饿了么，“消失”在17岁

Core Viewpoint - The renaming of Ele.me to "Taobao Flash Purchase" signifies a strategic integration into Alibaba's instant retail framework, marking the end of Ele.me's independent brand identity after 17 years of operation [1][21][23] Group 1: Company History and Development - Ele.me was founded in 2008 by Zhang Xuhao, initially targeting the university market for food delivery, which quickly expanded due to the identified market potential [2][4][5] - The company faced early operational challenges, including delivery and promotional bottlenecks, which were addressed by developing a website and implementing a compensation system for late deliveries [6][7][8] - By 2014, Ele.me had expanded to 62 cities, achieving a significant increase in daily orders from 100,000 to 1 million, outpacing competitors like Alibaba's "Tao Dian Dian" [9][14] Group 2: Investment and Market Position - Ele.me attracted substantial investments from various firms, including a notable $12.5 billion investment from Alibaba in 2016, which facilitated its acquisition of Baidu Waimai in 2017, consolidating its market position [11][14][15] - Following its acquisition by Alibaba in 2018 for $9.5 billion, Ele.me's original founding team exited, leading to a loss of independence and strategic direction within Alibaba's ecosystem [17][18][20] Group 3: Integration into Alibaba's Ecosystem - Post-acquisition, Ele.me underwent multiple structural adjustments, becoming part of Alibaba's broader local services strategy, which included merging with Koubei and integrating with other Alibaba services [19][21] - Despite efforts to leverage Ele.me's capabilities, it faced increasing competition from new entrants like JD.com, which prompted Alibaba to rebrand and reposition Ele.me as a supporting service rather than a leading platform [21][22] Group 4: Future Outlook - The rebranding to "Taobao Flash Purchase" reflects Alibaba's intent to streamline its offerings and focus on a unified brand strategy, potentially sidelining Ele.me in the competitive landscape [21][22][23] - Projections indicate that by 2025, Meituan's market share in the food delivery sector could exceed 70%, significantly overshadowing Ele.me's presence [20]