Ele.me

Ele.me, whose name translates to "Are you hungry?", operates as an online-to-offline (O2O) food delivery and local life service platform in China. The company was founded in 2008 by Mark Zhang (Zhang Xuhao) and Jack Kang (Kang Jia), who were graduate students at Shanghai Jiao Tong University. The initial concept was born from their own need to easily order food to their campus without interrupting their activities.

The business launched with an order management software in 2009, initially connecting university students with local small restaurants. The platform's business model involves a multi-sided platform connecting customers, restaurants, and a logistics network. Revenue is generated through various streams, including delivery fees charged to both consumers and restaurants, commissions on transactions, and fees for premium placement and advertising for partner restaurants on the platform. Ele.me provides restaurants with a backend system to manage orders, payments, and customer relationships.

Initially focused on the student market, Ele.me expanded its services to target white-collar workers and households, covering thousands of cities across China. A significant milestone was the acquisition of Baidu Deliveries in 2017, which enhanced its market position. In April 2018, Alibaba Group, along with its affiliate Ant Financial, fully acquired Ele.me in a deal valued at $9.5 billion, integrating the platform into its "New Retail" strategy. Following the acquisition, Ele.me continued to operate as its own brand but gained access to Alibaba's extensive infrastructure in commerce and technology. The platform utilizes its proprietary logistics service, Fengniao Delivery (now Fengniao 即配), which includes a vast network of registered riders, to handle the deliveries.

Keywords: food delivery, online-to-offline, O2O, local services, restaurant delivery, logistics platform, Chinese market, Alibaba Group, on-demand delivery, e-commerce, mobile ordering, food tech, New Retail, local life service, Fengniao Delivery, app-based ordering, restaurant management system, online payment, last-mile delivery, hyperlocal delivery