AsianFin -- Alibaba’s mapping platform Amap is moving beyond its core role as a navigation tool and into Meituan’s turf in the local lifestyle sector, rolling out its own rankings of restaurants, hotels, and tourist destinations.
The move signals a strategic shift for Alibaba as it seeks to broaden Amap’s utility and capture more consumer attention in China’s competitive local services market.
Alibaba and Meituan are already fierce rivals in the fast-growing “instant retail” space, where tech giants are showering consumers with steep discounts and coupons to dominate the booming one-hour delivery segment. Amap’s expansion underscores Alibaba’s bid to integrate location-based services with lifestyle offerings, directly challenging Meituan’s dominance in dining and leisure recommendations.
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