Group buying site is entrepreneurial pie or investment trap

After the American Andrew Mason (Andrewmason) founder of the Groupon Group site became popular, domestic group buying sites have sprung up in the one or two-line cities, and in just 3 months time out of more than 400 group buying sites, but also to the industry's staggering is that　　Looks like the profit thin blade business actually also attracts Sina, tecent and so on domestic internet giant's prompt follow-up, and presents the small group purchase website to attract the popularity, has "the background" the group purchase website to fight the resources war situation. But the intriguing point is that the internet giant's cut has not let the grassroots group buying site feel afraid, instead, speed up the expansion of the group buying site, in the region, from a city to the expansion of a number of cities, and the offline resources to the second-tier cities further infiltration; in the content, from "a few days a regiment" gradually shifted to "a day of a regiment", or even "　　Multi-day group, and strive to adhere to the user in the short term. In this regard, Wanrui data Internet industry, senior analyst in Ming stressed that the current group purchase site sales are also mainly catering, such as the marginal cost is very low "commodity", group buying mode has not been widely recognized by enterprises.　　Internet veterans have also pointed out that for the emerging group buying sites, although the scene is quite hot, but really can attract the eye of the wind is only a handful. Tens of thousands of yuan will be able to set up a group purchase site 3 months to establish more than 400 a short period of 3 months, the number of purchase sites has exceeded 400, and this speed continues to expand, of which, Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, the number of group buying sites in the forefront of the national group buying site,　　The number of group buying sites that started in only four cities can account for more than 80% of all group buying sites. So, how can the group purchase site in such a short period of time to form such a scale?　　Introduce that during this period in addition to the low level with the group buying site, another very important factor is the user has a strong demand, demand driven the number of group buy site explosion-type growth. The reporter learned that, as a global group buying site leader, Groupon group purchase site since November 2008 officially on the line, in a short period of 7 months to achieve a break-even, profit rate of up to 30%, if according to the company's 2010 sales of 100 million U.S. dollars expected to calculate,　　Groupon's profits could be as high as $30 million this year. It is also based on the rapid profitability of group purchase, and the construction cost of the site is lower, even as long as tens of thousands of yuan can be set up to buy a website, therefore, domestic group buying site since March this year has been out of hand.　　During the period, has been a netizen exposure due to the cooperation of the volume of the party can not be returned on time to refund the purchase cost of 1288 group purchase site, in the one-month operation process, even only founder Huang Wei single-handedly, daily income nearly 2000 yuan. Obviously, the lower industry threshold has prompted the "savage growth" of group buying websites, but it has also stimulated some grassroots netizens ' entrepreneurial dreams. At the beginning of May this year, Sun Yat-sen University started his career as a junior 5151 Regiment in Guangdong University caused a small response, 5151 Group founder Pan Wenwei told reporters, after two months of operation, the group buying site has gradually entered the right track, the basic can do a "daily group", only in June, the group purchase site sales of more than 1 million yuan. College students also joined the entrepreneurial team at the "flat out" to attract popular "American group, Love Group, handle, glutinous rice net, full network, 58 group purchase, Rice Ball, Yoka Group, Litters Regiment, 24 coupons, Sohu Love Family Regiment, F Group, the mass Comment Group, QQ Group ...　　While domestic group buying site in a variety of eye-catching ways to appear in front of the public netizens, group purchase site needs to face the problems also appear. In the Ming Dynasty, the company's web site compared to the traditional site, for enterprises to sell goods to save store space, but need to build a warehouse system. The emergence of group buying site, can be directly shipped through the manufacturer, do not need E-commerce site itself to build a warehouse system.　　Thus, the price of the product is closer to the cost of production.　　In other words, when the group purchase site on a large scale, the lowest price will become a group of group buying site must face the problem, if you can not master enough of the offline resources, group buying site online painstakingly accumulated popularity may even suddenly collapse. "Site traffic, cooperation manufacturers, consumer trust and technical support is the creation of group buying site four indispensable parts." "Rice Network CEO Sanli in an interview with reporters, in his view, because the majority of the current group buying sites are mainly focused on the site traffic, even at the" flat out "to buy and sell goods to attract popularity, but due to the lack of online resources in the field of accumulation, Domestic group buying site survival big test stage or at the end of this year or early next year, "should not be more than a year's time, and this may be the rice network to show the advantages of the line under the great opportunity." And for the entrepreneurial team of college students, Pan Wenwei to reporters frankly, due to the need for regularization management, now 5151 Group of entrepreneurial team is only one person, however, the company's team or from the original several people to the present more than 30 people, and gradually develop other cities in the domestic offline resources, in addition,　　5151 Group also from the domestic other well-known e-commerce sites dug to the site's technical director, want to build on the site a breakthrough.　　Venture capital began to intervene in the group buying site is not financing big is being acquired with Sohu, Sina, Tencent, to a certain extent, is also seen as an important milestone to speed up the recognition of the current group buying mode, which further stimulates the rapid development of the whole group buying industry. During the period, many VCs also began to turn their eyes to the group buying site. Public information shows that as early as last December, after the US Groupon from Accel Capital, NEA and other wind investment won 30 million of dollars of investments, Its imitators, buywithme.com, also earned 5.5 million of billions of dollars in venture capital, and in April this year the Russian investment company DST's consortium was GroupoN invested 135 million of dollars so that it valued more than 1.3 billion dollars. Similarly, in the domestic group buying site, many group buying site also ushered in the upsurge of injection.　　In May this year, 5151 group buying net gained more than 20 million yuan of venture capital, and the 24-coupon founder Du Yinan also announced in the month of the Million Yuan Angel investment, in addition, cool group nets, handle nets in June have won the favor of investors, of which, cool group network has been a total of two rounds of wind, a total of 18 million yuan. However, compared to more than 400 domestic group buying sites, now win the wind to favor the group buying sites are only a handful, the vast majority of group buying site is still in the waiting stage.　　