Chuan Didi is about to connect to OFO, and the shared bicycle battle pattern may change

36 Kr received information from within OFO that it is possible that in April this year, OFO will connect to Didi Travel's app, allowing users to directly use OFO's services on Didi.

This matter has been frequently put on the agenda recently, and the internal news is that it may be accessed next month, "said an internal employee of OFO. 36 Kr has confirmed this information with Didi and ofo officials, but as of the time of publication, neither company has confirmed or denied it.

The founder of ofo, Dai Wei, stated in December last year that there is no clear timetable for when to access the Didi app. The mode of ofo does not have GPS, and users can use it when they see a car. The entire logic is different from the logic of taking a taxi on the Didi platform, but we will collaborate with Didi to launch some things in the near future

However, similar access is not without precedent. In February of this year, WeChat and Mobike announced that users can scan the QR code on the body of the Mobike through WeChat, and directly enter the Mobike WeChat mini program. Click to 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 have been deeply bound. Previously, Didi participated in the latest three rounds of financing for OFO. According to a report from Tencent Technology, a shared bike investor revealed that after multiple rounds of financing, Didi has become the largest shareholder of OFO, accounting for over 30% of the shares. This means that Didi has a stronger voice in ofo, and at the same time, Didi will be the biggest interest related party for the success or failure of ofo

It is not difficult to understand that after Didi connects OFO, it will serve as a huge user traffic inlet to guide it, while OFO further consolidates its business volume and enhances its industry position and imagination space with Didi's support.

Moreover, if OFO is truly integrated, it also means that Didi and the capital behind it are further filling their own gaps in the field of transportation.

An insider revealed to 36 Krypton that Didi had once wanted to make a shared bike, but for some reasons it was not possible to achieve it and could only serve as an investor in OFO. However, this does not mean that Didi will not further enter this market.

Didi's investment in ofo is nothing more than targeting the opportunity of the "last three kilometers".

At present, the "last three kilometers" field in China is still in a very early stage, and there is no systematic service provider. In the first tier cities of Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou, the complexity of transportation has led to increasingly fierce competition among major travel platforms for the "last three kilometers".

From the starting point to the destination of 3 kilometers, it is a choice for users whether to take a taxi or ride a bike. Choosing either one makes sense, "said an internal employee of OFO, and Didi's approach is to cover all the different options themselves.

In the eyes of Didi, OFO, and their investors, the field of shared bicycles has entered a period of rapid growth. A public relations representative of Ofo once told the media that, taking special cars and express cars as examples, the development speed in the years after 2012 has been very fast. In one year, OFO has increased its daily order volume from 200 to 500000 orders. "In the past, express trains have experienced rapid growth, and this trend is similar. The above-mentioned public relations personnel said.

At the end of December last year, OFO and Didi launched a red envelope event, marking the first large-scale cooperation between the two sides since OFO was invested by Didi's strategy. The red envelope strategy adopted in the event is also considered one of Didi's traditional marketing tools.

According to Didi Fang, in 2017, the main focus will still be on the field of transportation, hoping to connect everyone's transportation. This means that all modes of transportation will be covered, and shared bicycles will also be one of the directions for Didi's efforts.

36 Kr believes that another important reason for Didi's further access to shared bicycles is that, compared to the "harsh" internet regulations on private bicycles, the development of shared bicycles was initially encouraged by policies and the constraints were quite reasonable. From a policy perspective and a new business growth perspective, Didi Travel, which has been affected by the new ride hailing policy since last year, is likely to further benefit from the popularity of shared bicycles.

However, there are still questions about how to connect an OFO without navigation to Didi, and what impact will it have on users after connecting?

As far as I know, Didi may contract the technology and navigation to a third-party company, "said the internal employee of OFO mentioned above. After connecting to Didi, OFO may still not have navigation, and users mainly use scanning, unlocking, and payment functions on the page.

As for user experience, the internal employees mentioned above stated that "the main functions of ofo were originally relatively single, and the operation was very simple. I believe it can seamlessly connect to the Didi platform," he emphasized. "After all, the future trend is that the number of apps loaded on people's phones will be decreasing.