Didi Uber merger affect the logistics industry

August 1, afternoon announced the acquisition of travel drops uber China. After agreement is reached, drops and uber global cross-shareholdings will become a minority stake to the other shareholders. According to a number of foreign media had reported that the pieces will travel with China Uber (UberChina) merger, after the merger, Uber will acquire a 20% stake in the new company, the new company valued at $ 35 billion. Although prior to the merger news, drops once refute aspects of the company as a rumor, but the fact that rumors often earlier predictions.
This is a shared economic sectors most striking merger, another policy message for shared economic development the green light. Last week, the Ministry of Communications and other departments jointly issued the "Interim Measures, network operators, service reservation taxi," the legal status of the network about the car to get clear. Measures to meet the conditions for private cars can be converted to a certain network program about cars, in car operations.
These two messages together to see, for now, is doing the last kilometer urban distribution logistics companies, it may not necessarily be good news. Because in the United States, Uber started early logistics and distribution services. The combined drops and Uber china will likely give China's logistics enterprises a more powerful opponent, drops courier? Another source confirmed that the company has been in a bit hiring managers warehousing and logistics supply chain, not logistics, warehouse manager to find why?
Of course, today, Uber distribution business in the United States there is no real alternative to the traditional courier services, but it is still the traditional courier industry has brought no small impact. The author in this bold analysis of how and pieces together to make express Uber china, which may affect the logistics companies (SF or Dada) to? Network about car courier company to do, and what weaknesses?
I believe that some of the practices in the United States with reference to Uber, the future delivery of three drops of strong and weak.
Strong first-peak distribution of snacks (such as supper)
Do O2O industry analysis, often used two analytical dimensions: This is a high-frequency or low-demand needs? This is a market or just need occasional needs of the market? Everyone wants to cut the high-frequency plus just need cake, in the current market, the most suitable for this feature is obviously takeaway market.
However, the main market is the period takeaway lunch and dinner time, the current delivery tools are mostly two-wheelers, the main room is light cavalry troops, convenient and flexible. Because takeaway food market in addition to maintaining the taste requirements, but also to have served time demanding. Most people place the order, do not themselves and their rivalry, have to find a taste to taste some 5 km away from its own restaurant - takeaway seleced, it defaults to a certain extent reduces the food grade requirements, from the past is the most important selecion criteria, in general, there is less than 3 km away.
This time, the car must call a guy to open room, bit of a waste, from an economic point of view is extremely uneconomical.
In the US market, Uber did not give this important food service segments. August 27, 2014, Uber started in Santa Monica, California Uber Fresh testing services. 11:30 to 14:30 every day at noon, the user can use the service reservation. These are generally lunch distribution to street closest to the user, and not sent to the home or office. Uber said normal delivery time is about 10 minutes.
February 25, 2015, Uber in Barcelona has launched similar Uber EATS the meal service, the service has expanded shortly thereafter to New York and Chicago. January 2016, the originator of the Uber taxi application in full swing to prepare its own independent application delivery UberEats ten cities in the United States.
Although a lot of money invested, but the general effect, UberEats and professional delivery platform than not have the advantage, for two reasons, the first is at the peak of a large number of specialized needs for capacity allocation, and Uber are intended to be "shared" is play more than idle surplus value of labor is not intended to deal with large concentrations of orders; second, the urban traffic jam problem, choose Uber room, there is a certain distance between the origin and destination of means, but in big cities wher there are congestion problems .
In the Chinese market, focus on meal time, or what the US group hungry takeaway the world, but I believe that, to avoid the peak period in the future, such as tea time, snack time, but added value drops courier who played a good time. Then the dining needs, more of a casual dining. The elimination of hunger just need to diminish, or even among friends and colleagues, "to eat and the" Friends of the rise in social needs, time is not so urgent, but the quality is definitely better, this time, called a car room, still very face.
The second strong high value goods distribution
While in the United States, Uber said to be continuously losing the iPhone and Starbucks coffee distribution supplier team. However, it does not matter, I still believe we can try and pieces of express delivery in this area. Statistics show that the fall of 2015, when it formally launched Uber delivery platform, is the first New York Manhattan Fifth Avenue luxury fashion, major retailers co-operation, to provide distribution services.
These high-value commodities, comes with sophisticated packaging, but also relatively light, the car will not increase too much burden. More importantly, due to the high value, it can also lead to higher freight, distribution of benefits between the company and the drivers used. This will also encourage more people to bear the courier task.
In the early to carry out distribution business, Uber actually done a lot of this may not be a high degree of standardization, but the value is high, and with a certain fashion elements of distribution, such as ice cream and flowers delivery. This distribution consignee often young people, in addition to the need for the goods themselves, they also need the appropriate atmosphere and sense of ritual. At this time, the luxury car is the ideal tool.
Strong third special distribution of goods urgently needed
And compared to ordinary courier company, Uber and drops the biggest advantage of different vehicles, cars. How to play the biggest advantage of the car is the key bit express whether they can come to the fore. In this regard, special, expedited delivery of supplies can be formed competitive differentiation.
The most typical example is the commonly used drugs distribution, there is no information indicates Uber involved in the drug distribution. Although individual drug users will often used as a general merchandise Tropsch driver forgot to bring their own loved ones with drugs. However, the United States does have a company, called the Uber pharmaceutical industry, this company's name is called Capsule, only a shop in New York, but it can in addition to the drug throughout Staten Island in New York City.
Now that someone has already done so for Uber, Uber day or so drops himself to intervene in this field, it does not feel strange.
Urgent items, the most important limitation. Uber advantage of technological advances algorithms and predictive power. Google's early Uber data - in the United States, Google Map can be calculated accurately between user specified location by car, bicycle, bus and walking time. Now this technology drops and hungry, what have learned.
Of course, like to go out forgotten my key, went to the airport with no identity cards (These things I have done it more than once) such a thing, it should be a bit courier who show their talents.
Of course accreditation at the airport may not happy, because no one pay 20 yuan after pictures do temporary ID card.
Weaknesses: people and goods carpool problem
But do courier drops or Uber will have a fundamental dilemma of choice, that is, in the end should be based on the goods-based, or to the people-oriented? After all, the underlying assumptions of the business model, is a ride mode possible additional effects with the most economical investment. So the courier company and general compared to drops courier who do not need sorting centers, no distribution package.
I do not agree with some commentators even believe that this model will fail due to lack of scale, because I think in the long tail market, economies of scale involved in logistics Uber Lord to do it should be put into the long tail market without additional capacity when, not the first one, is the first customer price.
But let us imagine a scenario wher a car to pick up guests, suddenly received instructions to let his brief detour three kilometers to fetch a box of steaming crayfish. The car driver then how should I do?
Detour to pick up, perhaps because impatient guests withdrawals, so-called ride is not established. If you go to pick up guests to take crayfish, who brought detour toll counted? Even after the company therefore provides that the resulting detour tolls not included in the cost of passengers, but passengers still have time costs. Some people may think that does not matter, some people will care about. At this time, in the end how to solve this problem?
There are deeper problems, the algorithm can not be resolved. For example, some people may not be willing pot of savory crawfish same car. This time, who get off?
For drops or Uber, which is actually a strategic choice, if you do express, there will be people and goods carpool phenomenon. Currently more mega-cities (population of ten million such wide north of the city), the more people of all ages about cars network software, and some even have their own cars to sell, think about cars Net sufficient. But it is also a city, people are not used to carpool. Although, many goods can be placed in the trunk. But the ride also means that the time of mutual accommodation and journey.
At this time, what is more people to accommodate goods, or goods accommodate people? This is a problem either.