The unpredictable 2022 is coming to an end. In the past year, the impact of the epidemic has continued, and in the "uncertainty", the e-commerce industry can be described as several happy and several worried.
The former "outlet" has died down, but there are also new opportunities that are coming; Some enterprises are desperate, and some have been rich and powerful in the past; There are giants who have stepped back into the background, and there are new forces who have taken the baton...
At the beginning of the new year of 2023, Lianshang took stock of the top ten events worth remembering in the e-commerce industry in the past year and witnessed the changes in the industry.
For the first time, the 11.11 did not publish a general war report
Double 11 has always been regarded as a "barometer" for the e-commerce industry. However, on Double 11 in 2022, Tmall and JD.com "tacitly" did not disclose the total transaction amount, and this is the first time in 14 years that "cats and dogs" do not publish a general war report.
The weakening of the data presentation has also become a signal, and today's Double 11 has been very dull. After 14 years, from rise to climax, and then to normalization, Double 11 has already completed a reincarnation.
This is also reflected in the platform's Double 11 gameplay. Whether it is JD.com or Tmall, Double 11 in 2022 presents the characteristics of promotion normalization, game optimization, and competitive differentiation. Compared with previous years, e-commerce platforms are striving to return to rationality, pay more attention to the health and sustainable growth of merchants, and attach importance to consumer experience.
Tighten your belt, reduce costs and improve efficiency
Faced with the real dilemma of peaking online traffic, slowing user growth, and the background of continuous pressure on consumption, e-commerce giants that once pursued money-burning expansion are also making corresponding changes.
Cost reduction and efficiency increase have become the main theme of e-commerce companies, and it can be seen in the financial report that giants including JD.com and Ali have tightened their belts in marketing investment, and at the same time, layoffs and salary cuts are also a way for large factories to achieve "cost reduction". Taking Alibaba as an example, the latest financial report data shows that as of September 30, 2022, Alibaba lost more than 15,000 employees in 2022. At the end of 2022, JD.com also proposed to eliminate executives at the end, and for the first time proposed a comprehensive salary reduction for executives.
In addition, in the face of an uncertain environment, Ali and JD.com no longer pursue money-burning expansion, but take a more cautious approach to the development of new businesses, and even choose to shrink as subtraction and cut some areas where business continues to lose.
Break down barriers and interconnect e-commerce platforms
Internet giants have always been "competitors" with each other, and the products of each giant often have a wall against each other. After the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and other regulatory authorities launched the Internet platform "wall teardown action" in 2021, the e-commerce platform that was once "needle-to-point" finally collectively moved towards the route of interconnection and win-win cooperation in 2022.
In October 2022, Taobao Tmall launched a "Tmall Supermarket Xiaozhengjia" mini program on WeChat, and the account avatar used the Tmall Supermarket logo. The main operator of the Mini Program is Hangzhou Haochao E-commerce Co., Ltd., which is wholly owned by Zhejiang Tmall Technology Co., Ltd. The move is seen as a major breakthrough in the interconnection between Tencent and Alibaba.
In addition, during the Double 11 period in 2022, Kuaishou also announced the resumption of cooperation with Taobao Alliance and JD.com Alliance to realize the interconnection of traffic and goods.
The fresh e-commerce strategy contracted
As one of the hottest tracks, in 2022, many fresh food e-commerce companies have strategically contracted.
Dingtone has successively withdrawn from Xuancheng, Chuzhou, Tangshan, Hebei, Zhongshan, Zhuhai, Tianjin and Xiamen in Guangdong; Hema Neighborhood has successively withdrawn from Beijing, Xi'an, Chengdu, Wuhan and other markets, focusing on the Shanghai market; Xingsheng Preferred has successively closed the north and southeast regions of China, and withdrawn from the stations in four provinces and cities including Henan, Shandong, Sichuan and Chongqing; Jingxi Pinpin, a subsidiary of JD.com, carried out a large-scale shutdown in June...
And the most embarrassing thing is the daily fresh food with only the last breath. As the "first fresh food e-commerce stock", in June 2022, Daily Fresh was warned by NASDAQ because its stock price was below the compliant price of US$1 for 30 consecutive trading days. If the company's stock price cannot rise back to the compliance range within 180 days, it will face the risk of delisting. Although through the final share reduction plan, Daily Fresh temporarily avoided the risk of delisting, but its "defeat" has become a fact. Financial report data shows that in November 2022, the number of full-time employees in the company was only 55.
Mobile Tmall App launches 3D shopping
On October 27, the mobile Tmall App was newly upgraded and launched 3D shopping, fully opening a new immersive shopping experience. Starting from Tmall Double 11 in 2022, 3D shopping will become a normal experience on Tmall App.
In the new version of Tmall App, users can enter the 3D world without the help of external devices, experience shopping, watching art exhibitions, roaming outdoors, and even participate in a new product launch. Shopping in the 3D world, consumers can also view the details of the product in 360 degrees, try on it through AR, and preview the effect of the product placed in the real scene.
At present, consumers open the home page of the Tmall App on their mobile phones, slide the screen to enter the 3D space, and enter the "Any Door" to enter the brand pavilion, the tide play hall, the fantasy world of Canglan Trick, forest beach and other scenes.
Instant retail is ringing the gong
The Internet has never lacked new stories and new outlets, and in 2022, instant retail has become that "new darling".
