During the height of the pandemic, a unique kind of online shopping became one of the hottest trends in China’s tech industry. Called “community group buying,” it allowed consumers to save money on everything from apples to iPhones by placing bulk orders together with their friends and family. The model, which was kind of like Groupon meets Instacart, proved especially popular for groceries. But now, China’s community group-buying platforms are vanishing one by one.
Late last month, Meituan, the Chinese food delivery giant, announced it was abruptly shutting down its grocery group-buying operations in all but four provinces, surprising many customers and even suppliers.
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