Are they all coming to compete with Meituan?

Although the takeout market may not be a "blue ocean" anymore, this doesn't stop short video platforms from coming in to stir up the market.

After Douyin entered the territories of Meituan and Ele.me, Kuaishou (1024.HK) has also stepped up its layout in the takeout sector. Starting in March this year, Kuaishou optimized its product delivery function. Among the group-buy packages sold by merchants, Kuaishou not only added the label "Only supports delivery" to the service guarantee, but also introduced the "Takeout to Home" function, which is technically supported by Kuaishou's local life open platform.

According to "Fun Biz" tests, currently under the "Discount Group Buy" entrance in the local section of the Kuaishou App, searching for keywords like takeout will yield related products, most of which will be labeled "Delivery to Home" or "Takeout to Home," and customers need to contact the store after placing an order. Some of these group-buy packages are exclusive to live streaming sessions.

Source: Kuaishou screenshot

However, Kuaishou doesn't have a "rider army" like Meituan or Ele.me, and its delivery service is currently handled by the merchants themselves.

In fact, some merchants have tried to carry out takeout business on Kuaishou before, but due to the lack of platform support, delivery services needed to be redirected to other paths, adding an extra step that inconvenienced consumers. Now, the entire process from ordering to delivery can be completed on Kuaishou, which can be seen as a signal of its official entry into the takeout market.

With Kuaishou and Douyin, two major short video platforms entering the fray, is the takeout market once again heating up?

01. Kuaishou's Takeout Business Is Still in the Early Stages

From the current situation, Kuaishou's approach to entering the takeout market is similar to Douyin's, but Kuaishou seems to be taking a more cautious step.

At the end of 2021, Douyin made its local life business an independent top-level department; in 2022, Douyin tested high-value group meal delivery services in Beijing, Shanghai, and other places, while also cooperating with Ele.me; in June 2023, according to "LatePost," Douyin's takeout business has given up on achieving a GMV target of 100 billion yuan within the year, but this also suggests that after only one year of operation, Douyin's takeout business is already envisioning the possibility of achieving a GMV of 100 billion yuan.

Source: Weibo screenshot

In contrast, Kuaishou's local life division was established in October 2022; by March 2023, although Kuaishou also began to test group-buy delivery projects, it was more focused on attracting traffic for KFC, Haidilao, and some barbecue restaurants. Users needed to go to third-party platforms to fill in information and place orders after seeing the packages on Kuaishou.

In fact, as early as February 2023, Kuaishou had already launched its official local life mini-program and gradually established a