On Double 11 in 2022, offline brick-and-mortar retail stores have joined the promotion to meet the needs of local consumers for "fast and money-saving" through instant retail. The integrated development of online and offline, business formats and scenarios is becoming a typical feature of new consumption. Instant retail is changing the e-commerce shopping market pattern, and "takeaway delivery" is gradually becoming a reality.
In December, the National Development and Reform Commission pointed out at a press conference that instant delivery has achieved rapid development, driven by the "stay-at-home economy" generated by the epidemic. According to relevant industry associations, the mainland real-time delivery orders are expected to exceed 40 billion in 2022, a year-on-year increase of about 30%, and the market size will reach about 200 billion yuan.
As just-in-time retail wins the love of more and more consumers, the competition between just-in-time retail platforms is becoming more intense. Today, the pattern of confrontation between JD.com and Meituan in the instant retail market has become increasingly clear, but there are still some variables.
Oriental selection has become the new top stream of live streaming e-commerce
In July 2021, with the landing of the "double reduction" policy, various domestic education and training institutions fell to the bottom. In order to "survive", New Oriental, the former leader of education and training, officially transformed and launched a new platform for live streaming goods "Oriental Selection".
From education and training to live broadcast with goods, the Oriental Selection in the first half of 2022 has been tepid, and it was not until June that it completely became popular, and the Oriental Selection with the fire was Dong Yuhui. Dong Yuhui, an ordinary New Oriental English teacher, sells goods in the live broadcast room of "Oriental Selection", an e-commerce live broadcast platform owned by New Oriental Online, while imparting knowledge to fans to "give lessons". With its profound knowledge and excellent conversation, it has become the "most cultured live broadcast room" in the hearts of netizens.
Dong Yuhui single-handedly led the Oriental selection, and he himself became the new "traffic king" in the field of live streaming e-commerce.
After Liu Qiangdong left office, he returned to the front line
In recent years, the "number one" of Internet giants seems to have taken a back seat.
On April 7, 2022, JD.com Group announced on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange that Xu Lei, president of JD.com, will succeed Liu Qiangdong as CEO of JD.com. At the same time, Xu Lei will join the board of directors of JD.com Group as an executive director. All appointments are effective immediately. Liu Qiangdong will continue to serve as the chairman of the board of directors, committed to the company's long-term strategic design, major strategic decision-making deployment, young leader training and rural revitalization.
Liu Qiangdong seems to have embarked on the same path of retreat as Pinduoduo, Huang Zheng and ByteDance Zhang Yiming. But surprisingly, only half a year after stepping down as CEO, Liu Qiangdong began to frequently appear in the public eye and business frontline.
On November 22, Liu Qiangdong issued an internal letter from JD.com, saying that from January 1, 2023, the cash compensation of all senior managers above the deputy director of JD.com Group and above the corresponding PT sequence will be reduced by 10%-20%. At the same time, Liu Qiangdong also announced a series of measures to improve the welfare of grassroots employees.
Gome, whose life hangs in the balance
In 2022, the former "hegemon" Guomei has a hard time. Since May, Gome has repeatedly reported unpaid wages, arrears, layoffs and executive departures.
On November 3, at the all-staff meeting of Gome headquarters in Beijing Pengrun Building, Huang Xiuhong, chairman of Gome Electric Appliances, said that the company will only pay employees social security before the end of December, and will not pay salaries. Huang Xiuhong also added: In the medium and long term, there will be uncertainty in payroll. After the meeting, the company will issue a letter of commitment, and employees can go to the supervisor to sign it. Some internal employees of Gome said that this was forcing people to leave in disguise.
In early December, Gome was rumored to have filed a bankruptcy liquidation petition against Gome Electric in court due to arrears of payment, and Gome responded without receiving legal documents or inquiries. However, the next day, he was quickly "slapped in the face" by the relevant institutions, saying that the court had received the materials and that it was only a matter of time before the notice was noticed.
In 2021, after Huang Guangyu was officially released from prison, he put down his bold words at the group's senior management meeting, saying that he would strive to use 18 months to restore the company to its original market position. To this end, Huang Guangyu carried out a "drastic" reform of Gome, launching the platform "True Happiness" focusing on entertainment retail, and the platform "Dress Up", which is mainly based on the home improvement business, but in the end, the development of the two major business lines was not smooth.
In a sea of wage arrears, continuous layoffs, and constant disputes with suppliers, the insolvent Gome seems to be just one step away from "being killed on the beach by the tide of the times".
Li Jiaqi "disappeared" and returned on the eve of Double 11
If there are any "unsolved mysteries" in the e-commerce circle in 2022, Li Jiaqi's sudden "disappearance" is enough to be elected.
On June 3, 2022, Li Jiaqi's live broadcast room suddenly stopped broadcasting, and Li Jiaqi posted on Weibo that night to explain that he could not continue the live broadcast due to internal equipment failure. But in the following days, Li Jiaqi's Weibo was not updated, and in the previous live broadcast, the live broadcast session from June 4 to 7 that Li Jiaqi had predicted did not go on as scheduled.
On June 6, the Zhejiang Consumer Protection Commission issued a notice saying, "In the live broadcast room of Li Jiaqi on the Taobao platform, I found that the label of one batch of goods was not standardized. Subsequently, Li Jiaqi's operator, Mei ONE, said that it would immediately stop selling relevant goods, rectify the inventory goods, and then re-list the relevant products after rectification and a new round of testing.
And this rectification is a full 3 months, until the eve of Double 11, Li Jiaqi's live broadcast room began to broadcast low-key again.