Electric Business War, the ultimate victim is consumers

This reporter Wang Feng

With the rapid rise of the home Electric Network purchase, the competition between home appliances business is also increasingly fierce. In order to attract consumers, the emerging electricity companies have not only picked up the real store has used the price war weapon, but also in order to give their own cheers, and attack each other, big fight, leading to this year's electrical business field cloud, so that the consumer at a loss.

A war of words between electric dealers

Recently, a person familiar with the situation, Jingdong Mall has issued a notice to 3C home appliance suppliers, shipping prices above the Dangdang are not checkout. In this regard, although Jingdong Mall in the interview with reporters said not to comment, but the combination of the previous electric business between a series of saliva war, the industry believes that this is Jingdong Mall in the dark response to the price of Dangdang war, or will trigger the electricity business giant commodity price of the dark War.

January 31, a Amoy network published in the fourth quarter of 2011, the Business Price Index report, the fourth quarter of last year, the domestic market for the average commodity prices showed a marked upward trend, especially in the "11" before and after the highest point, which Jingdong Mall in early October last year, the price rose more than 15%, When the wait also has a rise of about 5%.

February 1, Jingdong Mall issued a statement, said "This is completely fabricated slander, there is no factual basis, jingdong neither, nor absolutely impossible to increase the price of 15%, that is purely suicidal behavior." "A Amoy net also not to be outdone," then said: "The rising price of the business is good for the electric industry, will guide the business from burning money to healthy operation." ”

For Jingdong Mall and a Amoy network of saliva battle, a start, Dangdang CEO Guoqing publicly said: Dangdang and Jingdong every day dozen price war, no price increases, the support of Beijing East. But on that very night, Alibaba Group vice president ran the list of more than 10 kinds of digital home appliances commodity prices, in the goods and exclude "the fulfilment of coupons" and other conditions, on the Dangdang and Jingdong Mall two commodity actual price comparison, price display Dangdang product prices are generally lower than Jingdong mall. Then Dangdang turn direction, Guoqing turned to question Jingdong Mall of digital home appliances price, and Dangdang Market PR senior Director Guo He also said: "Beijing East comprehensive Price is expected, especially 3C category." The larger the scale, the more they can not afford to burn, in the face of capital pressure, raising prices is a last resort, understandable. "In the face of the rise in the price of Dangdang, Jingdong Mall said no comment."

In fact, the above two companies have a lot of fighting. Last year Guoqing has repeatedly open to Jingdong Mall strategy and category layout and other aspects of the query, recently he also publicly criticized Jingdong Mall CEO Liu, outspoken its expansion of ideas have problems, said "the whole market is very large, 3 C and books in the net share is very small, he will attack my book category, I do not know why." This is neither strategy nor sensible. ”

Tight funds, thin profits, electricity dealers

Rise, or not rise, has been plagued the domestic business of the big problem. Rose, there may be a loss of customers, not up, the time has long been really unable to hold. Only in the number of users enough, the service is good enough, can withstand peer low price advantage, in order to consider the price increase. So for many years everyone has said, but no one has ever dared to rise.

However, the increasing tension of liquidity and the narrow profit margins have long been a serious dilemma for the electricity dealers. Last year, the domestic business of the industry suffered the capital "winter", a number of Web sites thus closed is very good evidence. To ease the mess, the dealers had to quietly find their way out.

At the end of November last year, Jingdong Mall began to charge an order of less than 39 yuan for 5 yuan distribution fee. Subsequently, the new Egg China also issued a notice that from December 31 last year, the implementation of a new logistics policy, the abolition of the "free Shipping" rule, Beijing, Shanghai, such as the use of the logistics city of less than 99 yuan in order to collect 4.5 yuan distribution fee. At that time, the new egg Chinese insiders frankly, the cost problem is one of the reasons.

After the new egg China, Jingdong Mall raised the freight threshold, the last one advertised "free shipping" business enterprise Amazon China also recently set a free shipping threshold, said the purchase of more than 29 yuan (including 29 yuan) qualified goods, you can enjoy free distribution services, if the amount of qualified goods is less than 29 yuan to pay 5 yuan distribution costs.

For a number of peers set up a free shipping threshold, a number of business enterprises to express support. Bowser Network vice President Pengliang said: "Although the bowser currently will not make the adjustment of the freight policy, but the electricity merchant collects the freight not to be wrong, the foreign Business-to-consumer website does not have the free shipping one to say." ”

In view of this, Analysys international analyst Shou that, the electricity merchant no longer free shipping is a disguised price increase, this can control the low price order quantity, thus enhances the customer unit price, causes each order to spread evenly, the operation cost reduces, through this method enhances the gross margin. Shou further pointed out: "In view of the capital, low gross profit and staff costs, such as multiple pressure, if more than the household appliances business charges, will cause the follow-up of other peers, the domestic electric dealers free shipping will become the past." ”

Low-priced goods shortage leads to consumer disputes

Low price is a big weapon that the home appliance net buys rise. The net buys the household appliance because reduces the circulation link, avoids the store façade expense and the multitudinous management expense, causes the commodity cost to reduce greatly, thus has brought the safeguard for the low price. But the reporter survey found that, as the home grid competition increasingly fierce, many electric companies will be low prices as the only means to attract consumers ' attention, which leads to online purchase of home appliances price hand-to-hand combat. Originally by the competition brought about by the price drop for consumers is a good thing, but the reporter found that some electric dealers in order to attract consumers, often take ultra-low prices to attract consumers, to the shortage of consumer and other ways to reduce their own profit risk, so that consumers are injured, and caused a large number of consumer disputes.

The reporter compares Jingdong, Amazon, when more than a number of electrical business of ultra-low-priced products, found that a considerable part of ultra-low-priced products are showing out of stock, although some do not show out of stock, and once the consumer to order, the electricity will inform the goods temporarily out of stock, can not be a single, to consumers a great inconvenience.

Netizen Wang to this newspaper, he in order to facilitate the children to school to make breakfast, late last year in the Amazon site ordered a fried egg clang. The website then sent him a confirmation email and delivery date, but sent him an email on the delivery date and said, "I'm sorry, the following items in your order will not be available for you because we are unable to purchase the goods." We have removed the items that are out of stock, the payment will be refunded as soon as possible to your electronic account or gift card, you can in the "My Account"-"Electronic account" or "My gift card" to find the inconvenience caused you, please understand. "Mr. Wang believes that it is a breach of contract for the website to cancel the order unilaterally and delete the order record without communicating with the customer." Require excellence Amazon to continue to fulfill the order or pay the corresponding compensation. But the website after-sales service said, because the customer purchase of the product page shows out of stock, so after a single due to failed to purchase goods and cancel orders, Amazon can not be compensated, if the next single page shows that the goods and Amazon unilaterally cancel orders, you can give customers corresponding compensation. However, Mr. Wang said the screenshot was not retained, and therefore could not be provided, resulting in the difficulty of defending rights.

China e-Commerce Research Center online shopping and Rights protection experts Yia Jianfang remind the vast number of netizens: online shopping before the list to look at the page, at the same time to retain the relevant documents, in order to meet the problem of protection.