Core Viewpoint - Meituan's Q2 earnings report reveals a significant decline in profitability, with operating profit dropping to only 2 million RMB, far below market expectations, primarily due to the intense competition in the food delivery sector [1][17][21]. Group 1: Impact of Subsidies and Revenue Decline - Delivery revenue growth plummeted to just 2.8% year-on-year, significantly lower than expected, primarily due to increased subsidies affecting delivery income [2][44]. - The average net delivery income per order is estimated to have decreased by over 1 RMB compared to the previous quarter [3][45]. - The surge in subsidies has led to a substantial increase in rider delivery costs, contributing to a notable decline in gross margin [4][64]. Group 2: Local Commerce and In-store Business Performance - Local commerce commission and advertising revenue growth slowed significantly, with increases of only 13% and 10.5% respectively, both below market expectations [5][48]. - The interdependence between delivery and in-store consumption has resulted in negative impacts on both core business areas due to the ongoing "delivery war" [6][51]. - Total revenue for core local commerce reached approximately 653 billion RMB, a year-on-year increase of 7.7%, but fell short of Bloomberg's consensus forecast by about 2.2 billion RMB [53]. Group 3: Profitability and Cost Structure - The core local commerce segment's operating profit was only 3.7 billion RMB, indicating a significant loss in the delivery and flash purchase segments, estimated at over 1 billion RMB [8][61]. - The overall gross margin for the quarter was just 33.1%, down 8 percentage points year-on-year, leading to a gross profit of 304 billion RMB, which is a decrease of 35 billion RMB compared to the previous year [13][64]. - Marketing expenses surged to 22.5 billion RMB, an increase of 7.7 billion RMB year-on-year, driven by intense competition and increased user subsidies [15][67]. Group 4: New Initiatives and Future Outlook - Revenue from innovative businesses reached 26.5 billion RMB, with a year-on-year growth rate of 23%, primarily driven by the overseas Keeta business and adjustments in the Meituan Preferred model [10][54]. - Despite the revenue growth in new initiatives, losses have unexpectedly decreased, indicating a strategic shift to focus resources on core business areas amid fierce competition [12][60]. - The outlook for Q3 suggests that losses may escalate further as competition intensifies with the entry of Taobao Flash Purchase into the market [22][28].
热身赛已吞百亿利润,美团这次真“狼来了”?