Economic Observer Network reporter Qian Yujuan As a merchant on Alibaba’s e-commerce platform Taote, Zhang Xu has always been distressed that sharing store and product links on WeChat is always a bunch of garbled codes.
“I hope that the ecology of Ali and Tencent can be connected.” Zhang Xu expressed this “hope” in his heart in an interview with a reporter from Economic Observation Network. From now on, his “hope” is about to be reflected in reality.
On September 11, the reporter learned through multiple confirmations that the Information and Communication Administration of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology recently organized an “Administrative Guidance Meeting on Blocking URL Links”. Participating companies include Alibaba, Tencent, ByteDance, Baidu, and Huawei. , Xiaomi, Momo, 360, NetEase, etc.
Regarding the administrative guidance meeting, the reporter checked with the above-mentioned platform companies for verification. Although none of them gave an official response, some corporate sources revealed that the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology did put forward the compliance standards for instant messaging software in the administrative guidance meeting, but “it is not a compulsory order.” Require instant messaging software platforms to open all external URL link access functions”, but put forward a request to all the above-mentioned platforms: unblocking with reference to the standard within a certain period of time.
The above-mentioned business persons at the meeting revealed to reporters that the administrative guidance meeting held by the regulatory authorities in conjunction with the company was “more like a closed-door meeting” during which the company also communicated upwards to reflect the nature of the problem and the difficulty of solving it.
Obviously, this “closed-door meeting” has already aroused the attention of the outside world, and the focus of public opinion has fallen on: Will the external chain blockade be forcibly lifted? Once the platforms bid farewell to the ban and the “handshake” opens, what way is there in the future to move towards true interconnection?
The platform has a vision
In fact, this is not the first time that the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology is paying attention to the issue of blocking URL links between platforms. At the end of July this year, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology launched a six-month special Internet rectification action that focused on disrupting market order and the scenarios involved.
“Focus on rectifying problems such as malicious blocking of website links and interference with the operation of other companies’ products or services.” The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology also pointed out that this includes scenarios such as restricting normal access to other website links without justifiable reasons and implementing discriminatory blocking measures.
In the process of regulatory actions carried out by the regulatory authorities, some platform managers have frequently spoken out on issues such as open ecology.
At the Alibaba earnings conference call in early August, Zhang Yong, chairman of Alibaba, when talking about the interconnection between Internet platforms, said that “the Internet should be interconnected, and openness is the basis for the co-construction of the digital ecosystem.” He believes that there is an inter-platform relationship. The social value generated by the big cycle must be far greater than the small cycle within a single platform.
At that time, Zhang Yong also voluntarily mentioned the above-mentioned special rectification actions initiated by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, and analyzed and understood the “multi-win” meaning of foreign chain blocking to all parties. For example, for small and medium-sized enterprises and businesses, it can reduce traffic costs and make operations more convenient; for consumers, it can help improve the convenience of life.
“Helping small and medium-sized enterprises, various brands and businesses to succeed”, in the eyes of Liu Chiping, executive director and president of Tencent, is Tencent’s primary task as a platform company. He also used WeChat as an example in the second quarter earnings call to say that the system was established to “allow small and medium-sized businesses to directly and unrestrictedly connect with users.” Under this vision, relevant guidelines and rules have been formulated. .
“In terms of the efficiency of information flow, the emergence of information technology is to eliminate information asymmetry and improve efficiency.” According to Cui Lili, a professor at the Shanghai University of Finance and Economics Research Institute, the Internet platform has developed so far, and the external chain prohibition has been set up to form competition barriers. Although the business logic behind such actions is understandable, “whether it is the consumer’s experience or the efficiency of social information circulation, it brings certain obstacles.”
Based on observations of the Internet industry, Cui Lili found that not only WeChat in Tencent’s ecology will block Ali’s Datao system from outside the chain, but also Douyin, a subsidiary of ByteDance, previously issued a statement saying that in order to protect user rights, Douyin The sound launched a rectification action, prohibiting financial and medical creators from draining outside the station.
“To some extent, the above behavior of the platform is like self-protection, and of course it also constitutes competitive exclusivity.” Cui Lili feels that when platform companies are still in the development stage, such methods can be adopted during the appropriate “protection period”, but based on consumer experience and industry From the comprehensive perspective of development and recent “common prosperity”, it should be open.
“The relevant compliance standards proposed by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology are helpful to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of users.” In the understanding of another person in charge of public affairs of the Internet company participating in the meeting, the measures of the regulatory authorities are precisely to create an open, inclusive, and fair competition ecological environment. , So as to consolidate the foundation for the long-term development of the entire Internet industry.
