The Big Three duel offline: the "Fight Dad" era of group buying website

Baidu and Alibaba announced their latest investment moves almost at the same time. And Alibaba investment UC different, Baidu chose to cut into the thousand group after the group buying market. Holding glutinous rice nets once let people doubt that Baidu lowered taste, into a more assertive investment stage.

Group buying Market experienced 2010 years of birth, 2011 madness, the 2012 winter, ushered in a relatively calm 2013. A large number of group buying sites in the Thousand-Regiment war "turned into green smoke, driving the crane West", group buying market has been away from the spotlight for a long time. In the dim group buying market, glutinous rice net also not too high status.

Group buying market has four competing forces: the United States and the mass Comment Group for the representative of the Local Life service group purchase site, the representative of the Electronic business in kind group buy, 58 group buy for the representative of the platform and where to go to the site group buy channel. In many competing forces, glutinous rice net only Pianan a corner, by virtue of Renren import flow survived, to the monthly turnover of more than 200 million of the results into the local life service first camp. But it was the United States and the public far away, and litters, handle competition, in the 4th, 5 level.

Sticky Rice net cannot escape the nightmare of buying losses, has 9 consecutive quarterly losses, there is no stop. Renren, whose blood transfusion was poor, showed signs of decline in the cash cow game. Fortunately, Chen a boat's capital operation for everyone to gain a certain interest. glutinous rice net as a burning money business, living must introduce external investment. Just before the investment case was announced, Deutsche Bank had just adjusted "everyone" from "hold" to "sell". After Baidu invested glutinous rice, Renren rose 15.37% on the day.

Not long ago Baidu has just spent 1.9 billion U.S. dollars mergers and acquisitions 91 wireless, completed the mobile end layout, the stock price back to nearly 52 weeks of historical highs, recently held Baidu World Congress launched a light application open platform, will further strengthen the mobile end of the entrance status. Baidu is in a good mood. Sticky rice nets like a season of fashion, happened to encounter a good mood and shopping to expand the degree Niang. Where to go, PPS, 91 and so is its luxury.

Baidu said, investment in glutinous rice network, on the one hand will use its rich local information and user consumption data, on the other hand, glutinous rice mesh line pushing ability for its use. Data and capabilities with Baidu's own mobile search, map lbs and hundred Changtong payments have a space to integrate.

Baidu and Robin Li have repeatedly shown a coveted interest in traditional industries. Guide Baidu's overall development direction of the middle page strategy, has broken the Baidu and slow progress of the Philharmonic live, the previous settlement and other investment, as well as recently launched the "Light Application" all show that Baidu invaded the traditional industries, especially the local life service ambitions.

The mobile internet age has both opportunities and challenges. Internet enterprises and traditional enterprises are penetrating and fierce game, O2O market capacity up to trillions of dollars. At the same time, the commercialization of mobile Internet is also quite difficult. In addition to mobile games and application distribution mode is clearer, traditional network advertising, internet value-added services, etc. are facing the risk of failure. Ma Yun analogy is quite exquisite, O2O is "four or five o'clock Sun", mobile riders need it to bring light.

Before the sun rises, the Giants want to grab a good place to bathe in the O2O sun. BAT three have already stepped up their own O2O chain of construction. But still concentrated on the online end of the perfect.

Alibaba investment in the early days of the map, Sina Weibo, UC Browser, enrich their own basic data and traffic entry. Ali also invested in Tintin, the United States and other sites. Completely based on the local IM Mo is also outgoing received Ali 40 million U.S. dollars investment, this was quickly the Mo Yantan rumor.

Tencent has a micro-mail and mobile phone QQ, the two mobile end killer level of application. In addition to the user hundreds of millions of users, its with the electric quotient system, Tenpay payment means, member account system and Tencent relationship chain social ability of the power of the combination can not be underestimated. Tencent in offline another unique advantage is to master the "two-dimensional code" this line of the entrance. The two-dimensional code of the mobile Internet is as important as the Web site to the PC Internet. Tencent is creating a "two-dimensional code is a micro-letter sweep" image. In addition to this, micro-trust public platform, a natural customer relationship and interactive communication tools, will help Tencent expand offline enterprise customers.

BAT Big Three in the O2O market layout still has the most crucial two points to get through.

One end is the user habits and the cultivation of the market, this can not be done overnight, the big three to do things only impact and common advance. User habits are often limited by the network environment, mobile phone terminal capabilities such as NFC entry payment function.

The other end is to get through the offline. At the mobile end, the light has not enough entrance, bat three giants are lack of offline ability. That is, lack of data, but also lack of the ability to push. They are in urgent need of Su Ning, Wanda and other traditional giants control, or by the public comments, glutinous rice nets and so on. Offline is rather unwieldy and relies entirely on its own power to build the process too slowly. Especially when the user and the market is not mature before the hasty, cost will appear extremely expensive.

But the group buying business is not the best way to get through offline.

Tencent's previous group buying business did not expand its offline capabilities. Ali launched its own group buying business and invested in the United States Group network, The good thing is still online on the physical commodity group purchase. Baidu will be group buying navigation upgraded to buy open platform. Although three are in the group buying business has been multiple layout, but have not resolved their own offline to get through the problem. Tencent has made rapid progress, and the 5.0 of the O2O market has also been launched.

It is a bit of a dream to rely solely on group buying to profit. The next group purchase business to seek to be the giant acquisition as its tool to get through offline, appears more realistic. The problem is that the current O2O sun has not yet risen, users and the market has not been through, the Giants may not be able to consume such a large "Offline." Baidu chooses to invest in glutinous rice net perhaps also just practiced behavior.

The only certainty is that the next three giants will further pursue the battle against offline. When the Giants saw the dawn of O2O, the spring of the group buying site came. In the eyes of Giants, group buying is just a choice, local life service website and traditional enterprise, can become its open offline option. As Alibaba Lu earlier revealed, Ali's IPO financing will likely be used as an investment in the local life business. Local life will become the next investment focus of offline, are the local entrepreneurs ready?

The author for Love Technology network founder Chiu, his microblog for the @ Guangzhou Chiu, micro-letter for Supersofter