In the in-store segment, Douyin's short-video marketing model effectively stimulates users' stockpiling and group-buying demand, enabling rapid market capture through precise content recommendation and traffic advantages. In response, Meituan has shifted from defense to offense, increasing subsidy intensity and heavily investing in live-streaming and special-deal group purchases to defend market share. Competition in this domain is growing increasingly fierce.
Regarding hospitality and travel, Douyin has elevated hotels and tourism to a first-tier division under its local life services umbrella, gradually enhancing capabilities in hotel booking and redemption services. However, OTA platforms have built deep competitive moats through years of accumulated supply chain resources and mature service systems, maintaining advantages in backend infrastructure, inventory management, and after-sales support. In the short term, the dominant positions of Ctrip, Meituan, and other established OTA platforms are unlikely to be rapidly disrupted.
China E-commerce Marketing: Market Landscape and Trends