Alibaba's Amap ranking feature is latest salvo against Meituan in China's e-commerce wars

Core Viewpoint - Alibaba Group has launched an AI-powered ranking feature on its Amap service to enhance its competitive position against Meituan in the lifestyle services market [1][5]. Group 1: Amap Street Stars Feature - The Amap Street Stars feature utilizes AI algorithms to rank offline destinations such as restaurants, hotels, and tourist attractions, aiming to position Amap as a key player in lifestyle services [2][4]. - The service will initially cover over 300 cities and provide recommendations for 1.6 million local businesses, leveraging data from navigation patterns and user reviews [3]. Group 2: Competitive Landscape - The launch of Amap Street Stars is a strategic move by Alibaba to compete directly with Meituan's Dianping restaurant rating app, highlighting the rivalry between the two companies [5]. - In response, Meituan announced plans to implement AI models for screening consumer reviews and to introduce a "quality food delivery" service on its Dianping app [6]. Group 3: Unique Features and User Engagement - The ranking system emphasizes authenticity, relying on real user behavior and high credit ratings to generate recommendations [4]. - The AI feature allows for customized recommendations based on specific user requests, such as weather conditions or time of day, which standard rankings cannot provide [6][7].