How Amap Beat Baidu Maps. My Summary of the Alibaba Playbook. (252)
Jun 27, 2025
Alibaba's Amap has revolutionized the mapping service landscape in China, outpacing Baidu Maps through strategic innovations. The podcast dives into how Amap focused on customer value and utilized data-driven decisions to enhance user engagement. It emphasizes the importance of agile tactics and effective team communication. Alongside industry insights, there's a lighter side as the speakers share humorous movie anecdotes and an unexpected passion for Formula One, blending entertainment with tech strategies.
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question_answer ANECDOTE
Yu Yongfu's AMAP Turnaround
Yu Yongfu took a lagging Alibaba small business, AMAP, and quickly turned it into the market leader.
This success did not rely on Alibaba's usual resource brute force advantage over Baidu.
insights INSIGHT
Mobile Shift Changed Mapping Value
The shift from PC to mobile transformed mapping from route planning to real-time navigation.
This changed user needs and opened a market opportunity AMAP capitalized on faster than Baidu.
insights INSIGHT
Immature Market Enabled Disruption
Mapping was still an immature market with low penetration in 2014, so disruption was possible.
AMAP chose growth and engagement focus over immediate monetization to capture users first.
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1-Unwavering focus on customer value. Re-clarify customer value. This includes:
Customer segmentation. Who are you targeting? What are you after (revenue)? Traffic? Data (Amap)?
What do they most care about? Map out the process.
Is what customers want changing? Tech change? PC to mobile changed what maps could do.
What is the competitor offering and how you are going to take their customers?
2-Fix the Big Pain Points. Requires Data-Driven Decision Making and Iteration.
3-Do cultural change and increased communication and coordination.
4-Agile teams and tactics are key. Tactical brilliance and guerrilla execution.
5-Have early wins.
6-Build a powerful biz model or operating flywheel.
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I write, speak and consult about how to win (and not lose) in digital strategy and transformation.
I am the founder of TechMoat Consulting, a boutique consulting firm that helps retailers, brands, and technology companies exploit digital change to grow faster, innovate better and build digital moats. Get in touch here.
My book series Moats and Marathons is one-of-a-kind framework for building and measuring competitive advantages in digital businesses.
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