Core Viewpoint - The recent massive competition in the food delivery market, driven by significant subsidies from Alibaba and Meituan, has led to an unprecedented surge in orders, particularly in the tea beverage sector, causing operational challenges for delivery platforms and restaurants [1][14][15]. Group 1: Market Dynamics - On July 7, 2023, Alibaba's Taobao Flash Sale and Ele.me reported over 80 million daily orders, with non-food orders exceeding 13 million, marking a significant increase from over 10 million orders on May 4 [1]. - The tea beverage sector saw a collective surge in stock prices, with companies like Cha Bai Dao, Gu Ming, and Nai Xue's Tea rising over 10% on July 7, 2023 [2]. - Meituan's stock fell by 1.49% while Alibaba's stock saw a slight increase of 0.29% amid the intense competition [3]. Group 2: Subsidy Impact - On July 2, 2023, Taobao announced a substantial subsidy plan of 50 billion yuan, leading to a significant increase in orders across various retail categories, particularly in prepared foods and beverages [5]. - The introduction of "zero-cost purchases" for certain items led to overwhelming demand, causing Meituan's platform to experience outages due to the unprecedented order volume [6][11]. Group 3: Operational Challenges - Many tea shops reported a dramatic increase in daily orders, with some locations handling 300-500 orders compared to their usual volume, leading to staff working up to 14 hours a day [8]. - Delivery personnel reported record earnings due to the high volume of orders and increased delivery fees, with some earning over 1,700 yuan in a single day [10][12]. - The intense competition has resulted in longer wait times for customers, as tea shops struggle to keep up with the surge in demand [11][12]. Group 4: Competitive Strategies - The competition intensified as Alibaba aimed to surpass Meituan's order volume, targeting 90 million to 100 million orders on July 5, 2023 [15]. - Meituan responded with aggressive coupon promotions to retain market share against Alibaba's subsidy initiatives [16].