Sou Hu Cai Jing·2025-07-06 09:47Core Viewpoint - The intense competition between Alibaba and Meituan in the food delivery sector has escalated into a significant subsidy war, driven by Alibaba's large-scale subsidy plan aimed at increasing order volume and market share [1][2]. Group 1: Background of the Battle - The subsidy war was triggered by Alibaba's announcement on July 2 of a 50 billion yuan subsidy plan to attract consumers and merchants through substantial discounts and commission reductions [1]. - Alibaba set July 5 as "Order Surge Day," aiming for peak order volumes between 90 million and 100 million within 2-3 months to match Meituan's order levels [1]. Group 2: Strategies Employed - Alibaba issued a series of high-value, no-threshold discount coupons such as "25 off 21" to draw in consumers [1]. - In response, Meituan quickly launched its own set of attractive coupons, including "25 off 20" and "16 off 16," with some offers allowing for "zero-cost purchases" to maintain its market leadership [1]. Group 3: Battle Outcomes - The influx of users taking advantage of the discounts led to Meituan's app experiencing server overload, resulting in temporary service disruptions and coupon issues [2]. - As of July 5, Meituan reported over 120 million orders for the day, with more than 100 million being food delivery orders, indicating a significant increase in order volume due to the competition [2]. Group 4: Nature and Impact of the Battle - The price war fundamentally aims to capture high-frequency traffic and convert food delivery users into customers for higher-margin businesses like e-commerce and travel [3]. - While platforms may face short-term losses, there is potential for achieving moderate profitability or breakeven in the long run as competition stabilizes [3]. - Consumers benefit from lower prices, but the ongoing price competition will increase resource and profit pressures among platforms, potentially shifting future competition from "subsidy battles" to "ecosystem collaboration" [3].