手机报·晚报丨美团优选多地业务暂停，社区团购不香了？9月3日北京天安门广场将举行阅兵

Core Insights - Meituan has made significant strategic adjustments to its retail business, pausing its community group buying service "Meituan Youxuan" in many regions across China, except for a few areas like Guangdong and Zhejiang, while focusing on expanding its instant retail services centered around "Meituan Flash Purchase" and "Little Elephant Supermarket" [3][4] Group 1: Community Group Buying Landscape - The community group buying sector began in 2016 and saw rapid growth with major players like Didi, Meituan, and Pinduoduo entering the market around 2020 [3] - By 2021, many community group buying platforms faced significant challenges, with several shutting down or pivoting to other business models, such as Tongcheng Life filing for bankruptcy and Orange Heart Selection closing down [3][4] - As of March 2023, Alibaba's community group buying service Taobao Grocery also ceased its nationwide next-day pickup service, leaving Pinduoduo's "Duoduo Grocery" as one of the few remaining players in the market [3][4] Group 2: Financial Challenges and Market Dynamics - The community group buying sector experienced a "subsidy war" starting in 2020, with Meituan investing over 6 billion yuan in subsidies within a few months to cover over 2,000 cities and counties [4] - By 2021, the industry began to cool down as platforms reduced excessive subsidies, leading to a significant drop in customer orders due to diminished price advantages [4] - Meituan reported a staggering loss of 38.4 billion yuan in its new business segment in 2021, with the "Youxuan" service being a major contributor to these losses [4][5] Group 3: Transition to Instant Retail - Despite challenges, the community group buying market still holds substantial potential, with projections indicating sales could exceed 3.5 trillion yuan by 2025 [6] - Meituan plans to leverage its existing supply chain and distribution network to explore new community retail models, including a "next-day delivery + pickup" approach [6] - Pinduoduo is testing self-built warehouses in major cities and plans to launch instant delivery services by August 2024, indicating a shift towards more efficient logistics and service offerings [6]