Different competitive product analysis about Gudong vs. Yuepaoquan

Before writing about competing products, you should also clarify two issues:

1. What is the purpose of writing a competitive product analysis ?
2. Who is it for?

Answer: I am currently working on a sports management APP. I chose these two competing products for analysis because I wanted to understand their product situation, with a focus on understanding their functional structure and product operation .

After clarifying the goal, get straight to the point.

Experience Environment

Device model: ip hone 6

System environment: iOS 10.0.2

Product version: Gudong 7.5.0 Yuepaoquan 2.5.1

Background Analysis

In October 2016, the state issued the "Healthy China 2030" Plan Outline following Document No. 46, elevating national sports and fitness from a national strategy to a top-level national strategy. With the government's active promotion and the awakening of the national awareness of sports and fitness, people's demand for sports and fitness is increasing, and sports apps have emerged. According to iResearch Consulting's "2016 China Sports Industry Report", as of September, the user scale, daily usage frequency and usage time of sports apps have shown a steady increase.

Data source: iResearch MUT monitoring data

Compared with other sports and fitness methods, running, as a sport with low barriers to entry and high participation, has become the undisputed number one national sport, giving rise to a number of running apps represented by Gudong, Yuepaoquan, and Nike Running+. According to the latest survey data, 69% of sports and fitness users run regularly.

Competitive Market Status

Gudong and Yuepaoquan are two typical representatives of running apps.

Gudong was founded in 2011 and is one of the earliest running apps. Gudong is not limited to running, but also involves walking, cycling, skiing, skating, mountaineering and other sports. In addition to Gudong, there are three software apps: Gudong Enterprise, Gudong Ice and Snow, and Runtopia, which enable the ecological chain to acquire target users on multiple platforms. At the same time, in terms of hardware, Gudong launched the Gudong bracelet and Gudong running box. The Gudong bracelet is aimed at individual users, while the running box is aimed at gyms and fitness equipment manufacturers.

Yuepaoquan was founded in 2014. Its goal is to focus solely on running, and it has 11 companies under its umbrella, ranging from magazines to media, event execution, clothing design to travel companies. Higher value is generated through platforms and industries extending through these value chains. Yuepaoquan has successfully attracted a group of loyal users through its good interactive interface and simple functional operation, and can be said to be a rising star.

Data source: KuChuan APP application monitoring, data as of February 11

From the data, we can see that Gudong, due to its early establishment time, was the first to occupy the market and cultivate user habits. It has a large user base advantage in both the Android market and the iOS market.

Analyzing the download volume on the Android side, the main download channels for the two apps are roughly the same, with Huawei models, App Store , 360, and Baidu being the main download channels. Meizu and OPPO also have a lot of downloads.

Can this give some inspiration to our partners in operations ?

Product core strategy analysis

1. Product positioning

2. User group characteristics

Data source: TalkingData Industry Data Research Center

The age distribution of users of Gudong and Yuepaoquan is roughly the same, ranging from 19 to 45 years old, among which the mainstream users are concentrated in the 26-35 years old age group, accounting for 51% of the total number of users. The ratio of male to female users is 6:4. From the perspective of user consumption preference structure, the user consumption preferences of Gudong and Yuepaoquan are roughly the same. They like mass and fashion brands, have high spending power, and pursue fashion and health.

Users in the age group of 26-35 are the backbone of society. Most of them are newcomers to the workplace or middle-level leaders who have been in the workplace for several years. They are under great pressure at work and need to exercise to exercise, regulate their emotions and improve their quality of life. They are relatively young, have novel consumption concepts, pay attention to the quality of life, like to share meaningful and stylish things, and are eager to find like-minded organizations and expand their social networks through their interests and hobbies after work.

Combining user attribute analysis with product usage experience, the product must not only meet the user's basic needs for sports tools , but also meet the user's expected psychological needs, satisfy their social vanity, organize activities to increase user participation, allow users to find a sense of belonging in the product, and enhance user stickiness.

