Why Meituan, a Food Delivery Giant, Built an AI Coding Tool Called NoCode 213

On June 10, Meituan announced the official launch of its AI programming tool NoCode. This tool allows users to describe their needs in natural language through a conversational interface and quickly complete coding and deployment. It applies to a variety of scenarios such as data analysis, product prototyping, operational tool development, and portal website construction. As a food delivery company, the main reasons Meituan is launching the AI programming tool NoCode are as follows:

Internal Development Needs

• Boosting R&D efficiency: Meituan's business is vast and complex, with growing demand for systems and tools. NoCode uses natural language interaction to automatically complete coding and deployment, and applies to scenarios such as data analysis, product prototyping, and operational tool development. The internal version has already been connected to parts of Meituan's data and technology systems, integrating into the workflow of various business lines, enabling product and field sales middle management to independently develop product prototypes and deliver applications. This meets the long-tail needs of internal business and small to medium-sized merchants, improving R&D and work efficiency. For example, among Meituan's internal R&D staff, the weekly active user count exceeds 80%, and approximately 50% of the newly launched code each week is generated by AI.

• Advancing AI strategy implementation: At the March 2025 earnings call, Meituan CEO Wang Xing outlined three strategic directions for the first time: "AI at work, AI in products, Building LLM." The launch of NoCode is an important step in Meituan's AI strategy, aligning with the goal of bringing AI into employee workflows and operational scenarios, using AI to transform existing products and services, and building AI-native products.

External Market Demand

• Lowering the threshold for small and medium-sized merchants: Meituan hosts a large number of small and medium-sized merchants who encounter technical difficulties and high costs in their digital transformation. NoCode is designed for non-technical users, using a conversational interface that allows users to complete coding and deployment by talking to the model, helping small and medium-sized merchants easily carry out related work and lowering the threshold for IT and digitalization.

• Building a business ecosystem: By opening up NoCode, Meituan can extend its platform's AI programming capabilities to merchants and a broader user base, attracting more developers and users into Meituan's business ecosystem. This will enrich the applications and services on Meituan's platform, enhance competitiveness and stickiness, and consolidate Meituan's market position in the local life services sector.

Industry Competition and Technology Trends

• Aligning with AI industry trends: 2024 marked a new风口 for AI programming, with major domestic and international companies entering the programming space. Companies like Alibaba's Tongyi Lingma, ByteDance's Trae, and Baidu's Wenxin Kuaima all ventured into programming. Launching NoCode responds to this technology trend, keeping pace with the industry and avoiding being left behind in the market.

• Seeking new business growth points: As competition intensifies, Meituan needs to find new business growth drivers and approaches. As an innovative AI programming tool, NoCode is expected to have broad market prospects and application potential. Bringing it to market can expand new business areas, create new growth, and achieve business diversification.

Meituan NoCode Official Website:https://nocode.cn/