It's the best of times and the worst of times

This is the best of times and the worst of times. Use Dickens's phrase to describe today's Internet catering O2O is appropriate. Not long ago, the rice network suddenly closed down, the former restaurant industry star collapse finally put the internet age catering service bleak scene naked show in front of people. At the same time, mobile Internet food O2O field but capital flow tide surging, emerging team each surprisingly recruit, just as the phase of spring. However, a number of people in the industry to the IT Times reporter expressed the same view: Food and beverage O2O is still in the stage of burning money, the profit is still slim.

Winter is already here.

Netizens ridicule, surname "Rice" in China seems always mingtu, such as rice, rice. Back to 2003, the Rice network and the public comment on the newborn calf, representing the Chinese catering industry internet era opened. However, in a number of subsequent shocks in the industry, the Rice network has missed a good opportunity.

Yang Yun, one of the founders of the Rice network, told reporters that the first turning point of the network sadly ended was 2010 years after the rise of the mobile end of internet services. At that time, the development of the Rice network although the early launch of their own app, but did not invest enough in research and development costs, and in the subsequent 2011-year group buying war, the rice network also did not buy as their main business. In this regard, the rice network lost the attention of the capital side, gradually fell into the plight of insufficient funds flow, and finally ended up losing their old opponents of the public comment network.

The curtain Call of the rice network is not an example, the traditional Internet ordering mode is going downhill. The operation mode and the Rice network is the same as the "Order Meal Secretary" has been the most popular meal booking site in Shanghai, a number of industry insiders to reporters, now its business is shrinking, although following the trend launched its own mobile clients, but the service content is still not enough innovation, not to their own development to bring too much improvement.

In Yang Yun view, the rice network, ordering the small secretary and so on by providing restaurant information to increase the flow of practice, has been far from the development of the situation, while the public comment on the network has played a "power business card", has been successful, "Now the emerging mobile Internet catering services play is ' tool flow ', upgrade the service as a tool to attract users to use." ”

"No one dares to say profitable."

Into the "Big Mouth" inside the company, the reporter was in front of a dense room of people startled. Originally, the business owner is to the cooperative shop waiter sister training. As a popular mobile Internet restaurant app, the "Big mouth" market leader told reporters, "big mouth" efforts to create a local service to the phone end of the closed-loop structure.

"Big Mouth" to provide "a la carte, self-help under the single" function, consumers can not only through the app booking restaurant, booking arranging, but also can point to a good menu at any time, temporary deposit in the mouth of the app, arrive at the restaurant seated, gently sweep off the card, can be completed orders Through app, the whole repast process can save at least 10-15 minutes. Now, the big Mouth in Beijing and Shanghai have signed more than 200 merchants, every day to receive thousands of single business.

The above director introduced, the Local service is a big cake, everyone wants to take a sip first, but at the same time it is an extremely difficult cake, on the one hand, its promotion relies on the most traditional way to push, door-to-door to the restaurant lobbying, this troublesome link even repulsed many large companies; Catering O2O Market is difficult to achieve profitability. The catering service is typically a five to 10 point commission from the merchant, which is unsustainable.

"For now, no one can say that they are profitable, whether it's a reservation site or a mobile app," he said. Yang Yun said that in the industry to do a la carte app team and a lot, but many are due to lack of funds and midway. For example, last year on the line of "priority" APP, the main is also ordering, sharing, payment services, but because the flow of money eventually only to exit the market. At present, do catering O2O team are basically still burning money stage, the urgent task is to expand market share, occupy favorable terrain, and about the profit we do not think much.

"Country Eight" after the high end of the ordering of the Depression

Also born in the mobile Internet, the United States network was founded in July 2012, initially it is a focus on the high-end crowd of small audience booking site. Today, it has successfully transformed itself into a O2O private butler platform.

Yi Yi-wen, founder and CEO of the US network, told reporters that today they are not just catering, but also offering weddings, renting cars, even private charter flights, private bodyguards and a range of value-added services. At the beginning of the line, the United States network coverage of more than 300 high-end restaurants in Shanghai, the main selling point is "to help consumers order those not to the restaurant." But with the introduction of "Country Eight", high-end catering market is shrinking, and at the same time Yi Yi-wen found that these high-end crowd in the flowers, drinks, cakes and other value-added services on the demand is very large, so the initiation of a comprehensive life service butler platform idea. "For example, many people are married now but completely unfamiliar with the wedding process, through our platform, they can get the overall planning and co-ordination." And we also work with a lot of professional wedding team to help customers complete the process. ”

Because the positioning of the relatively narrow crowd, the United States network of new customers to expand space after all limited, therefore, the United States network is mainly relying on Word-of-mouth marketing. It is understood that the United States network of the current monthly orders in 70% from the old customers. And the profit model is mainly rely on the extraction of business commissions and user Service fees.

Yi Yi-wen told reporters that the current U.S. network is facing a major problem is how to achieve geographical expansion, she hopes that the future platform is not limited to the Shanghai region. But at the same time, this omni-directional platform service brings the expensive labor cost, this is also many Life service class O2O team faces one big obstacle. Yi Yi-wen said that at present the whole team is still in the burning money stage, need to rely on continuous financing to develop and expand.

"Purse" for the restaurant.

and "Big Mouth" and the United States slightly different from the net, "Customers like Cloud" choice from the merchant side into the catering O2O market. "Guest Cloud" by the former 24 coupons founder and COO Penre founded, it is the predecessor of the same meal booking service "Find bit" App. Penre said, "Find a bit" of the test water let him find that the user side of the market competition has been unusually fierce, and difficult to find a good profit model, so he turned to the merchant side of the market.

"Customer like Cloud" now services cover the booking management, queuing, ordering, takeout, receiving silver, members and other links. The system and micro-trust docking, consumers can through the merchant's micro-credit public number for online arranging, ordering, payment, and the staff through the system client to complete the message processing.

At present, just on line "guest like Cloud" already has more than 100 cooperative merchant, each business Penre will charge 1000 to 2000 yuan service charge to merchant. Penre said his ambition is to use the mobile end to transform the catering industry, and even the whole life service industries. For him, one of the biggest obstacles is to promote, because from the merchant side, "Customer like Cloud" to take from the merchant to the user's promotion, how to persuade the merchant to use their system, and through the merchant public number, etc., are not easy process.

Reporter notes: profit, looks very beautiful, also very distant

In the interview process, many respondents in the optimistic about their industry prospects at the same time, also admitted that the current market pattern is undecided, they still to optimize product services, to seize the market share, far from the recovery phase, so for the specific way of profit did not think too much. At present, to be able to gain a firm foothold in the market, most of the capital and technical background is relatively strong team. Perhaps, the food o2o to usher in the real spring, it is still too early.