3. Operational Strategy

App Store Health and Fitness Ranking

Data source: ASO100 data analysis platform, as of December 2016

Product structure analysis

1. Functional specifications

Listed below are the expected and exciting functions of Gudong and Yuepaoquan.

Product positioning determines the functional specifications of the product.

Gudong is positioned as the largest sports social platform, and sports social networking belongs to weak social relationships. Therefore, Gudong uses following instead of adding friends, and uses the number of followers and fans to reflect personal social scope, which is similar to Weibo. The platform attracts users with common topics through hot topics and discussion areas, promotes discovery and communication among users, and enhances the social attributes of the platform. The platform not only has graphic and text content, but also live broadcast content. Live streaming is about seizing high exposure and attention, cultivating live streaming experts on the platform, similar to the big Vs on Weibo, and increasing platform traffic . One of the special features is the launch of the corporate club function to develop offline user resources. Another functional mall is Gudong Design’s profit model and a major source of cash flow.

Yuepaoquan focuses on running and makes small but fine products. In addition to users' basic needs for running tools, Yuepaoquan must also engage in running social networking to strengthen connections between users, thereby enhancing user stickiness to the product. Yuepaoquan has added watermark and filter functions based on the camera function, making photos look cooler and more stylish, greatly promoting users to share sports results and satisfying users' social vanity. From a psychological perspective, the psychological cost of adding a running friend is higher than following a running friend, and the relationship is closer. Yuepaoquan adopts the approach of adding rather than following, aiming to create stronger and closer social relationships. Customized souvenirs are a major feature of Yuepaoquan and also one of its cash flow sources. Through exquisite souvenirs and engravings, it enhances user engagement and strengthens loyalty to the product.

(1) Comparison of “Running” entrance

Common points:

1. The running entrance is in the middle of the five tabs on the first-level tab bar;
2. Depending on the running venue, there are two recording modes: indoor and outdoor.
3. You can set a single running goal/mode.

Differences:

1. The first screen of the Gudong product is the sports page, which motivates users to exercise with an eye-catching total running mileage. The operation process of 5km running: click the start button on the exercise page - set the running method and goal (indoor or outdoor, basic running or training plan, set a single goal) - click the button to start running. It can be seen that Gudong Running has many subdivided functions, and the recording methods include mileage and step counting. At the same time, the training plan entrance is placed on the running settings page, which greatly increases the probability of users participating in the training plan and is conducive to the cultivation of users' running habits. This is very important! Due to the large number of functional options, the Gudong running settings page has a compact layout and clear structure, meeting users' basic needs for running tools.
2. The first screen of the Yuepaoquan product enters the personal homepage, and the running entrance is highlighted in the bottom Tab bar with color (gradient highlight blue) + shape (square). The operation process of 5km running: select the Start Running label at the bottom - select outdoor running - select the running mode (normal running, distance, time) - click the Start button to run. From the perspective of the entire process, Yuepaoquan has streamlined functions and reduces the operation steps of a single page in the form of multiple pages. There are no excessive options to interfere, and the operation is simple, which always keeps in line with the positioning of the product as a professional running tool.

(2) Comparison in social aspects

Differences:

1. Gudong focuses on sports social networking and unifies social-related content into the sports circle label. It gathers users through columns, hot topics, and live broadcasts on the secondary label selection page. Users can find users of interest in topics, live broadcasts, and nearby modules, and view the dynamics of the people they follow on the secondary label dynamic page, accelerating the construction of personal social networks . At the same time, Gudong uses the follow/fan method to establish social relationships, which is similar to Weibo, and the social relationships established are relatively weak.
2. Yuepaoquan is also a social platform. Unlike Gudong, Yuepaoquan uses the method of adding friends to establish social relationships between two people. When you click Add as friend, you send an invitation to the other party. After the other party agrees to the invitation request, the social relationship between the two people is established. From a psychological perspective, this approach has a higher psychological threshold and establishes closer social relationships. Yuepaoquan does not place social-related content on the same page. The running circle and the topic page that gathers users are separated, which shows that the product is relatively restrained in its social functions.

