Currently, various industries and scenarios are undergoing significant transformations and upgrades.

Change has become the dominant theme across nearly all sectors.

When Meituan and JD.com first began competing in the food delivery sector, many believed it was merely a battle for market share.

This assessment of the rivalry between Meituan and JD.com overlooks the deeper implications and significance of their competition.

As Meituan and JD.com's competition intensified, Taobao also entered the fray, rekindling the spectacle of tech giants clashing, reminiscent of the mobile internet era.

Meituan, JD.com, and Taobao's foray into the food delivery market is not solely about capturing market share but about leveraging intense competition to drive innovation in e-commerce.

Thus, describing the "fierce battles" initiated by Meituan, JD.com, and Taobao as a new chapter in e-commerce transformation is more fitting.

In essence, the "fierce battles" among these players in the food delivery market are about securing a first-mover advantage in instant retail, using food delivery as an entry point.

Instant retail is a recent phenomenon emerging from the evolution of e-commerce.

Therefore, the "fierce battles" between Meituan, JD.com, and Taobao should not be viewed merely as a struggle in the food delivery market but as the dawn of a new era in e-commerce transformation.

As traffic peaks and platform-centric development models face increasing challenges, e-commerce players are no longer content with being mere platforms but are actively engaging in the operational aspects of e-commerce, driving significant changes through their direct involvement.

Instant retail emerged against this backdrop.

When discussing instant retail, collaborations between Meituan and brands like Apple and MINISO come to mind, where Meituan leverages its logistics and delivery capabilities to meet users' instant consumption needs.

One key reason for Meituan's leadership in this field is its vast fleet of riders.

This is an inherent strength of Meituan, which it has maximized through instant retail.

Meituan's entry into instant retail signifies its aspiration to go beyond being a platform or intermediary and integrate deeply with the retail industry.

From this perspective, Meituan's move into instant retail marks the beginning of deep integration between traditional e-commerce players and the retail sector.

As Meituan forges stronger ties with the retail industry, it can no longer be solely defined as a food delivery platform but rather as a new retail (or new e-commerce) platform.

As Meituan seeks new development avenues through integration with the retail industry, particularly as it enters the new frontier of e-commerce evolution, established players like JD.com and Taobao are reluctant to see their market share erode.

Thus, to maintain their market share and position in e-commerce, JD.com and Taobao have entered the food delivery sector.

In reality, the "fierce battles" in the food delivery market among Meituan, JD.com, and Taobao are not about food delivery alone but about e-commerce.

More specifically, it's a battle between new e-commerce and new retail.

II

The evolution of the e-commerce industry did not begin today.

Even during the twilight of the mobile internet era, the evolution of e-commerce had commenced.

However, despite numerous attempts and changes, players failed to find the right approach to integrating platforms with physical entities.

The primary reason is that e-commerce players have not deeply and comprehensively integrated their unique characteristics and cores with the physical retail industry.

When Meituan entered the instant retail space, players witnessed the potential of combining its core rider delivery service with offline physical retail.

As a result, they began seeking new development paths by aligning their core competencies with the offline physical retail industry.

This is evident in JD.com's approach to entering the instant retail market.

Whether it's Liu Qiangdong having a drink with JD.com delivery riders or riders from other platforms joining JD.com's express delivery team, these initiatives aim to integrate with the offline physical retail industry through JD.com's core strengths.

From this perspective, the ongoing "food delivery war" is merely the beginning.

Using this as a starting point, e-commerce players will increasingly discover the intersection of their core competencies and physical retail to unlock new development opportunities, particularly in finding new models for the e-commerce industry.

Regardless of the model, one thing is clear: e-commerce players are no longer content with being platforms but are seeking deep integration with the physical retail industry.

This integration will mark the end of traditional e-commerce platforms and the emergence of a new e-commerce model, stemming from the deep fusion of the virtual economy represented by e-commerce platforms and the real economy represented by offline physical retail. The transformation and evolution of e-commerce will enter a new phase.

III

Long before the food delivery war erupted, we had already witnessed the beginning of a profound transformation among e-commerce platforms.

Whether it's Alibaba's Rhino Factory or JD.com's supply chain finance technology, both are exploring ways to integrate platform e-commerce with the real economy through their accumulated expertise in e-commerce.

The reason we were not particularly aware of this transformation is that players have primarily focused on empowering B-end entities rather than starting from the C-end.

With Meituan's entry into the instant retail space, we are now witnessing the dawn of a new transformation led by the C-end.

If empowering B-end entities can be considered a supply-side reform, then the evolution of new e-commerce, represented by instant retail, is more about enhancing the demand-side experience.

When e-commerce players achieve a comprehensive transformation and upgrade from B-end to C-end, the evolution of the e-commerce industry will enter a new phase, characterized by deep and comprehensive changes.

For any player aiming to make a mark in this new transformation, finding ways to connect B-end industries at the front end with C-end users at the back end is crucial for success in the evolving e-commerce landscape.

If we forecast the second half of this new transformation spearheaded by Meituan, JD.com, and Taobao, future battles will increasingly test their ability to penetrate upstream and downstream of the industry.

In other words, those who can find ways to penetrate the entire industry chain and truly achieve industrial transformation and upgrading will emerge victorious in this new era of e-commerce transformation.

Conclusion

The intense "food delivery war" between Meituan, JD.com, and Taobao, on the surface, appears to be just that. However, in reality, it is a battle between new e-commerce and new retail.

More precisely, Meituan, JD.com, and Taobao are waging an instant retail war.

We can view this "fierce battle" as the commencement of a new evolution in e-commerce and a sign that competition in the e-commerce industry has entered a new phase.

For any e-commerce player, the key to succeeding in this new transformation lies in finding ways to transform B-end and C-end users and establishing a new supply-demand connection between them.