Multilateral effect
From the perspective of national policy orientation, Chen Duan, director of the Digital Economy Integration Innovation Development Center of Central University of Finance and Economics, told reporters that “the top-level design is to crack the closed-loop business ecology created by the leading Internet ecosystem giants in the past.” In her view, including the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. The purpose and results of the special rectification actions and administrative guidance committees are to form an ecologically integrated market environment.
Chen Duan believes that the action guidance for removing external chain blocking is in fact one of the specific starting points for my country’s systematic anti-monopoly work. In the interview, she predicted that in the past, the leading Internet ecosystem giants effectively aggregated traffic through multiple ports, and the business model of closed-loop circulation and realization of traffic resources in their own ecology would “may not work in the future.”
However, in the context of the joint promotion of platform interconnection between regulatory authorities and enterprises, “Once the ecosystem is unlocked and opened up, the possible multilateral effects will be unequal.” Chen Duan took the WeChat product as an example. Rigid demand coupled with the characteristics of universality has brought it a high market penetration rate. “It has even become a basic grasp and tool for building a closed loop of commercial traffic.”
Even if short video platforms such as Douyin and Kuaishou are emerging in the market as cutting-edge traffic platforms, relatively speaking, “the social attributes of the above platforms are not outstanding.” Chen Duan saw that Douyin has done some groping in product design. But “social society is still not its core competitiveness.” In her view, the content of Douyin is non-rigid, and the frequency of use varies from person to person.
Comprehensive requirements and application scenarios, Chen Duan feels that WeChat is second to none among Internet platform companies in terms of in-depth integration of traffic resources. Correspondingly, as one of the instant messaging software, WeChat has to unblock external links within a time limit, which will have a greater impact on it than other platforms.
In response to the actual problems facing interconnection and interoperability, Liu Chiping raised several questions one after another: If a resource-rich platform can provide a large amount of subsidies, will it affect the merchants on the WeChat platform; regarding the counterfeiting and piracy on other platforms, WeChat Can it be handled? How does WeChat deal with the completely different business policies between platforms, such as charging commission fees for platform merchants and brands?
After throwing out the problem, Liu Chiping concluded, “The intercommunication between platforms is a very complex issue that needs to be discussed and resolved over time.” He believes that if the above issues are not handled properly, it will affect users and many small and medium-sized enterprises on the platform. Brand owners and merchants cause disadvantages.
Hidden worries
According to the reporter’s observation, the potential for intercommunication between large platforms is gradually opening up.
From the perspective of Alibaba’s digital economic ecology, there are already business products such as Hema Bazaar, Tao Piao Piao movies, rookie wrapped express delivery, and Autonavi taxis in the form of small programs in the WeChat ecosystem. The reporter also found that the final transaction can also be achieved through WeChat payment through the purchase of movie tickets in the Tao Piao Piao movie applet.
In the past few years, Zhang Xu’s business settlement has mostly used Alipay. If the ecology of Ali Tao and Tencent’s WeChat can be connected, “Having the opportunity to join the WeChat payment chain, for me and my customers, multiple choices are a good thing. “
During the interview, Cui Lili guessed, “Once the largest social ecosystem is open to the Taoist e-commerce link, it will bring more benefits to Ali.” It is not difficult to imagine that in the future, Ali Taoist merchants, including Zhang Xu, will You can freely forward trading product links in WeChat, and consumers can also buy Taobao, Tmall, and Taote e-commerce products in the WeChat ecosystem.
But coins always have pros and cons. After one side is positive, “transactional applications in the WeChat ecosystem will have a competitive impact.” Cui Lili also believes that once the ecosystem is opened up, WeChat will inevitably face more management and maintenance costs.
Speaking of “external links”, a WeChat insider revealed to reporters that customer service has received frequent complaints in recent years, including “pulling groups” and “pulling heads” illegally and draining external links, as well as passive voting or slashing. Other marketing links that interfere with users, and even personality tests that steal users’ private information. It is conceivable that once the external links are released, the management pressure on WeChat will inevitably escalate when the information of various Internet companies is bombarded.
As Liu Chiping mentioned, after platform interconnection, a series of complex problems will arise. In addition to preventing potential problems that may occur in the future, Cui Lili also emphasized that after problems occur, the division of powers and responsibilities between platforms will become very serious. Crucially, this will be related to whether the rights of users can be effectively protected and guaranteed.
From the perspective of Internet innovation models, Cui Lili analyzed that new or high-dimensional enterprises will have more advantages after ecological interconnection. However, from the perspective of traffic, “the current platform enterprises are all multi-channel layouts, and the original old users The usage habit of the company has basically taken shape, and the influence will be manifested in the competition for new users.”
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