2. Information Architecture

Gudong Information Architecture

Information architecture of Yuepaoquan

Different product positioning and functional specifications determine the differences in the information architecture of the two products.

Gudong has a wide layout and provides solutions for various sports methods besides running. The product has a wide target user range, rich functions, and a relatively complex product structure, which consists of "Sports Circle", "Discovery", "Sports", "Mall" and "My". Gudong positions itself as the largest sports social platform that focuses on social interaction, as can be seen from the structure that places the sports circle at the top of the primary navigation. The sports circle gathers users through topics, live broadcasts, and discussion areas, and users recommend other active users to promote the construction of social networks. At the same time, you can see the dynamics of the people you follow under the dynamic label of the sports circle. The information presentation process is smooth, which promotes socialization to a certain extent.

Yuepaoquan focuses on running and makes small but fine products with a relatively simple product structure, consisting of “Personal Homepage”, “Articles”, “Start Running”, “Running Friends Circle” and “More”. The personal homepage highlights running records, encouraging users to brush the “numbers” and exercise. Yuepaoquan also gathers users by selecting updates, topics, and columns, but does not recommend other users, and the entrance to runners’ updates is not on the same page, which increases the operational costs of social networking. From this we can see that although both products are equally social, the degree of emphasis is different, which is related to the product positioning.

3. Interaction Design

(1) Article page comparison

Gudong's product color scheme is mainly white, with fresh bright green and light gray as the base, creating a fresh feeling that is positive, sunny and full of vitality. You can switch between the featured and dynamic channels by swiping left and right on the page. A carousel is used at the top to display the recommended articles of the day to attract the user's attention. At the same time, the contents of different modules are displayed in blocks in the form of lists, with a clear structure, no cool interactive operations, and smooth operation.

The color scheme of Yuepaoquan is mainly gray and black + gradient high-gloss blue, supplemented by white, giving users a low-key, calm and cool visual experience. The color is different from similar products and the product is highly recognizable. The top of the page also uses a carousel to display important content such as recent events. The selected topics in the middle of the page are in the form of horizontal lanes, and users can slide horizontally to select topics of interest. The entire product structure is simple and clear, and the content is clearly graded.

Summary and Thoughts

Gudong and Yuepaoquan are typical representatives of current sports apps. Both involve sports social networking, but they are different. From the perspective of product structure, Gudong pays more attention to social interaction than Yuepaoquan, with a more obvious social entrance and lower operating costs. From a psychological perspective, Gudong builds personal social networks by following friends, while Yuepaoquan does so by adding running friends. The former has a lower social threshold and is easier to socialize. Precisely because of the low threshold, the social relationships built are relatively weak, while the social relationships built by Yuepaoquan are relatively close, which is also in line with the positioning of their own products by the two.

In general, Gudong is focusing on the sports industry to expand its platform, while Yuepaoquan is focusing on running to explore vertically and develop its products in depth.

Here are some suggestions after using these two products:

1. Route recommendation function. By utilizing LBS and combining it with running routes uploaded by existing users, it is possible to intelligently search for nearby running routes based on the user's location as well as information such as recommended time and average pace.
2. For advanced runners or users with membership level V2 and above, Yuepaoquan can add professional running recommendation functions, such as interval running, acceleration running and other running methods of different intensities. Allow such users to customize their training plans.
3. Add day and night modes, and provide safety tips for night runners.

Finally, I want to say: "What you learn from books is always shallow, you must practice it yourself to truly understand it." It is better to do it than to talk about it.

At the end of the article, I remembered seeing this sentence on Zhihu:

When comparing Yuepaoquan and Gudong, Gudong has already lost.

What do you think of this?

The above content is a personal summary of my journey of product learning and exploration. I hope you and I can go further and further on the product road.

Mobile application product promotion service: APP promotion service Qinggua Media advertising

The author of this article @Lily compiled and published by (Qinggua Media), please indicate the author information and source when reprinting!