晚点独家丨外卖混战②：淘宝不能停，美团也不能

Core Viewpoint - The ongoing competition between Meituan and Alibaba in the food delivery market is characterized by mutual distrust and aggressive strategies, with both companies continuously adjusting their tactics to outmaneuver each other [2][4][14] Group 1: Competitive Strategies - Meituan's strategy involves launching large-scale promotions and discounts to counter Alibaba's initiatives, resulting in a significant increase in order volume, reaching 1.5 billion orders in a single day [4][6] - Alibaba's Taobao Flash Sale aims to maintain a steady order volume of 80 million, focusing on building operational capacity before aggressively increasing order targets [5][10] - The overall market order volume has doubled from an average of 1 billion orders per day to approximately 2.5 billion, with Meituan capturing the majority of the increase [6][8] Group 2: Financial Investments - Both Meituan and Alibaba plan to invest a combined total of 500 billion yuan in the food delivery and retail market over the next few months, translating to over 5 billion yuan in daily subsidies [12] - The competition is expected to intensify as companies leverage their financial resources to attract consumers and increase market penetration [13][14] Group 3: Operational Performance - Meituan's delivery performance improved, with an average delivery time of 34 minutes for 1.5 billion orders, indicating enhanced operational efficiency [9] - Taobao Flash Sale reported a 96% on-time delivery rate for its 80 million orders, maintaining performance despite increased order volume [11] Group 4: Market Dynamics - The competitive landscape has shifted, with Meituan aggressively pursuing market share while Alibaba adopts a more cautious approach, focusing on stability and gradual growth [8][10] - The influx of subsidies and promotional activities has led to a significant increase in user engagement, with Meituan's app usage rising to 240 million users, up from an average of 170 million [14]