Group buying site is the Warring States era or bubble era

April 2010 with the Spring Thunder flashing, China's internet industry has a magnificent 12-class hurricane Wave. Investment institutions generously, all kinds of media rushed to report, the size of the site, cooperation channels flocked. After the impact of the financial turmoil, "group purchase" opened up the domestic internet atmosphere.

Compared to the period in 2008 and 2009 when all the Internet was artificially gloomy and all investors were retreating. Groupon has injected tens of billions of of billions of dollars into China's internet in a few months, without a doubt bringing the 2010 Chinese Internet to its peak. So many industry people can not help but cheer-the spring of the Chinese internet has finally come back.

With that year's "online video", "WEB2.0", "WEB3.0" suddenly appear, suddenly hot, suddenly static lonesome compared to the "group purchase" site of the hot seems more sudden and incredible. Because all of this is too fast and crazy, so that the Internet and netizens do not seem to understand the "buy" the true Pulp, "buy" has been a fire over every IP address.

But "group purchase" What is the blockbuster power of the profit model, will cause such a huge chain effect? The author of the country in the network with the market director Li Yang several times after the exchange, with a little feeling.

First, traced

"Group purchase" can only be called as a form, but can not be called a "new model", but not like some people are sought after: "China's e-commerce inevitable product."

There are two reasons: first, the Chinese internet group buys as early as in 2005 once hot, but at that time China's e-commerce is still embryonic period. Group Buy products are mostly for corporate gifts, holiday gifts, office supplies mainly, but also by individuals to take the lead in the purchase of a product demand, the site according to the number of members to participate in group buying, and then determine the price of products. The instability of the environment, the uncertainty of price, bound the development of "network group buying", and finally made it quietly withdrew from the first stage.

Second, "group buying" is a derivative form or promotional form of the Business-to-consumer. Instead of being independent of "business-to-business", "Business-to-consumer", "Consumer-to-consumer", innovative e-business models. Because, relative e-commerce "group purchase" form, many years ago the major shopping malls and supermarkets nationwide, "limited discount promotions", "online group buy to see the group", "Group Buying Car Regiment" is not exactly the same product? The only difference is that "online buy" is not only a commodity, there are services, venues and other content, and the payment method increased the "on-line payment."

Therefore, it should be said that today's hot, can only be explained that China's e-commerce increasingly mature. Users of the product price, quality, service, higher requirements. As the impact of E-commerce platform to expand, so that the circulation of commodities reduced, manufacturers and service providers can reduce costs, thus reducing profits directly for consumers to provide services. The right environment, the right time, and the right people make this form of consumption anew accepted by society. Rather than the "myth" of the emerging profit model.

II. Market Structure

Although the first-line group buying site, its overall strength and influence, indeed with the second-line site has obvious advantages. But by the source of goods, the impact of crowd coverage, the second-line group buying site is still a group of loyal netizens. Make the current group purchase site is a total of disputes, in the short term "pillars" monopoly phenomenon.

Group Buy Station Category:

1. First-line website: The United States Regiment, handle, full, 24 securities, glutinous Rice Regiment, Love Group, 58 group purchase, Sina Group, Sohu Love Family Regiment, rice ball rice, mass comment Group, Poly cost-effective and other dozens of major stations, because of strong or deep-rooted, its influence and communication power are quite strong.

2, second-line web site: Puzzle nets, recruit to see, ah Ya group, Network group, such as thousands of sites. These sites also retain some of their own content and price advantages, so they still have a place.

3, Vertical Group purchase station: Photography Group (Photo group), Rice ball rice (catering), Fast Regiment (fashion women Shopping), bathing Regiment (bathing foot Care), 517 Regiment (outdoor equipment), the United States Makeup Group (cosmetics) and other vertical groups of group buying station, because of the strong precision, so the member relatively stable.

Iii. Competitive Content

"Although group buying products embody the E-commerce website with Taobao and Business-to-consumer," said Li Yang, marketing Director

Part of the difference, but the group purchase product is too single and homogeneous. The author of the country also in an E-commerce website responsible for operations, group buying is also a key content. Therefore, deeply agree with Li Yang's viewpoint, also deeply worried about this phenomenon.

Today, many group purchase sites provide the basic are: catering, beauty body, massage, foot road, spa, board games, bars, KTV, performance tickets, outdoor travel, cosmetics and so on. Although it seems to include a wide range, there is enough market space. But in fact, due to the increasingly fierce competition, the category homogeneity of serious. In order to meet the growing needs of netizens, thousands of of group buying sites on the "buy goods" almost all require "brand has influence", "Low price", "Product characteristics", "quality assured."

Day after day the screening will soon be discovered. Website targeted and selected businesses, service providers, manufacturers, almost 70% of the same. Because in a certain industry or a region, can meet these requirements of the brand, that is, a few. Take the current popular "buy movie ticket" as an example, Beijing area of large and small cinemas, smaller theater prices are indeed much cheaper. But is located in the remote, the environment simple, the effect is general. Although save money, but not achieve the effect, can not meet the needs of white-collar and fashion crowd. So gradually all stared at the "Wanda", "International Film City" and other large cinemas. The result is of course also very obvious, the site of group buying more and more, equal to "force" the cinema rises the group purchase price.

"Group buying", like many internet forms, is the product of the High-tech era, which is bound to play a positive role in promoting social and economic progress. However, the author of the country still maintains a practical marketing point of view, everything is good will have disadvantages. In many websites and enterprises are still ready to kill into the "network buy" market, please be sure to consider their own strength and development direction. The author prefers to buy the Warring States Period to maintain a long time, also do not want to see the Chinese internet has a bubble era.

(There are a number of factors, due to the length of the relationship, this can not be one of the calves, will be in the next paragraph.) ）