Temu has 45 million MAU in Europe, while Amazon has 110 million. It seems there is really a twofold potential, but the breakthrough in Europe might be even more significant than in the US.
In Europe, it all comes down to three key countries: the UK, Germany, and France. Their overall consumption level is not as robust as that in the US. Moreover, with three different languages in these three countries, the friction cost for regional e-commerce operations is quite high.
The gross margin for a business with 100 million users would definitely vary between the US and Europe. Additionally, the marginal cost of initial marketing in Europe would be higher. If Pinduoduo is going to pursue this, it must believe that the number of potential price-sensitive users in Europe is greater than what Amazon can currently reach. (Although it also believes this in the US, the progress there is more challenging.)
Therefore, large-scale regional marketing, infrastructure investment, and transaction subsidies are inevitable. Given the rapid changes in global geopolitics, the speed of this endeavor must be fast. Ideally, money should be used to buy space and time.
From this perspective, it is understandable why Pinduoduo does not pay dividends. It is precisely the time to concentrate resources on a major project.
It is undeniable that Pinduoduo's team has high execution efficiency and the management is very dedicated. However, the reality is that the most lucrative market in the world and the business most suitable for it to fully demonstrate its capabilities are somewhat restricted and cannot be fully validated.
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