Xin Lang Cai Jing·2025-09-19 08:25Core Insights - Alibaba's Taobao Flash Sale and Ele.me are launching a merchant group buying service, initially focusing on dining group purchases in major cities [1][2] - The group buying service will be piloted in Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Jiaxing, with plans to expand to other first- and second-tier cities [1] - The service will be available on Taobao, Alipay, and Amap, leveraging Alibaba's major traffic platforms [1] Group 1 - Amap recently launched the "Amap Street Ranking," marking Alibaba's renewed push into the group buying sector [2] - The ranking system utilizes AI technology and real user navigation data to create a new offline service credit system, addressing user pain points in dining experiences [2] - Amap's initiative is seen as a direct competition to Meituan, particularly in the dining and service evaluation space [2] Group 2 - Taobao Flash Sale has shown strong growth since its launch in April, with daily order peaks reaching 120 million and an average of 80 million orders per week in August [2] - The monthly active user count for Taobao Flash Sale has reached 300 million, a 300% increase since April, with active delivery personnel growing to 200,000, tripling since April [3] - The initial phase of growth for Taobao Flash Sale has exceeded expectations, according to Alibaba's e-commerce CEO Jiang Fan [3]