Douyin (抖音), Baidu (百度), Taotian (淘天), JD.com (京东), Amap (高德)… flood into the new battleground for local group buying

Why group buying?

When Beijing moved in March to halt a year-long, subsidy-fueled delivery war that burned hundreds of billions of RMB, China’s internet giants did not retreat — they pivoted. The new battleground is in-store group buying (到店团购). Why? Because unlike loss-making delivery, group buying is simpler: users buy vouchers online and redeem in store, so platforms dodge logistics costs, improve cash flow and raise merchant stickiness. And the market is big — according to iiMedia Consulting, China’s O2O market reached about RMB 3.89 trillion in 2025 and could near RMB 6 trillion by 2028.

Who’s playing and how?

The field is crowded. Douyin (抖音) has spun out a dedicated app, “抖省省”, to solve low redemption rates from impulse buys on short video feeds; QuestMobile reportedly pegs its DAU near 8 million and MAU above 22 million after two months. Baidu (百度) and Amap (高德) are turning navigation and search intent into transaction entry points — showing coupons and aggregated listings alongside directions. Taobao (淘宝) and Alibaba (阿里) have pushed in as well, while JD.com (京东) aims at higher‑quality, white‑collar dining deals. Taotian (淘天) and other players have also entered the fray, each bringing a different entry — content, maps, e‑commerce or logistics — to intercept consumer moments.

Stakes, strategy and geopolitics

Meituan (美团) and Dazhong Dianping (大众点评) still look formidable with entrenched merchant networks and large monthly actives (reportedly about 158 million), but the value chain is shifting: discovery is no longer limited to search; algorithms can create demand mid‑scroll. It has been reported that Meituan is reorganising its local‑life leadership and accelerating AI and short‑video moves to avoid becoming merely a settlement backend. This is happening under a new regulatory regime that discourages naked subsidy wars, and amid broader geopolitical pressure and export controls that push Chinese platforms to fight harder for domestic spend rather than overseas expansion.

What to watch

This battle won’t be decided by app downloads or headline subsidies. It will be decided in margins, merchant deals, dark‑channel BD contests and, ultimately, real voucher redemptions. Consumers may enjoy a season of better offers and discovery; platforms must prove they can convert algorithmic impulses into actual visits. Who wins? The answer will lie in every verified redemption — not in the number of promotional posts.