Groupon, a powerful group-buying website on the other side of the ocean, has grown from an unknown to a group-buying giant with a net worth of US$1.35 billion in just one year. This has also stimulated the nerves of many domestic Internet entrepreneurs, and the "thousands of networks" have suddenly emerged. , the popularity of group buying is no less than that of Furong and Sister Feng, laugh. The current situation in the group buying industry can be described as a "thousand-group war", which is very similar to the melee of separatist regimes at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty. Who can suddenly emerge and become the "Three Kingdoms"? I believe it will be known by the end of next year.
The development pattern of any emerging field is generally the same: there are only a few innovators (pioneers in this emerging field) at the beginning, and then many other companies see the prospects and benefits and enter the market competition. Gradually entering a rational period, it will develop within a controllable range. Finally, it will collapse and devour, leaving only a few giants and the Three Kingdoms competing for hegemony.
I have been paying attention to group buying websites for a long time. Although I have little knowledge and knowledge, I am still willing to discuss with you the current development issues of group buying websites.
1. Why are group buying websites so popular?
a. Low technical threshold and strong replicability.
Of course, this technical threshold and replicability only refer to the platform aspect (a truly complete set of service systems and integration methods of offline merchant resources cannot be replicated). Moreover, group buying websites do not need to carry out industrial and commercial registration like B2C websites. They only need to carry out ICP filing, which is quick and trouble-free.
b. Group buying is a new field, and there is no giant monopoly yet.
The most feared thing among Chinese Internet users is the monopoly of giants, but now group buying is still a new field. Internet giants such as Sina and Baidu are now engaging in group buying, but the trend of monopoly has not yet emerged, so those entrepreneurs still hold on to a glimmer of hope and Fighting spirit, hoping to eat more meat as soon as possible.
c. Less investment and low cost?
At present, there are many large and small group buying websites emerging in China. Many group buying website companies invest little manpower and capital. Many of them basically use one or two computers to build the website and two or three people to run the sales. However, the software of a group buying website only costs 3,000 to 10,000 yuan. Yuan does not vary. NITC, which originally made its fortune with a free corporate website building system, also took advantage of the popularity to launch a free group buying website template. This resulted in anyone being able to do group buying and everyone could taste the benefits.
d. The sales share is very sweet.
It is understood that the current share between the website and the merchants is basically calculated based on 10%-20% of sales. If the number of group purchases of a certain product reaches thousands, it is indeed a lot of income. Moreover, group buying websites do not need to bear the cost of goods themselves like B2C. They only provide a platform for buyers and sellers to trade and enjoy the benefits, which is really exciting.
However, the development of group buying websites still faces many difficulties. What are the difficulties? Point out the following points and welcome everyone to discuss them together:
2. Development difficulties of group buying websites
a. Low threshold leads to high competition. Because the entry threshold of group buying websites is "low", many entrepreneurs rush into this market to compete for this fat product without enough capital and manpower. , When technology competes with competitors, it is difficult to get this piece of meat.
b. There is a disconnect between service and development. Ruoyan did a small survey in his circle of friends and found that 30% of the friends who have participated in group buying are not satisfied with the after-sales service of group buying, or the product quality is too different from the description. Otherwise, the return time and claim definition are unclear. Ninety percent of group buying websites are experiencing a credibility crisis. Some seemingly large-scale group buying sites actually only have two or three customer service personnel. How can such a small number of customer service personnel handle hundreds or even thousands of customers every day?
c. Can’t understand offline well. In the final analysis, group buying network is just a trading platform and a marketing channel. The real core competitiveness is offline. Whoever can fully understand the supply of offline merchants and get better and cheaper discount merchants will win. Many group buying websites do not do a good job in vetting merchants, resulting in subsequent merchants not buying in or providing inferior products, seriously damaging the interests of consumers.
d. Single model and homogeneous agents. At present, domestic group buying websites are relatively "homogenized". All website designs, product types, and advertising slogans are mostly the same and lack information, leading to consumer group buying fatigue. Moreover, the core brand of domestic group buying websites is still "cheap". "Relying on 'making money at a loss' and simply attracting the attention of netizens with low prices will definitely not work in the long run. What consumers need is products with high cost performance." , rather than inferior quality and low price products.
This article is provided by www.liudaliuda.com marketing consultant suki1987. Please indicate the source when reprinting, thank you!
Thanks to suki1987 for his contribution