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36Kr obtained news from ofo, and it is possible that in April this year, ofo will be connected to Didi Chuxing's app, allowing users to use ofo's services directly on Didi.
"This matter has been frequently put on the agenda recently, and the internal news is that it may be connected next month," an ofo employee said. 36Kr checked with Didi and ofo officials to verify the news, but as of press time, neither company had confirmed or denied it.
Dai Wei, Ofo's founder, said in December that there was no clear timetable for when the Didi app would be connected. "Ofo's model is that there is no GPS, and users use the car when they see it. The whole logic is different from that of Didi platform taxi, but in the near future we will jointly launch something with Didi."
However, similar access is not unprecedented. In February this year, WeChat and Mobike announced that users can directly enter the Mobike WeChat Mini Program by scanning the QR code on the Mobike body through WeChat "Scan" and click Unlock to use the car.
This is not the first time that ofo will connect to Didi, nor is it the first time that the two platforms are deeply bound. Previously, Didi participated in the last three rounds of financing of ofo. According to a report by Tencent Technology, a shared bicycle investor revealed that after several rounds of financing of ofo, Didi has become the largest shareholder of ofo, accounting for more than 30% of the shares. "This means that Didi has the voice over ofo stronger, and at the same time, the success or failure of ofo, Didi will be the largest interest-related party."
This is not difficult to understand. After Didi connects ofo, it will serve as a huge user traffic portal for its diversion, while ofo will further consolidate its business volume and enhance its industry status and imagination with the blessing of Didi.
Furthermore, if Ofo is really integrated, it also means that Didi and the capital behind it are further compensating for their own shortcomings in the field of transportation.
An insider told 36Kr that once Didi also wanted to do shared bicycles, but for some reasons it failed to materialize, and in the end it could only be an investor in ofo. However, this does not mean that Didi will not further enter the market.
Didi's investment in ofo is nothing more than targeting the "last three kilometers" opportunity.
At present, the "last three kilometers" field in China is still a very preliminary stage, and there is no systematic service provider. In the first-tier cities of Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, the complexity of transportation has made the competition for the "last three kilometers" by major travel platforms increasingly fierce.
"From the departure point to the destination 3 kilometers, whether to take a taxi or ride a bicycle, this is a choice for users, and it makes sense to choose either one." An ofo internal employee said, and Didi's approach is to cover all the different options.
In the eyes of Didi and ofo and their investors, the shared bicycle field has ushered in a period of rapid growth. A publicist for Ofo once told the media that in the past few years after 2012, the development speed of special cars and express cars was very fast. Ofo, on the other hand, has made the daily order volume from 200 orders to 500,000 orders in a year. "In the past, the special car express, and now ofo are all experiencing high-speed growth, and this momentum is similar." The above publicist said.
At the end of December last year, ofo jointly launched a red envelope activity, which was the first large-scale cooperation between the two parties after ofo was strategically invested by Didi. The incentive-based referral program adopted by the activity is also considered to be one of the powerful tools for Didi's marketing activities.
According to Didi Fang, in 2017, we will still focus on the field of transportation, hoping to connect everyone's travel. This means that all transportation methods will be covered, and shared bicycles will also be one of the directions of Didi's efforts.
36Kr believes that another important reason for Didi's further access to shared bicycles is that compared with the "harsh" Internet car regulations, the early development of shared bicycles has been encouraged by policies and the constraints are quite reasonable. Didi Chuxing, which has been affected by the new policy of online car-hailing since last year, is likely to further gain a share of the share of bicycles from the perspective of policy and new business growth.
However, 36Kr still has questions, how can ofo without navigation access Didi, and what impact will it have on users after access?
"As far as I know, Didi may contract the technology and navigation to a third-party company." The above-mentioned ofo internal staff said that after connecting to Didi, ofo may still have no navigation, and users mainly perform scanning code unlock and payment functions on the page.
As for user experience, the above-mentioned internal staff said that "the main function of ofo is relatively simple, and it is very simple to operate. I believe it can be seamlessly connected to the Didi platform," he stressed. "After all, the future trend is that the number of apps loaded on people's mobile phones will be less and less."
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