Among them, former Google Greater China, the president of the current innovation Factory chairman Lee Kai-Fu has clearly stated that the temporary will not invest in group buying website.　　Some insiders pointed out that although today's group buying site is involved in a fairly wide range, covering almost every aspect of life consumption, including food, beauty, fitness, concerts, etc., but in the early days of the industry, the biggest challenge of group buying site is how to differentiate from the homogeneity of the service competition. "Group buying site generally have a few ways to go, one is financing bigger and stronger, such as Groupon, the second is to achieve a certain degree of acquisition, the third is a direct failure of mismanagement." "There are senior members of the Internet.　　It is reported that following the acquisition of the German similar website CityDeal in May, Groupon announced in June the acquisition of the Chilean trading website Clandescuento, and will open a new website called Clubeurbano in Brazil to enter the Latin American market. Consumer disputes are often paid in advance by the way consumers eat stuffy losses, however, group purchase site needs to face the integration of online and offline resources is far more than this, especially netizens "under the bill not to pay" embarrassing situation in the various home purchase site also abound, Pan Wenwei to reporters frankly,　　Since the current purchase site to provide the basic payment methods are online, including Alipay, wealth Qualcomm, fast money, net silver, etc., and this to a large extent hindered the enthusiasm of consumers to participate in group buying. "We are now working on how to get users to do the buying process faster, for example by allowing consumers to make payments without using online payment tools," he said.　　Pan Wenwei said that for group buying sites, consumers in advance payment is the premise of group buying site can be successfully carried out. However, for most consumers, has gradually become accustomed to the "cod" or "the end of the payment" of the payment method, now the purchase site needs early payment form is obviously not humane. "Once there is a low price to buy goods far below their expectations, then, for consumers, more can only eat stuffy losses." "Period, as early as June this year, 1288 group buying site because of cooperation manufacturers in the receipt of advance purchase money and did not carry out shipments, directly led to participate in the purchase of consumers can not immediately back to buy money, forced to group repay advance;Is the first "40 Yuan double summer vacation value to enjoy!"　　The original price of 176 yuan Jackiechan Yao Lai International Film City package "buy items not plate." Some internet analysts frankly, because the purchase of goods is not instantaneous consumption, means that the consumer's evaluation of buy goods will show a significant lag, especially when consumers start to evaluate, a group buying project has been basically finished, can not have a direct impact on the group buying project, for this,　　The evaluation and payment system for group purchase products is still worth the industry's discussion. Expert opinion "the operating risk of group buying site is quality and service" Now, the group purchase website in the Internet industry is very happy, the domestic major group purchase site responsible also have to throw rhetoric, want to win the commanding heights of domestic group purchase site, then, for the rise of group buying site, academia how to see?　　In this regard, the reporter interviewed Wuhan University information Management College professor, Bo guide Shenyang.　　Nanfang Daily: The current group buying site in the domestic rise, just 4 months time has exceeded 400, how do you see this phenomenon? Shenyang: The current group of QQ groups to reach 30,000 or so, if the average of 50 people per group calculation, then there are 1.5 million people to build a stable group buying contact network, overall, group buying site has been a response to the field of attraction.　　Therefore, in the short term more than 400 sites can be understood, if the combination of local, the number of sites may not be enough, there is room.　　Nanfang Daily: Today's group buying sites mainly in advertising and intermediary fees as revenue, how do you see the prospect of group buying site? Shenyang: Although the main profit model of the current group is advertising and intermediary fees, it may bring huge cash flow. From the perspective of current development, will mainly have the following trends: portal site to accelerate the layout of group buying, and even the existence of Baidu paste, there is ah, search, etc. through the new e-commerce group purchase mode, vertical group purchase website to accelerate expansion, and strive to form more favorable prices, more reliable quality, service more dependable,　　Users more closely linked to a new type of higher competitiveness of the Web site, and the traditional electronic web site Taobao will accelerate the rich buy business model, large merchandise vendors may even set up group buying group.　　Nanfang Daily: Many group buying sites have also won the VCS, but the amount is generally small, how do you view the risk of group buying site? Shenyang: This means that investors are more cautious, do not put eggs in a basket, but also can be seen, group buying site entry threshold is lower, the actual operation of good words, the profit cycle is very short, profitability quickly, from this point of view, the purchase of the net of self accumulation of funds is faster.　　That is to say, buy a network to some extent is not need so many venture capital, its core competitiveness lies in online netizen quantity and loyalty, line of supplier conformity ability. To this end, I think the risk of group buying site is its quality and services, in particular, group buying network walking in the edge of price blade, more attention to quality and after-sales service, I believe that the final winner of the market must be a good reputation, quality and stability of the low price manufacturersand websites. RELATED links: Group Buy network: is the net organization platform, that is, the consumers do not know each other, with the help of the Internet, "the power of the network of people" to gather funds to increase the bargaining power with the merchant to obtain the best price.　　According to the principle of small profits but quick turnover, the quantity is excellent, the merchant can give the discount of buying below the retail price and buy the quality service which cannot be bought separately. Group buy site Profit model: The current domestic group buy the source of the main profit sources are two kinds, one is the advertising costs of businesses, and the other is the provision of goods "spreads", that is, the price of the goods indicated and the difference between the actual prices offered by the merchant.　　For example, in a group purchase on the website of a day to buy wine price of 68 yuan/bottle, and the purchase site and the merchant negotiated price will be less than or equal to 68 yuan/bottle, and according to the number of group buy to negotiate the lowest price, on the contrary, if not to the number of group buy, then, the group will be canceled. Topic author Nanfang Daily reporter Cai Wei