Core Viewpoint - The intense competition in the food delivery market has led to significant financial losses for major players like Meituan, Alibaba, and JD, with aggressive subsidy strategies impacting profitability and market dynamics [1][3][11]. Group 1: Market Dynamics - In Spring 2024, JD entered the food delivery sector, prompting Alibaba's Taobao to follow suit, leading to a fierce competition that forced all players to increase spending [1]. - By Summer, the market saw unprecedented subsidy levels, with consumers benefiting from numerous promotions, while businesses struggled with the financial implications of these strategies [3]. - The competition has resulted in a significant increase in marketing expenses for all three major companies, with Meituan's spending rising from 18 billion to 34.3 billion, and Alibaba's from 32.5 billion to 66.5 billion year-on-year [3][11]. Group 2: Financial Performance - Meituan reported a core local business operating loss of 14.1 billion in Q3, with expectations of continued losses into Q4, indicating a challenging financial landscape [5]. - Alibaba's CFO indicated that the company would tighten its spending on flash purchase business after a peak in Q3, suggesting a potential shift in strategy to mitigate losses [5][9]. - All three companies reported significant losses in Q3, with Meituan losing 16 billion, while Alibaba and JD also faced substantial financial challenges, leading to a bleak outlook for the industry [15][17]. Group 3: Competitive Strategies - Meituan's market share remains strong, particularly in mid-to-high price orders, with two-thirds of orders over 15 yuan and 70% of orders over 30 yuan being processed through its platform [7]. - Despite the ongoing competition, Meituan's leadership emphasized a commitment to avoiding low-quality, price-driven competition, focusing instead on long-term value creation [13][15]. - The industry is witnessing a shift towards more sustainable practices, with companies beginning to reconsider their aggressive subsidy strategies in light of regulatory pressures and financial realities [9][17].

Core Insights - Meituan's latest quarterly results confirm market concerns about its profitability, with a shocking 87% year-on-year drop in non-IFRS operating profit to 1.84 billion RMB, significantly below Wall Street expectations [1] - Despite a 12% year-on-year revenue growth to 91.84 billion RMB, this figure also failed to meet market forecasts [1] - Management has warned of potential "significant losses" in its core local commerce (CLC) segment for Q3, contrasting sharply with a profit of 14.6 billion RMB in the same period last year [1][3] Financial Performance - The CLC segment's operating profit fell 76% year-on-year, 70% lower than market expectations, indicating severe profitability erosion [3] - Meituan's actual investment in delivery and flash purchase services exceeded previous forecasts by 10 billion RMB, suggesting more intense competition than anticipated [1][3] - The unit economics (UE) for Meituan's delivery business turned negative in Q2, recording -0.12 RMB, down from 1.9 RMB a year ago [4] Competitive Landscape - Meituan maintains a 70% market share in core food-related orders, but faces increasing pressure from Alibaba, which has grown its market share from 30% to over 40% [2][5] - The intense price war began with Alibaba's announcement of a 50 billion RMB subsidy plan, prompting Meituan to respond with its own subsidies [6] - The competition has negatively impacted Meituan's other business areas, with a slowdown in revenue growth for dine-in services from 20% to 15% [6] Future Outlook - Management's guidance indicates a challenging Q3, with expectations of a shift from profit to loss in the CLC segment [1][3] - New business losses narrowed by 43% year-on-year to 1.9 billion RMB, better than market expectations, but anticipated to widen to 2.3-2.4 billion RMB in Q3 due to restructuring costs and international expansion [6]