I am in the group buying network these days (i)

In the group buying network is responsible for operation is more than two years ago, in the second half of 2011 began to record some people during the period of some things, it is time to organize and share to everyone, in order to gain some insights.

First, smell group purchase

It is the autumn of 2010, we should remember, the overwhelming group of buy network advertising, building ads, Subway body ads, Subway wall ads, television advertising.

That is the Chinese Internet enterprises after the successful replication of the foreign model of another beach gambling, spell speed to fight the scale, first IPO.

At that time, the general understanding of group buying network is a user holding group bulk purchase, access to price concessions, the site to open up businesses, then more localized goods and services, such as beer and skittles.

With many years ago to do online games to promote and entrepreneurial experience, the first instinct is to buy the network to a large extent, is the ground to expand the ability of business, more is the implementation of the ground team. Therefore, the sensory technology content is not too big.

Online There are open source group buy network code, several people can operate; the threshold is really low. Thousands of group buying website, basically no difference, rush the local life service consumer market.

Remember then an MBA classmate, ready to invest tens of thousands of in Xian to do group buying network. It can be seen that the net was really hot, the threshold is really low, the whole nation do group buying.

August 2010, a few friends came to me for advice on how to do website promotion. They also made a group buying network.

Several have this FMCG experience and business resources of friends, since the pocket, set up a team of dozens of people. But they are worried about how to promote the site.

One day, I was specially called. In the Conference room, at that time, I first suggested that the strategy adjust, focus on a particular industry or a crowd of goods and services to buy, take the differentiated route, second, improve and improve the site's user experience. Their group buy net is the open source code that downloads, the page design is also the template that uses, basic information architecture and interaction have, but not good enough, still need to improve. and in the website promotion aspect, I was just general point a few conventional way, what SEO, bidding, website Alliance, CPS and so on.

The communication, deeply felt that the market is indeed a bit messy, many traditional areas of people into the group buying site, with their offline expansion of resources and capabilities, but also a lot of internet users into the industry, very concerned about the site's user experience, So that in the latter part of the whole process of group buying as a user experience to promote the whole link to consider, do a good job.

Second, students telephone

At the end of November 2010, received a phone call from a university classmate, asked me a simple situation in Beijing, suddenly said, he has a friend to do a group purchase site, the urgent lack of a responsible website operators. At the time, I said, I'm not interested in the job, but I can talk to him and give him my phone number.

A week later, a phone call, the other side is my classmate mentioned a group of buy net chairman of Mr. W, telephone simple communication, he told me the domain name of his site, after the agreement next week in Beijing to see one side.

When I opened the website, it really startled me.

The home page is full of messy information, without uniform UI specification, the overall style is difficult to accept.

Like many years ago, covered with buoys advertising, full screen are colorful text personal website.

Iii. First Meeting

Mr. W came to Beijing, the phone I said dinner together at night, I answered Yue: no problem. At that time a little cold fever, can only porridge.

So, we met. Eating porridge, I have been asking Mr. W a question, where are your differentiated competitive advantages? He assured me that they are proficient in channel management, because they are in the traditional industry come out, in the face of this advantage, I laugh without words.

He repeatedly stressed the importance of the channel, indeed at that time, I can not understand its meaning, but found that the idea is not too clear, or even confused.

During the period, I expressed a lot of buy big guy tens of millions of dollars of financing, as well as the website product planning and operation of specialization, and has formed a certain first-run advantages and competitive pattern. Mr. W's brow wrinkled and stern.

I don't know how much money Mr. W can get into the crossfire. At that time, I only know that its thinking is not clear, a headquarters in Chengdu, Sichuan, a group buying site, the future is uncertain, the dead; look at the homepage of this website, can actually sentence its death.

website is very unprofessional; Information architecture disorder, the user experience is very poor, conversion rate is naturally very low; Invest in more web site promotion costs, open more stations, the benefits will be very poor; like a basin, the loophole is too much too big, put more water is to miss out.

Mr. W thoughtfully listened and nodded his head.

Finally I asked him a few questions:

1. How much money have you prepared to do this website?

2. What is the plan for the next 3-5 years?

3. What did you do before? What qualities do you have to do this group buying site?

On the first question, Mr. W did not respond positively to me; the second question he mentioned wanted to make the country first, and I continued to sweat; the third question he told me before he was in the government department, has also done a traditional channel, have the confidence to open the channel of the group purchase website, to generate greater profits.

I listened silently.

So we ended our first meeting.

Four, Chengdu meet again

At the end of January 2011, I returned to Chengdu, with the warm invitation of Mr. W, I came to the Chengdu headquarters of the group buying network.

