社区购物： Mirroery trend in the global tech industry before the pandemic: A summary
During the height of the pandemic, a unique kind of online shopping gained significant attention in China’s tech industry, often referred to as “community group buying”. This model emerged as a response to the challenges of last-mile delivery, a problem that had plagued many countries’ grocery delivery systems. By grouping purchases together with friends and family, community group buying allowed consumers to save money on essential items like apples, iPhones, and groceries. The model’s popularity was bolstered by its;;what appears to be Groupon meets Instacart; nature, combining the speed of online shopping with the convenience of communities. However, the rise of this trend came as the world assessed its viability, with many brands declining their early checkout thresholds due to logistical complexities and rising costs.
As the pandemic had begun to Municipalize cities during late 2010s and early 2020s, the demand for community group buying surged—or at least intensifying. In the late 2010s, the industry began to take shape as a response to the final-mile logistics challenges faced by grocery delivery providers. The pandemic obligatory digital transformation in latter years, however, accelerated the adoption of more efficient and convenient services. Today, more than half the shopping world operates under the umbrella of community group buying—a phenomenon that has overshadowed the industry to a degree.
The growth of this trend was rooted in the late 2010s, when companies like Meituan and Alibaba started developing。“Universal group buying” offerings across China emerged in 2017, initially targeting groceries. Meituan, for instance, had been preparing to shut down its grocery group buying operations in most provinces by the end of last month. In China, the foundation of this trend was laid during the 2010s, with companies like Taocaicai (ologna’s grocery buddy app) setting the stage. renowned for their nationwide delivery subscribers, Taocaicai closed down in March, though its successor, Xingsheng Youxuan, still operate in 18 regions as of today.
As the pandemic solution, community group buying provided a way to bridge the gap between individual purchasing and mass retail applications. By aggregating millions ofIDERatives around community leaders, consumers could pool their order sizes, often hundreds or thousands, and deliver them to a centralized location. This model prevented the need for people to huddle around a group leader, reducing the strain on transportation and logistics resources. At the same time, the刀 clubs allow individuals to explore better value for money compared to traditional platforms, which often charge for upselling extra features like fashion or home-bg analysis.
However, the success of this trend began to wane as the 2020s advanced. While Meituan and Meiprode Closed down its grocery services globally by the end of last year, it still operated only in four provinces where it faced significant competition from new players like Pinduoduo, which is the sister company to Temu, the former NameCrush of China’s tech sector. This shift reflected broader shifts in the tech industry, as the demand for “secondhand” services and individuals stepping back from traditional outlets began to rise.
Looking to the future, the dominance of local communities in group buying is unlikely to continue as technology continues to evolve. Meanwhile, the competition for these services within China’s tech industry remains intense. As global adoption of instant retail growth, consumers are increasingly favoring services like ItemsSurplus and swap trading—tools that rely on locals and community leaders to facilitate deliveries. Similarly, the rise of businesses like Pinduoduo and Timf碳 has given rise to new forms of internet shopping, offering alternative tertiary sectors to cater to rural and informal areas.
One of the most striking aspects of the trend is the role of community leaders in driving its success. Community leaders, often represented as platforms like Taocai and Timf碳, are not just salespeople but are also the “musicians of the community” who bridge the gap between individuals and mass retail. In exchange for sales commission, these leaders sort out deliveries, either directly delivering items to their neighbors or waiting until homes pick them up. While these leaders are often老板œts or stay-at-home moms and retirees with ample free time, their namesake term tuanzhang reflects the deep connection they have with their municipal communities.
When the pandemic ended, the sense that something was wrong returned to the trend. With online platforms accelerating the creation of intra-city delivery, communities saw an opportunity to reduce the need for external logistics. However, despite this, the demand for group buying service had peaked by 2023. With the rise of instant retail and the transformation of online services, the direction of this trend is likely to shift widely yet to remain deeply embedded in the lives of older generations.
In conclusion, the age of group buying in China’s tech industry has been a fascinating story of growth, decline, and transformation. While it has left indelible marks on the industry’s trajectory, it has also driven the rise of new platforms and services that connect people more directly to goods. As China continues to navigate its way out of the pandemic and embrace a post-pandemic era, the role of these communal gatherings and the power of technology to connect people with goods will remain central to its digital iteration.
