Community group buying, China’s latest e-commerce trend, is turning previously independent, family-run shops into part of Big Tech’s powerful, algorithm-driven business machines. “The advantage of community group buying is that it’s driven by actual orders so storage cost is reduced,” said Robert Wu, head of research at data research firm BigOne Lab. The move came after antitrust regulators summoned several tech giants to warn them against “low price dumping and squeezing jobs” in community group buying. “The community group buying industry is now pushing the trend further to rural areas,” Yang said. While community group buying has raised the ire of government authorities, Meituan and Pinduoduo’s rural initiatives have earned the praise of Beijing.

Source: The Star March 26, 2021 08:34 UTC