[Economic Observation] Intra-city freight recurring subsidy war, how much will it affect the industry?

　　Recently, Didi Cargo announced its launch in 11 cities including Beijing, and introduced a series of price concessions, including "a single order of up to 50 yuan off".

As a result, the "spring water" of the same-city freight industry has been disturbed, and companies such as Cargo Lalla and Kuaigou have also increased their subsidies.

　　The reappearance of the subsidy war and the start of low-price competition give consumers a sense of deja vu.

Some insiders said that with the tightening of the supervision of the Internet platform economy by the regulatory authorities, there is a risk of violations of the cash-burning subsidy for the intra-city freight industry, which is also not conducive to the healthy and orderly development of the industry.

　　On the surface, the subsidy war is a means of competition among peers in order to occupy the market and exclude competitors, and consumers can get preferential treatment.

But in fact, consumers have eaten too much of the bitter fruit of the subsidy war "sweet first and bitter later."

For example, when the online car-hailing industry was just emerging, giants offered high subsidies, which brought benefits to consumers.

But after the subsidy war, there are only a few big platforms left. Even if the price is high, consumers have no choice but to bear it silently.

The same is true for industries such as shared power banks and shared bicycles.

In addition, the subsidy war may also disrupt the normal working order of freight drivers.

　　On the Sina Black Cat complaint platform, the reporter found that many consumers complained about the freight platform, and they did not agree to invoice issuance because they did not order invoicing, coupons could not be used, the goods were lost, the driver’s attitude was bad, the fare was increased midway, etc. problem.

There are also some freight drivers who complain about the non-refundable deposit of the platform, malicious complaints and appeals are unsuccessful, and the platform is forced to put a logo.

　　In fact, the subsidy war launched by the freight industry in the same city is similar to the previous ones, in an attempt to quickly occupy the market through price-for-volume exchange.

This "simple and rude" subsidy method has indeed attracted many drivers to join for a while.

At the same time, due to the low price and the platform's publicity offensive, it has also attracted many consumers.

But the problem is that this approach may disrupt the normal development order of the industry, and consumers may not be able to enjoy high-quality services.

　　At the moment, the intra-city distribution industry can indeed be called the "blue ocean".

It is precisely when some companies see the huge development potential of the industry that they do not hesitate to seize the market with high subsidies, and new companies are constantly joining.

According to the data released by the Qicha Big Data Research Institute a few days ago, in the seven years since 2014, my country’s intra-city freight projects have had 59 investment and financing incidents, with a total amount of 33.68 billion yuan, of which 19.845 billion yuan occurred in 2021. .

　　The entry of competitors in the market is a good thing, and only when there is competition in the market can there be vitality.

But what people want to see is to win the market through high-quality services and more powerful technology, rather than low-price competition.

Relying on subsidies may attract users in a short time, but it is hard to last.

For the same-city freight industry, it is necessary to protect the treatment of drivers and the legitimate rights and interests of consumers. This is the long-term solution.

　　If the platform blindly pursues background data and recruits drivers through high subsidies, the outcome is likely to be more cars, more drivers, and fewer orders.

Once the subsidy ends, the driver's income will not be guaranteed, which in turn will damage the platform's reputation and reputation.

　　In fact, the intra-city freight industry still has many problems that need to be solved urgently, such as safety issues and midway fare increases.

What the intra-city freight companies really want to do is to solve these existing pain points in the industry, and continue to meet the needs of consumers for safety, convenience, comfort, and differentiation.

Only in this way can the enterprise be stable and far-reaching.