The number of city stations in the United States is increased from 180 to 300.

In early 2014, the United States Regiment Wang released a message, "the United States this year, the number of urban substation from 180 to 300." ”

Public comments also announced the news, "This year to go to the three or four-line city to open a substation, the public comments on the number of urban substation to increase to 100." ”

Baidu's plan for glutinous rice is more vigorous, with the help of Baidu to promote the agency team, plans this year to the number of urban substation to 400.

It can be seen that for group buying, the previous three or four-line cities have become a new "frontline".

However, if the north and so on the one or two-line city is the main battlefield, then the three or four-line city is the United States Regiment of a castle, before a number of city stations only United States Regiment stationed, and this year the U.S. regiment in the "Shou City" while also speeding up the expansion of the number of stations.

This is closely related to the two events that took place in March this year. Glutinous Rice committed to Baidu, the public comments and Tencent cooperation, after the two companies on the busy, recruit, opened a round of siege battle. And the U.S. regiment has increased the strength of the defense.

5 months have passed in the blink of an eye. How does the American Regiment guard these "King's cities"?

Recently, the author and a number of front-line people in depth communication, the status quo is the dominant position of the United States is still strong, but in the competitive pressure of the United States group front-line staff number, merchant side revenue points in the lower, and some of its extreme as also aroused the resentment of the front-line merchants.

The data from the three frontline cities surveyed by the authors show that a central provincial capital city from March to now the market share basically unchanged, the United States to maintain 60%, Baidu glutinous rice to maintain about 25%, the public comments about 15%; A resident population close to 4 million of the central four line city, before March only the United States group, a few months down, Public comments on the share of eating off about 6%, Baidu glutinous rice few progress. The other is only the United States and Baidu Glutinous rice to build a new branch station city, the United States and glutinous rice turnover of about 10:1.

The King's city: Three weapons at the same opportune

In the three or four-line city, the U.S. regiment because of the early entry, has accumulated in the local merchant resources and user stickiness. It was like building a strong castle. and the public comments and Baidu glutinous rice need to play is tough battle.

Why is the "castle" in the three or four line so strong?

Although as a marketing method of buying itself is not a complete business model, but in the three or four-line city, local consumers are more sensitive to prices. Since the same meal, K song, group purchase can be cheap, why not? It can be said that the purchase of this dagger-like sharp weapon is more suitable for the three or four-line city battlefield.

And the other two group buy platform, the public comments to build a comprehensive marketing platform, Baidu Glutinous Rice rely on the map diversion, currently can not play too much power.

To be frank, a city is very familiar to a few famous restaurants, cinemas and locals. Compared with the big cities, the three or four-line city consumers have much less demand for the information reference decision and map navigation. There is a strong demand for a small number of people to travel, and this part of the user can not change the local competition situation.

In addition, a strong team of soldiers, a good user experience and flexible leading backstage is the United States Regiment's "three weapons."

First-line team fighters from the United States for many years of training, the "rural siege of the city" strategy has accumulated a large number of experienced front-line staff, so that the expansion of the time there is more abundant manpower reserves, to win the opportunity.

A good user experience from a good product-side display and customer service refunds and other services, in a group of price-sensitive, technology-insensitive users, simple application, smooth refund link is very popular.

and flexible leading backstage is the United States has always been the advantages of the group, it is understood that the United States in Shijiazhuang early establishment of nearly thousands of technical team in the product, backstage, process and other aspects of the improvement.

According to Baidu Glutinous rice salesman described, the United States Regiment's contract entry time than other platforms to save at least one-third of the time, this is not the key. More important advantages in the operating background, the United States Regiment operations can directly modify the background price.

For example, if the United States to buy a coupon to modify the price, only need to modify the price of an option, and the same operation to the Baidu glutinous rice, then need to line up again, the United States Group to modify the original sales data can be retained, and Baidu glutinous rice off the line once the original sales record on

In other words, the U.S. Regiment 3 seconds to complete things, Baidu sticky rice needs 40 minutes. The salesman said that the United States group sometimes purely to tease everyone's mentality to modify the price, from 105 yuan to 102 yuan, and then changed to 103 yuan, to ridicule the other online offline platform.

Speaking of the United States Regiment, more than one merchant mentioned that the United States Regiment platform is very strong, sales data is very good, but the salesman attitude is very disdainfully. Rarely hear which American regiment of the salesman and which merchant personally how good, we are all in the business.

But the team does have disdainfully capital, in a number of three or four-line cities, the U.S. market share of more than 60%, some of the city's share of more than 90%, even if the same period of the city, the United States Group also in a short period of four or five months, its turnover is many times the number of competitors.

"American group user stickiness is relatively strong, even if the store price is only one or two cheaper, the United States can sell." "said the dessert merchant in a provincial capital city.

Of course, this is not to say that the American regiment can rest easy laurels, the competitor's interference makes the American regiment also very difficult. Since March this year, in order to maintain the previous share of the market, the number of employees in the United States doubled, the deal point dropped significantly.

And a U.S. team of front-line sales staff said that with the increase in staff, merchant resources were further differentiated. But in order to ensure that the business to provide the United States with good package resources need to pay more efforts, so the current workload has increased, but the lack of income reduced. In addition, in order to maintain the current status of the United States and the establishment of a number of policies, businesses have also been a collective dissatisfaction.

Double-edged Sword: Pride and Prejudice

The United States to the signing of the "exclusive" and "lowest price" agreement as an important means of stabilizing the existing status, that is, this means to become a double-edged sword.

