“外卖大战”，最大的受害者出现了？

Core Viewpoint - The article discusses the ongoing competition among major food delivery platforms, highlighting record-breaking order volumes and aggressive subsidy strategies to capture market share in the instant retail sector. Group 1: Record Performance - Meituan reported a record high of 150 million orders on July 12, with over 50 million for "Shenqiangshou" and over 35 million for "Pinghaofan" [1] - Taobao Flash Sale and Ele.me announced a daily order volume exceeding 80 million, with a 15% increase in daily active users, reaching over 200 million [1][12] - The overall market capacity has expanded due to increased consumer willingness and participation, driven by substantial investments from the platforms [12] Group 2: Subsidy Strategies - Meituan and Taobao Flash Sale continued their weekend subsidy campaigns, with Meituan offering various discount vouchers and Taobao providing a 188 yuan coupon package [3][5] - The competition has led to a significant increase in order volumes, with Taobao Flash Sale capturing 60% of the incremental market share [21] - JD.com has shifted to a more refined subsidy strategy, launching a "Double Hundred Plan" to support quality dining merchants, with over 200 brands achieving over 1 million orders [13][14] Group 3: Financial Implications - Despite impressive order growth, the intense subsidy competition is straining the platforms financially, with projected losses of 410 billion yuan for Alibaba and 260 billion yuan for JD.com in the upcoming year [15][18] - The total annual investment in this competition is expected to reach around 100 billion yuan, raising concerns about the sustainability of such aggressive spending [18][20] - The stock prices of Meituan, Alibaba, and JD.com have all seen declines of over 3% since July [19] Group 4: Market Dynamics - The subsidy war is expected to continue, with platforms signaling their commitment to maintaining high levels of investment to deter new entrants [20][16] - The competition has evolved into a weekly and potentially monthly occurrence, with platforms aiming to create a new promotional holiday [11][16] - The rapid growth in order volumes raises questions about the long-term viability of such strategies, as the sustainability of consumer demand remains uncertain [23][24]