Douyin, China’s TikTok, tests food delivery, bringing ByteDance into a market dominated by Meituan and Alibaba
- Douyin is supporting restaurants willing to deliver their own food to users of the short video platform as local economies recover from Covid-19 lockdowns
- The move marks the ByteDance-owned platform’s second foray into food delivery, a market almost entirely controlled by Meituan and Alibaba’s Ele.me
The short video app is “trying to open delivery options of group-purchased goods for some businesses with urgent needs, and the project is still under exploration”, a representative from the company’s life services department said.
Some restaurants in particular cities, including those whose economies were hit hard by a resurgence in Covid-19 this year such as Shanghai, now include an option on their Douyin channels for users to order food with delivery. However, restaurants must provide their own delivery staff or use delivery drivers from another service, state-owned media The Paper reported on Friday, citing a person close to Douyin.
“Douyin’s life service team is carrying out activities to help businesses recover in some cities,” the Douyin representative said.
ByteDance, China’s largest unicorn, could be in for an uphill battle. Without its own delivery personnel, the company is launching a soft exploration of the market.
By contrast, market leaders Meituan and Alibaba’s Ele.me are known for their armies of delivery drivers, who are a ubiquitous sight on Chinese city streets.
Alibaba owns the South China Morning Post.