The so-called "exclusive" agreement is that the U.S. team in the terms of cooperation to increase the merchant must contract with the United States to sign the exclusive, otherwise it will increase revenue points, the increase in the range of more than 10%. The "Lowest price" agreement is that the merchant must ensure that the products sold on the platform of the United States are the lowest price, on other platforms can not be lower.

In addition to the first-line staff required to implement the "exclusive" and "the lowest price" agreement, the United States group with advanced technology to carry out the actual monitoring. It has built up the same "everyday low price" platform as the supermarket to follow up the data, once found that the competitor's price is lower than the United States Regiment, the system will automatically send the first-line staff to request to deal with the mail as soon as possible, otherwise it will be off line, hidden merchant purchase list, even more, the United States group sometimes without the consent of the merchant directly modify sales price or point

According to a Zhejiang KTV business owner described, in the rival platform on the line of a more inexpensive group buying package soon after, he found himself in the United States on sale of the package without consulting, incredibly from 388 yuan directly to 368 yuan, and the salesman's answer even more inconceivable, "This is the United States Regiment headquarters operations, I have no way." ”

The "exclusive" practice of hurting businesses has been identified by professionals as alleged to be illegal. Lawyer Xu Haiming, Zhejiang Antze law firm, said that the exclusive agreement between the United States and the merchant is illegal from the legal point of view, the United States is suspected of commercial monopoly, and although the agreement has been mentioned can not cooperate with other Web site provisions, but this is a unilateral agreement of the invalid clause.

Despite the risk of breaking the law, the team's front-line salesman is still scrupulous in enforcing the strategy. and other buy the platform's salesman will go to communicate with the merchant, hope to get the support of merchants, not let the United States Regiment "exclusive", and then "a single big."

The first line of war in several platforms of the salesman, merchant between the formation of "You Come to me," the interesting situation. Merchants as long as the opportunity will strive for multiple platform cooperation, often "secretly" on the line other packages, and the U.S. team salesman once found will be with the merchant insisted: either exclusive, or more points, or offline.

The result of the dispute is that some of the merchants to cooperate with the U.S. regiment to carry out the exclusive, the lowest price sales, some of the merchants insist on multi-platform cooperation, and some of the merchants chose to refuse to cooperate with the United States, support other group buying platform.

An example can explain the flexible and flexible of the American regiment salesman. The story comes from a city "Fire Feast Mountain" chain catering brand marketing manager description.

In order to implement headquarters strategy, the United States regiment salesman said, Fire Feast Mountain Buffet only with the United States Regiment exclusive cooperation, the other platform must all offline, otherwise on the line of the United States Regiment.

The marketing manager is very angry, he carefully weighed after the decision, preferring to bear two or three months of poor performance pressure, but also insisted that the United States Group cooperation. Fire Feast Mountain Monthly Group buy water hundreds of thousands of, belong to local "get this merchant earn" gold merchant.

The salesman realized that he had made a mistake and went to the marketing manager's office every day for half a month thereafter. The tea delivers the water, the good word is exhausted. Even if the other party yells, he still pays the smiling face.

Finally, the marketing manager let go, "this afternoon, 2 million underwriting advance call, see the money we cooperate, see the money, you roll." Never come to my office. The salesman immediately rushed out of the office, back to the company to go process, and finally saved the customer.

However, most of the small and medium-sized businesses do not enjoy this treatment, the basic is "disdainfully treatment" after no results. A number of cities nationwide, a number of hotels, photography, the first line of commercial operators in different channels to express their dissatisfaction with the United States Regiment salesman, but there is no solution.

The exclusive, lowest price agreement of the United States Regiment once signed, in the execution is very strict even some high-handed. If the merchant cooperates with other platforms, the group will unilaterally revise the sale price of the group purchase package, raise the commission of the merchant in the background unilaterally and deduct directly from the transaction.

According to Zhao Occupation, a senior lawyer, this is not negotiable directly modify the price, modify the revenue points of the way obviously violates the contract law.

And the U.S. Regiment, a 3-year old employee said that the company's provisions, do not perform; performance appraisal there, there is no money. We initially received training or good for the business, now the new recruits to the training is the mission must reach, the merchant is only our tool to achieve benefits.

Industry insiders said that the U.S. regiment's "exclusive", "the lowest price" These policies are typical "double-edged sword", in the achievement of their own platform, data, but also in the overdraft in the future, the discontent of the merchant has accumulated more and more. At this stage, the United States Regiment's three or four-line users, strong stickiness, so many businesses, although discontent will endure.

However, the scales may change at any time. In many cities, the volume of movie-theater-plus buffets can account for about half of the total purchase turnover, and the user's behavior is to follow the merchant's route.

Baidu Glutinous Rice a city Manager This description, assuming an extreme result, if a city of cinemas, buffet merchants can join hands to replace the platform, that estimated two or three months time, the United States Regiment will be completely lost in the local dominance. Now, see if the United States can make these businesses angry to have to "defection".

According to the disclosure, "the process" has been pushing forward, some businesses are also wavering in the state, both the attitude of the United States Regiment dissatisfaction, but also on the effectiveness of other platforms. And when there will be a reversal, can only see the "opportunity" can come.

Taobao used the free way to defeat the seemingly impossible to defeat the ebay, and then Pat NET, there are many followers have not Taobao how. The leading advantage of the U.S. regiment is the future of ebay or Taobao, which must let time to prove.