1. The Venture Capitalist's "Due Diligence Tool"
Alex, a VC analyst, was evaluating a "Fresh Food E-commerce" startup. The founder made bold claims, but Alex was skeptical: "How many companies have failed in this sector? What is the current competitive landscape? What do users really think?"
He opened 100EC.cn. Minutes later, he found a detailed "Death List" (failed startups in the sector) and a shocking "Complaint Report." "The complaint rate for refunds is incredibly high in this sector. This is a major red flag."
2. Core Pillars: The E-commerce Compass
100EC is less of a news site and more of an Industry Database.
1. EcData (Bloomberg for E-commerce)
- Function: Tracks financials of public companies and financing rounds of Unicorns (private startups).
- Highlight: The "Death Database". While others focus on success stories, 100EC tracks failures, which is invaluable for risk assessment.
2. Complaint Platform (The Watchdog)
- Function: A real-time consumer complaint board.
- Value: Want to know if a platform is reliable? Don't watch their ads; check their rating here. It scores platforms (e.g., "Recommended", "Caution", "Do Not Use") based on how they handle disputes. It acts as a barometer for a company's operational health.
3. Industry Maps
- Function: Periodic releases of "Cross-border E-commerce Ecosystem Maps" or "Digital Retail Maps".
- Value: A single image that visualizes the entire supply chain, showing who the key players and service providers are.
3. How to Mine Value?
Scenario: Researching Cross-border E-commerce
- Click [Cross-border E-commerce] on the nav bar.
- Check the [Rankings] to see the "Top 100 Export E-commerce Companies."
- Click on a specific company to see its funding history.
Scenario: Competitor Intelligence
- Go to the [Complaint Platform] section.
- Search for a competitor's name.
- Check the "Hot Complaints" in the last 30 days. "Slow shipping" might indicate supply chain issues; "Refund refusal" might indicate cash flow problems.
4. Pros and Cons
| Feature | Pros | Cons | Advice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Focus | Extreme Verticality in E-commerce | Cluttered UI, lots of ads | Use the search bar |
| Data | Unique "Complaint" & "Failure" data | Some deep reports are paid | Free data is sufficient for most |
| Speed | News updates are instant | Mobile experience is average | Use Desktop for big charts |
| Scope | Retail, Cross-border, B2B | Less focus on pure Tech | Best for biz/market research |
5. Conclusion
100EC (100ec.cn) is the "Living Fossil" of China's e-commerce industry. It has chronicled the evolution from the PC era to Mobile, and now to Live Commerce. Whether you are an investor looking for opportunities, a competitor doing analysis, or just a shopper trying to avoid scams, this is your Truth Engine.