Ele.me Beta Renamed as Taobao Flash Sale, Following Meituan’s Lead
Ele.me Renamed to Taobao Flash Sale — Meituan Launches “Official Flagship Lightning Warehouse”
The Instant Retail Battle Reignites
This is not just a brand refresh — it’s a deep supply-side contest between platforms. Let’s break down the logic behind this “flash sale war”:
- Who is winning the consumer mindshare?
- Who is reshaping the future of retail?
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Taobao Flash Sale: Ele.me’s Full Identity Transformation
Key Date: November 3rd — the latest beta version of Ele.me was renamed Taobao Flash Sale, completing the transformation of the 18-year-old food delivery brand.
Why the Rename Matters
- Brand maturity: Alibaba believes the brand is strong enough that users won’t be confused.
- Employee recognition: Validates half a year of progress in turning a marginal business into a core offering.
- Organizational integration: Signals a merger between the Taobao Flash Sale and Ele.me service lines.
Bottom line: Alibaba is preparing for a fully integrated Taobao Flash Sale as competition with Meituan intensifies.
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Meituan's “Official Flagship Lightning Warehouse”
Launch Date: October 30th — Meituan Flash Sale rolled out its brand growth plan in partnership with 10,000+ brands, creating Official Flagship Lightning Warehouses.
Core Strategy
- Infrastructure build: Warehousing, delivery, digital systems.
- Easy brand onboarding: Make joining instant retail simple.
Taobao’s counter: The “Taobao Convenience Store” initiative, selecting benchmark merchants to improve supply quality and expand to 200 cities / 2,000+ stores by next year.
Implication: The localized “warm war” of food delivery has escalated into a full “hot war” of instant retail.
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The Logic Behind Meituan’s “Flagship Lightning Warehouse”
Target Audience
- E-commerce brands without offline channels: e.g., Sony PS, Logitech, Banana Under.
- Motivation: Declining online traffic + higher acquisition costs.
- Solution: Flash sales reduce offline network investment while reaching new customers.
Why This Matters
- Hybrid retail is complex — merging online and offline is harder than running one channel.
- Meituan’s model: Abstracts logistics, inventory, and digital ops into plug-and-play, enticing brands.
Result: Incremental growth potential — but scale is uncertain.
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Why Meituan’s Strategy Is Clever (Yet Replicable)
Two Advantages
- Richer supply pool.
- Differentiated, high-quality offerings.
Built-In Benefits
- Existing consumer habits: Customers already buy these products online.
- Scarcity offline: Products not easily found in stores make instant retail attractive.
Note: This move has low defensive barriers — Alibaba’s Taobao Flash Sale could replicate easily.
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Brand Resource Dynamics
- Taotian ecosystem: Alibaba’s strong merchant base means potential to match/reach beyond Meituan’s supply.
- Timing edge: Meituan’s Lightning Warehouse gains first-mover advantage, but operational enthusiasm outpaces Taobao Flash Sale — example: Uniqlo instant retail handled via workaround on Meituan; absent on Taobao Flash Sale.
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Taobao Convenience Store vs. Meituan’s Warehouse Models
Two Models, Same Goal — Supply-Side Improvement
- Taobao Convenience Store: Franchise-led, Alibaba provides brand licensing, merchant vetting, supply chain support.
- Meituan Lightning Warehouse: Platform handles heavy lifting; brands move in.
Key Insight: These are not competing models but different stages in instant retail development.
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Current Market Landscape
- Warehouse counts:
- Meituan — 15,000 comprehensive + 20,000 specialized.
- Taobao — 20,000+ comprehensive.
- SKU homogenization: 80% are white-label; drives profit but limits differentiation.
Next Step: After solving quantity, focus on quality supply.
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Meituan’s Squirrel Convenience Store vs. Taobao Convenience Store
- Squirrel: Self-operated + franchise; strict HQ supply control, piloted before food delivery battles.
- Taobao Convenience Store: Looser supply control, focuses on brand authorization + merchant standards.
Taobao’s Emerging Supply Control
- Plans small-batch quick replenishment system — central warehouse to local nodes.
- Could integrate branded supply sources, signaling deeper control.
Strategic Leap: Alibaba aims to combine Meituan’s two-step process (Squirrel + Lightning Warehouse) into one.
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Phase Two for Taobao Flash Sale
After winning food delivery market share with subsidies, phase two focuses on:
- Operational governance — maintaining territory.
- Infrastructure parity — matching Meituan’s instant retail efficiency.
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The Intersection of Retail Logistics & AI Content Distribution
The instant retail war isn’t only about warehouses and delivery — digital touchpoints matter.
Tools like AiToEarn官网:
- Open-source global AI content monetization.
- AI-powered creation, publishing, analytics, model ranking.
- Syncs to Douyin, Kwai, WeChat, Bilibili, Xiaohongshu, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Threads, YouTube, Pinterest, X (Twitter).
Benefit for brands: Reinforce presence across customer channels while exploring new sales venues.
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Conclusion
The competition between Meituan and Alibaba shows instant retail as a strategic battleground:
- Stage 1 — Expand supply with lightning warehouses.
- Stage 2 — Improve quality, control branding, refine operations.
- Stage 3 — Merge retail and content ecosystems, leveraging AI-powered distribution.
For creators tracking this shift, multi-platform publishing tools like AiToEarn accelerate reach and monetization — crucial in a fast-moving retail + tech landscape.
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Source: WeChat Official Account — Xiang Xianzhi
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Creator Efficiency in the Digital Era
As content cycles shorten, speed + originality become vital.
Open-source platforms such as AiToEarn官网 offer:
- AI generation of content.
- Integrated multi-platform publishing.
- Performance & ranking analytics.
Takeaway: Simultaneous distribution across global platforms — without sacrificing quality — is now possible, enabling creators to connect creativity with monetization more effectively.
