PC Internet age, Map is an edge product

In the age of PC Internet, map is an edge product. In the era of mobile internet, the map is no longer a simple means of access, it is the integration of local life information services platform and mobile portal.

After the full acquisition of Gould, Ali successfully completed the mobile Internet infrastructure services in the location of service construction, and finally can safely be assured to carry out its O2O strategy.

It is not difficult to imagine, Ali next step should be the group buy, taxi, map, electricity and other effective integration, to establish a line under the "Taobao + Day Cat" to form a cover of local life downstream industry chain of a new ecological system.

Just, the same was Ali invested, with local merchants most of the U.S. regiment, will not become the next "gold", Ali "first taste after the swallowed" to fill its vast electric business empire?

With an excellent sense of business, Ali in July 2011 combined with the Arctic Light, Walden International, Sequoia Capital and other institutions to invest in the site "American group", and in addition to the investment, Ali to the United States regiment more personnel and management support (now responsible for the ground team management Forrest Gump is the former Ali's senior hero), Help it to stabilize the domestic group buying market first camp.

If Ali buys the United States Regiment, in the end need to spend how much cost. A general conclusion can be drawn from the following two sets of data:

1, Ali plans to buy 1.045 billion dollars in cash for the remaining 72% of the company's software. In May 2013, Ali bought about 28% of the company's software in 294 million dollars.

In other words, Ali basically pays for the growth of the local life service market. The valuation of the software has risen to 1.45 billion yuan from last May's 1.05 billion yuan, and gold has risen 38%.

2, last year, Baidu Circle to buy glutinous rice nets, from the first phase of the initial investment of 160 million yuan accounted for 59% of the shares to calculate, glutinous rice Net market value of 270 million yuan. According to public data, glutinous rice net in the last year's monthly turnover of about 300 million yuan, the United States regiment is about 1.8 billion yuan up and down, in the turnover of glutinous rice is 6 times times.

In addition, the U.S. team through the cat's eye movie tickets, hotel group purchase in mobile phone app expansion and lead to the future market potential value (for the moment estimated at 300 million U.S. dollars), so that the market value of the United States will be about 1.9 billion U.S. dollars.

For Ali, which currently accounts for more than 5 billion dollars, the takeover of the United States is not too much pressure (because of the 510 million dollars in the book's money and equivalent, the acquisition of Gaudeari only spent 535 million). Ali would have been very necessary if he had taken the gold map as a base for its localized layout, and had filled the window with stuff.

Baidu wholly-owned purchase of glutinous rice nets, gradually in with the map, LBS, group buying platform for integration, Tencent through the micro-letter drive, through the micro-letter membership card, map to build a local life service system, for Ali, although the former around the local life of the bureau is more than enough, but to the bat new match to get the lead, Faster and more efficient resource integration is imperative.

The United States Regiment for Ali, is undoubtedly its most high-quality resources, although once also voted for Tintin concessions, Word-of-mouth network, but these areas are far from the development of group buying mature. As mentioned earlier in the article, the internet giant is more of an investment betting on the periphery of the local life, and now it is at the conclude stage. And with Baidu focus on mobile search, Tencent pay attention to the social field, the local life service market for the trade good for Ali, has touched the lifeline.

This year, Ali IPO has reached the final deadline (see Soft silver, Ali, Yahoo), the complex equity agreement between the mobile end of the power to rebuild the empire will be Ali's way. Compared to adding a new story around the mobile internet and local life services, Ali's purchase of gold and the United States Group is not much money, and the formation of the "Online + offline" Business empire is also more attractive to investors.

Finally, to mention the current most let Ali headache Alipay (although now does not belong to Ali Group). As Ali's most valuable industry, the face of micro-credit to pay the whole step of the press is powerless. Form their own "entrance (map) + merchants (group purchase) + Pay (Alipay)" Closed-loop business system, can also help Ali on the mobile side effectively curb the development of micro-credit payments.

Whether it's an active offense or a tactical defense, perhaps for Ali, what is being sought is often within reach.