China's food delivery price war: 0 yuan milk tea becomes reality
The latest on Meituan vs JD vs Ele.me - Leveraging BigOne Lab's exclusive public sentiment data in May–June 2025
Since JD.com, China’s e-commerce giant, entered the local delivery market in April, debate has been swirling over whether Meituan’s dominance is under threat.
And China’s delivery price war just escalated—again.
Over the weekend, China’s major delivery platforms launched another round of intense price wars, triggering a nationwide ordering frenzy. Meituan and Alibaba’s Ele.me flooded users with steep discounts—“25 off 24,” “0 yuan milk tea,” and more—causing order volumes to surge to record highs. Taobao Flash Sale reported over 80 million orders in a single day, while Meituan servers briefly crashed from demand overload.
For instance, many tea shops experienced a surge in orders, leaving staff completely overwhelmed. Some consumers even took the opportunity to fill their entire fridge with coffee and milk tea—thanks to “0 yuan milk tea” deals that, quite literally, let them get drinks for free.
While some tea shop staff reportedly made over 3,000 drinks in a single day, delivery riders hit the jackpot—some earning over RMB 1,700 in one day, which is four to five times their usual income.
The price war may have been a blessing for consumers, but it’s not necessarily good news for shareholders. Behind the scenes, Meituan, Alibaba, and JD.com are locked in a high-stakes battle for dominance in instant retail—each pouring billions into subsidies to grab market share.
So, who’s more likely to come out on top?
Building on our April analysis of the public showdown between JD.com and Meituan, recent data suggests the platform-level subsidy war has entered a stalemate. While online discussion has cooled from its peak, it remains active.
To gain comprehensive insights into consumer sentiment, Baiguan analyzed extensive data from key Chinese social media platforms—Weibo, Douyin, and Xiaohongshu—covering Meituan (3690.HK), JD.com (JD.N/9618.HK), Douyin's local services (unlisted), Ele.me (via Taobao Flash Buy / 淘宝闪购, BABA.N/9988.HK), Luckin Coffee (LKNCY), and KFC (Yum China, 9987.HK).
Behind the paywall, exclusive charts reveal the topic's growing popularity and evolving consumer sentiment, dissecting whether recent competitive moves have shifted perceptions positively or negatively towards both JD and Meituan. This analysis also explores the shifting strategies among platforms, as well as early indications that food delivery may be cannibalizing offline and group-buying consumption.
The insights below are provided by the research team at BigOne Lab, the parent company of Baiguan. This analysis is part of our specialized research services tailored for institutional clients. If you represent an institutional client interested in deeper insights on JD or Meituan, please reach out to us at more@bigonelab.com, and our team will be happy to assist you.