Because in Beijing after the first meeting, they have done some group buying nets homework, collected some relevant information. On the way to the company, chatting with the little T drive.

Small T responsible for the company's customer service department, during the period also took several foreign station telephone, about group buying complaints.

At that time in my thinking, think of how to form a differentiation, especially the site platform this piece, how to develop new features, more mining user needs, DIY tailored users need to buy goods and services. And how to conduct in-depth user data analysis, precision marketing.

Along with this idea, I came to the office of this company. An IT development zone outside the Chengdu West Ring.

Mr. W was pleased to meet me and guided me around the company.

The office has a full of more than 2000 square meters, the department is complete, also has the training room.

The number of headquarters is approximately 60. Divided into technical department, Marketing Center, Development Department, Finance Department, management department and component companies.

After a lap, I came to the Chairman's office. At 6 o ' clock, I, Mr. W, as well as deputy general Manager of C, we three in the office casually chat up.

I pushed the far of the big white plate, put the advantage of the network of the advantages and disadvantages, operating ideas and development direction, with them to analyze and discuss a bit.

At this point, I still hope that in the strategic direction can be a breakthrough, to integrate the current company's unique resources, to find the unique location of the group buying site.

But an hour of communication ended, I still can not see the direction, do not understand their core competitiveness.

In this way, the end of the first interview back to Chengdu.

After a year, Mr. W called me again and asked me how I thought about it.

I said, about time to meet to talk about substantive issues: Website development strategy, my authority and remuneration issues.

We met at a café.

Talk about the strategy of website development first. I was thinking about the need for differentiated competitiveness, industry or user differentiation, as to how the difference, there is no concept. Mr. W, who has been emphasizing the attachment value of the group buying network-the power of the channel. I was very puzzled at that time, if you want to build a channel, why to build it by buying net? Later in Beijing, Mr. W told me what he really thought, but the betting chips were really big and the odds were not judged.

Talk about authority and remuneration again. He told me that the site to the whole department to me, he is not very reassuring, can be technical department, Marketing Center (website products and marketing department) to my responsibility, the title is vice President, responsible for the entire site operation. He throws out a salary housing subsidy for a k monthly salary.

I then rebuffed, a few years ago I was in Chengdu is this salary, not to mention a few years later, I was in Beijing. Help friends, at least this n this number.

Before leaving, at the door of the café, he held my hand and said, rest assured, at least n this number, no problem, can also be several times this number.

So, this conversation is over. In fact, I still not for echocardiography.

The Spring Festival long holiday is coming to an end. Mr. W again called me to go to his company to talk about work.

That day, I think for a long time at home, still feel not smooth, to tell the truth, do not want to take this job. So he text message w: "Sorry, something can not come, Beijing again contact." ”

V. Preliminary Study Group purchase

After a year, I returned to Beijing.

Think of this group buy net Mr. W, it is not very easy, he has been earning a lot of money in the operator's business for many years, after reading an EMBA, kill the league to buy a website; spend the renminbi to prop up a hundreds of people's stall, running a very unprofessional personal website.

I also think about this question, I am as a spectator watching the play, or to join the wanton fight it?

I seem to have seen a very brutal battle, in such a large scale, the number of participants in the battle before, oneself is to choose to sit on the sidelines, or join together to kill a life-and-death out?

However, the following serious problems need to be faced:

How to survive in so many homogeneous group buying markets? How to kill a way out? The big crocodiles are holding tens of millions of dollars of money, sophisticated executive team, and the financial market close contact, these small group purchase site should how to go?

I think it's a tough challenge, but it's also a big opportunity.

Good, there are quite successful convincing case, failure is not shameful, after all, group buying network competition is too cruel, in China's internet history should never before.

As a then, I began to carefully collect the relevant information about group buying network, comments, research on several major group buying sites.

Here are the analysis and strategic relocation reports for the group buying website made over a period of several weeks.

It boils down to this:

Entry threshold low homogeneity too serious competition too much too strong competition is brutal

Capital is very important. We need a strategic transformation.

In the report, I proposed a strategic transformation, recommended to do for college students group buying website.

This paper analyzes the user experience of the group buying network, and points out the core user experience------------------

Some of the architecture and departmental KPIs are also given, including technical department, website product department and marketing department. See figure below.

At the end of February, I met Mr. W again in Beijing, and I put the whole report and plan out of the world, and after listening carefully, he thanked me and said, thank you for doing this, and I hope I can get into the job soon. and agreed to the time, the early March back to Chengdu, see the team, for entry formalities.