survive the industry, its operating soil, relying on Alibaba. "As long as the valve is closed, this mode of collective layoffs." ”


　　


in this big environment, shopping Guide website is seeking to break through. Either a transition or a multiplatform development.


　　


It is understood that the mushroom street competitors beautiful said has been diluted shopping guide color, positioning fashion media, do fashion magazine and the internet combination. On the one hand guide the trend, on the other hand users produce content. In addition to shopping guide income, the media can bring influence and advertising revenue.


　　


"Beautiful said and Mushroom Street nature has been different." Although in the external view, beautiful said there are shopping guide mode, but whether the internal structure or the future strategy, are slowly weakening the concept of shopping guide. A person close to beauty said.


　　


breakthrough Another way is to upgrade the proportion of other electric platform, such as the increase and jingdong, Xun, shop 1th, Suning and other platforms.


　　


However, in Taobao occupy the Chinese market 70% market share, shopping guide demand mainly concentrated in clothing skin care, mother and child, home and other vertical areas of the background, the current stage of this change is not easy to achieve.