In the competitive world of China’s mobile internet, short videos have overtaken other forms of communication, e-commerce and gaming in the popularity stakes. Data from analytical firm QuestMobile shows that short videos were the biggest online draw in 2021, accounting for nearly 26% of the time users spent on the Internet.

Propelled by the huge traffic in short videos, Douyin branched out into e-commerce in recent years. Last year Douyin’s total sales exceeded one trillion yuan, making it the fourth biggest e-commerce platform in China, according to the Chinese business news outlet LatePost. Now, the video-sharing platform is migrating from online to offline, expanding its local life and city retail businesses, thus encroaching on Meituan’s territory. A battle could be brewing.

In March 2020, Douyin launched a group-buying function in its app, establishing a system of influencer-oriented food marketing. The function allows the use of group-buying coupons at restaurants or for takeout orders, but the food was actually delivered by Ele.me and Meituan at the time. In July 2021, Douyin tested a “Heartbeat Delivery” applet, but the service never made it to the launch stage due to logistical challenges and company restructuring.

By 2022, as Covid disrupted dine-in services, some restaurants spontaneously flocked to Douyin to livestream their food for delivery. Douyin then worked with third-party delivery agents such as Ele.me and Dada to meet the demand.  

Meituan’s on-demand food delivery service depends on users’ active searches for desired food providers, while Douyin’s model uses merchants’ self-made promo videos that can be channeled to interested customers, requiring a more sophisticated algorithm.

Meituan, as a traditional local life app, has long ranked first in usage for in-store consumption, such as dining, entertainment and education, with a relatively high rate of actual transactions, according to research from China’s Sealand Securities.

Meanwhile, Douyin has been less good at turning online traffic into transactions in its local life business, as users may scroll through videos merely for pleasure. But the greater volume of Douyin’s users and the longer time spent online compared to Meituan offer benefits for new businesses looking to break into the market.

1.What was the biggest draw on the internet in China in 2021?

A E-commerce.

B Short videos.

C Gaming.

D Communication.

解析：选B。B 根据分析公司Quest Mobile的数据，2021年，短视频是中国互联网上最大的吸引力，约占用户在线时间的26%。故选B。

2.What is Douyin’s latest business expansion?

A E-commerce.

B Gaming.

C Education.

D Transportation.

解析：选A。A 根据第二段，文章明确指出抖音已经扩展到电子商务领域，而没有提到抖音扩展到游戏、教育或交通领域。故选A。

3.What is the main difference between Meituan and Douyin's food delivery services?

A Meituan’s service requires active searches from users, while Douyin's service uses merchants’ promo videos.

B Douyin’s service requires active searches from users, while Meituan's service uses merchants' promo videos.

C Meituan’s service offers better quality food than Douyin's service.

D Douyin’s service offers better discounts than Meituan's service.

解析：选A。A 根据第五段，文章没有提到美团和抖音提供的食品质量或折扣，故排除选项C和D；选项B与正确答案相反。美团的按需送餐服务依赖于用户对所需食品供应商的主动搜索，而抖音的模式则使用商家自制的促销视频，这些视频可以引导给感兴趣的客户，这需要更复杂的算法。故选A。

4.Why has Douyin been less successful in turning online traffic into transactions in its local life business?

A Its platform is not user-friendly.

B Its users are not interested in local life businesses.

C Its users scroll through videos merely for pleasure.

D Its promo videos are not effective.

解析：选C。C 文章称，抖音在将在线流量转化为本地生活业务的交易方面并不成功，因为其用户可能只是为了娱乐而滚动视频，而不是积极寻找本地生活业务。故选C。