Core Viewpoint - Local industry associations are calling for major food delivery platforms to stop "involutionary" competition and irrational subsidies, urging a shift towards high-quality development in the restaurant industry [2][3]. Group 1: Industry Concerns - Multiple local restaurant associations, including those from Hubei, Shaanxi, and Yunnan, have voiced concerns over the detrimental effects of excessive competition among food delivery platforms [3]. - The introduction of aggressive subsidy campaigns, such as a "100 billion subsidy" by one platform, has intensified competition, leading to a widespread "subsidy war" among platforms [3]. - Current promotional strategies, including "18 off 18" and "free order cards," have resulted in severe industry involution, undermining the healthy development of the sector [3]. Group 2: Economic Impact - The intense competition has created a "lose-lose" situation for platforms, merchants, and consumers, with significant profit erosion for merchants; for instance, some milk tea products have profits dropping below 1 yuan, and certain dishes are sold at a loss of 4 yuan [3][4]. - Consumers are experiencing issues such as delivery delays, which negatively impact overall consumer experience and threaten the long-term interests of the industry [3]. Group 3: Recommendations - Associations are urging platforms to immediately halt irrational subsidies and prohibit promotions below cost, as well as to stop forcing merchants to participate in subsidy tasks [4]. - Recommendations include optimizing algorithms to prevent order mismanagement and enhancing food safety management, delivery efficiency, and digital service levels [4]. - Merchants are encouraged to participate rationally in promotional activities and resist engaging in price wars to avoid being drawn into the subsidy competition [4].

Core Points - Taobao launched a promotional event for its "Flash Purchase" service, offering free drinks to consumers, which led to website issues due to high traffic [3][6] - The promotion includes a long-term initiative to distribute 100 million free drinks in collaboration with Ele.me [3][13] - The "Flash Purchase" service was upgraded from "Hourly Delivery" and has seen rapid adoption, with over 10 million orders placed within six days of its launch [13] Group 1 - Taobao's "Flash Purchase" service experienced technical difficulties during a promotional event, with users reporting issues accessing the platform [3][6] - The promotional event offers consumers the chance to receive free drink vouchers, including milk tea and coffee, starting from May 6 [5][6] - The service aims to enhance consumer benefits and has attracted significant participation from merchants across the country [13] Group 2 - As of May 5, the number of orders from the "Flash Purchase" service exceeded 10 million, indicating strong consumer interest and engagement [13] - The promotional strategy includes daily opportunities for users to claim free drink vouchers through the Taobao app [5][6] - The collaboration with Ele.me is intended to bolster delivery services and improve customer experience [13]