After leaving the front lines of the workplace, my experience has afforded me the fortune of converging with numerous traditional industries, particularly in the medical and educational fields. These industries are striving to transition to internet-based healthcare and education, yet they have significant differences from true internet enterprises. One core issue is that they are dominated by empiricism and opportunism in their worldview. These enterprises often lack a scientific approach to understanding and addressing problems, tending to rely on temporary cleverness when facing difficulties, mistakenly believing that such ad-hoc solutions equate to innovation.
In reality, we should maintain a humble attitude: recognizing that we are not the smartest or the most diligent people in the world, nor are we the first to try something. The article “Alibaba Cloud” once elaborated on how Alibaba developed its cloud computing services amidst uncertainty, with Amazon as a role model; business models like e-commerce and new retail are not unprecedented. Therefore, when facing challenges, it is far more beneficial to actively learn and emulate than to rely solely on limited experience for decision making. Most people do not have a thorough understanding of basic common sense, and often engage in discussions and decisions based on vague common sense, thus establishing a clear framework for thinking is particularly important.
Having personally been involved with China’s leading internet companies, I have witnessed the rapid development of the internet in China and its overwhelming impact on other enterprises. Part of the internet’s success stems from its adoption of scientific methods of business operation and keeping abreast with the latest international business and management concepts. At the same time, the reason why the internet industry can rise quickly is partly due to less government regulation, partly because the government itself also lacks the corresponding management experience.
Early internet portals provided very standardized information, but as time passed, the content and services offered to users became more diverse and personalized. With the ubiquity of the internet, users can access it anytime, anywhere, leading to a significant increase in online time. With the mobilization of consumer-facing applications and the surge in traffic, the advantage of traffic value also began to show. The country has also proposed supply-side reform, emphasizing that the model of profiting by encircling traffic alone is no longer viable. Enterprises can rely on existing customer relationships and data infrastructure, and with platforms like Alibaba and JD.com, move towards the supply side, striving to optimize the supply chain. This not only could constitute a more superior business model, but also has a higher probability of success.
The so-called second half of the internet refers to the gradually diminishing opportunities for obtaining traffic, and the industry focus should shift towards the supply side. On the supply side, opportunities always exist, because there will always be people who need to produce and supply products and services.
