Reshaping the 'Internet', the key to the success or failure of the industrial Internet

Text / Meng Yonghui

The long-term misunderstanding of the Industrial Internet has led many people to look at the Industrial Internet from the perspective of the “Internet”, while ignoring the core position of the “Industry”. This is the fundamental reason why the Industrial Internet has never been able to jump out of the vicious circle of the Internet. Therefore, re-establishing the core position of “industry” plays a vital role in the healthy and healthy development of the Industrial Internet.

Observe that those players who can truly grasp the essence of the Industrial Internet are all players who regard “industry” as the main body. Whether it is new retail, new manufacturing, or new finance, they can actually be regarded as representatives of the Industrial Internet. Analyzing these new species, we will find that all of them have “industry” as their core essence, and the function and role of “Internet” in them is more of a new type of “infrastructure”.

From this perspective, if we want to reshape the core position of “industry” in the era of industrial Internet, the first thing to do is to handle the role, status and role of “Internet”. With this as a starting point, we can truly bring our own development into the new stage of industrial Internet development and avoid falling into the vicious circle of consumer Internet again.

The expression of “Internet” begins to evolve

In the past, when we mentioned “Internet”, we thought more of various Internet platforms and various types of Internet models. At this time, the manifestation of the “Internet” is more at the level of information matching and docking. Therefore, how to obtain as much information as possible and promote the matching and connection of information as much as possible directly determines whether players can truly win in the era of consumer Internet.

Observe that those players who really stand out in the era of the consumer Internet are all players who have a huge amount of information and have a huge matching and intermediary effect. Therefore, if we must make a summary of the manifestations of the consumer Internet era, the platform side and the intermediary are the most appropriate.

However, blindly limiting the performance of the Internet to the role of platforms and intermediaries, although it can bring about rapid development, but when the development model dominated by scale and efficiency encounters a bottleneck, such a form of “Internet” will begin Facing more and more difficulties and problems. Therefore, we need to transform the manifestation of the “Internet” to ensure the real landing of the Industrial Internet.

When the era of industrial Internet comes, the manifestation of “Internet” begins to change from the role of platform and intermediary to the role of reorganization and reconstruction. What really tests players is no longer the connection and aggregation of information, but the reorganization and reconstruction of information. When the reorganization and reconstruction of information is completed, the external performance is no longer Internet-style, but industrial-style. In other words, whoever can play the role of reorganization and reengineering well, and who can reorganize and reengineer the industry to the greatest extent, can take the lead in the era of industrial Internet.

The role of “Internet” begins to change

Looking back at the development of the Internet era, we can clearly see that Internet players play a dominant role in it. Whether it is a giant in the head or a new unicorn, they are the protagonists of the consumer Internet era. It is precisely because of this that the era of consumer Internet is also known as the era of lost traditional industries. In this era, the platform economy is popular, and the real economy takes a back seat.

However, when the consumer Internet era matures, the problems of the platform economy begin to emerge. One of the most direct results of a development model that blindly relies on scale and efficiency is the emergence of platform barriers, monopoly industries and a decline in operational vitality. Merely relying on the dominant status of the “Internet” cannot bring about long-term development. Only by truly returning to the real economy can the problem be solved. The Industrial Internet was born under such a background.

If we regard the role and status of the “Internet” as the protagonist of the consumer Internet era, then in the industrial Internet era, the role and status of the “Internet” is more of a support and auxiliary role. For every industrial Internet player, in essence, it is a player in a new industry, not an Internet player.

Many people worry that when the industrial Internet era comes, giants like Alibaba, Tencent, and Meituan will no longer appear. In my opinion, in the industrial Internet era, there will be many more giants than in the consumer Internet era. For every player who is interested in making a difference in the industrial Internet era, how to play a supporting and auxiliary role and find new opportunities for development in it is the key.

So, what is the role of Internet players in the industrial Internet era? More like infrastructure like hydroelectric coal, I think. However, what Internet players provide to the industry is not visible hydroelectric coal, but invisible hydroelectric coal. These invisible water, electricity and coal are more about numbers and data and the new capabilities derived from them. Only by mastering this, and constantly supplementing and improving these capabilities, can industrial Internet players gain unparalleled development potential in the era of consumer Internet.

The profit model of “Internet” has begun to evolve

The biggest difference between the era of industrial Internet and the era of consumer Internet lies in the different profit models of players. Starting from this, the profit model of “Internet” is also beginning a deep and comprehensive transformation. We all know that in the era of consumer Internet, the profit model of “Internet” is realized through matching and intermediary. Therefore, in order to obtain enough matching and intermediary opportunities, they need to continuously expand their user scale and continuously extend their own industry boundaries. This is the fundamental reason why we see so many Internet giants continue to extend their tentacles beyond their own industries.

When the era of industrial Internet comes, the profit model of “Internet” is also undergoing a profound and complete change. In my opinion, in the era of industrial Internet, the profit model of “Internet” is more of a process of the whole process, the whole industry chain, and the whole life cycle. In layman’s terms, it is to be deep enough and low-level enough. However, the changes brought to the industry are not only limited to the marketing and sales of the back-end of the industry, but more from the front-end to the back-end of the industry. always.

For every industrial Internet player, don’t expect to make quick money, but focus more on long-termism and the value of time and compound interest. When our layout on the Industrial Internet begins to become in-depth and comprehensive, the profit space and profit methods we obtain will also become in-depth and comprehensive. It is the transformation of the profit model of the “Internet”, and the shift of the focus of profit from the “Internet” to the “industry”, which is the key to ensuring that the industrial Internet era can jump out of the strange circle of consumer Internet development.

For a long time, people have always looked at the industrial Internet from the perspective of the consumer Internet, and even used the name of the industrial Internet to practice the reality of the consumer Internet. Essentially, this is caused by the failure to straighten out the relationship between “industry” and “Internet”. In this process, realizing the profound and comprehensive changes that are taking place in the element of “Internet”, and finding new opportunities for development from this change, is the new cycle that truly enters the industrial Internet.

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Author: Meng Yonghui, senior writer, columnist, special commentator, industry research expert, and strategic consultant. Long-term focus on industry research, providing in-depth thinking and hard-core dry goods. Support the sharing of the author’s source, please retain the author’s copyright information for reprinting, and offenders will be held accountable.