Recently, social e-commerce platform Yunji announced the completion of a $120 million Series B funding round. A few weeks earlier, social e-commerce platform Pinduoduo secured a $3 billion investment led by Tencent, with a valuation of $15 billion. Two years after Wang Xing of Meituan-Dianping coined the term 'the second half of the internet,' we are witnessing the fact that the first half may be less than halfway through, and the halftime break is still far away. As an internet veteran with nearly 20 years of experience, I recently moved to Xiamen to start a business. During my preparation, I took the time to analyze the 'platform-level' enterprises that are currently making waves, such as established players like Taobao, Baidu, Youku, and iQiyi, and new favorites like Meituan-Dianping, Didi Chuxing, Toutiao, Pinduoduo, and Yunji. I discovered some common characteristics, which I would like to share for readers' feedback. To avoid too many items and logical confusion, this article will be structured according to the standard marketing positioning, 4P+2P, and financial capabilities, with eight items across three modules. I. Positioning To become a platform, one must be like Nongfu Spring in the internet world: the platform does not produce water; it is just a porter of nature. Do not underestimate this statement; it is a fundamental strategic positioning. With this positioning, sellers of counterfeit goods can explain, 'If there were no counterfeit goods in society, where would mine come from?' Those who play with piracy can explain, 'If there were no piracy in society, where would mine come from?' The tone of technological neutrality and 'knives are not guilty' can sound plausible. With correct positioning, you occupy the moral and public opinion high ground. II. Market System 1. Product: Low threshold, everyone can become a supplier According to market regulatory rules, suppliers should have the capability to produce and manage quality for goods or services. Therefore, the globally accepted rules include qualification review and business license issuance, with some special industries requiring specific certifications to protect consumer rights. If you aspire to do something big, you must ignore consumer rights and make it possible for anyone to do business. Anyone can open a restaurant, drive a car, write news, sell things, lend money, or issue currency. Yunji's CEO Xiao Shanglue said in an interview with 36Kr: 'Today, media has become highly centralized. We have helped you mine 90% of social traffic; it's time to embrace it. But just as people early on thought Taobao was an alliance of unlicensed merchants and ride-hailing apps were alliances of unlicensed cabs, most people are slow to embrace change.' 2. Price: Low prices or even free, low enough that consumers cannot afford the cost of rights protection Although you may buy defective products on Taobao or Pinduoduo, be misled on Toutiao or Baidu, eat at unlicensed restaurants on Meituan, or encounter robbery or assault on Didi, consumers cannot resist the temptation of low prices. Moreover, consumers will not spend thousands of yuan in fees and unlimited time and energy to defend their rights. 3. Channel: Encourage or induce sharing, the so-called 'social sharing.' We must say that WeChat red packets are a great cross-era marketing invention. The WeChat red packet model has spawned Alipay's password red packets, Didi and Meituan's sharing red packets, and various red packets from social e-commerce platforms. These models, full of exploring human brilliance, vividly express the business logic of 'friends are for selling things.' If you think these induced sharing methods are already low-level, I suggest downloading 'Qutoutiao,' which Tencent just invested $200 million in. You will feel sorry for 'Toutiao' and 'Connotation Duanzi.' 4. Promotion: Subsidies that never go out of style Recently, some voices have opposed ride-hailing subsidies. WeChat's Zhang Xiaolong has long been cracking down on induced sharing and rumor spreading. How to say it? In the business field, what regulators oppose is generally effective. So whether it's Yunji or Pinduoduo, they actively encourage users to install independent apps to escape regulation. 5. Power resources In the traditional business marketing system, the use of power is an important bonus item, such as becoming a representative or committee member, or joining an association or alliance. But in the internet era, to become a platform-level enterprise, it is basically about staying away from politics. The result of 'knowing the tiger is on the mountain, yet going there' is called Kuaibo. You do your thing, I do mine; that is the way. 6. Media and public relations In the traditional business marketing system, media relations departments are not very popular. Traditional entrepreneurs prefer to make money quietly and rarely leak internal emails or shout about fighting in Chaoyang Park. If you push Hong Mao Pharmaceutical too far, they might have you arrested across provinces. Internet companies are different, especially if you plan to become a platform-level enterprise; media and PR capability is one of the core competencies. Speaking of this, as an internet writer, I want to express deep respect to historical figures such as Liu Ren, founder of DoNews; Fang Xingdong, founder of Blogchina; Chen Tong, founder of Sina Blog; Zhang Xiaolong, founder of WeChat Official Accounts; and Zhang Yiming, founder of Toutiao. It is the historical opportunities they created that have given rise to the magical profession of 'self-media' today, allowing writers to move from the bitter days of receiving only 200 yuan for attending a press conference to the good life of earning over 10,000 yuan for writing an article in a coffee shop. III. Financial Capability Entrepreneurship has never been a game of starting from scratch. If you start from scratch, what you sell is the cold noodle and roujiamo that urban management can kick over at any time; conversely, you can be 'Huang Taiji,' which can raise tens of millions in funding. If you set up a few breakfast carts on the roadside or at subway and bus stops to solve office workers' breakfast problems, urban management will definitely confiscate your carts and fine you; If you place bicycles all over the roadside, subway and bus stops, blocking sidewalks, bike lanes, and blind paths, urban management will help you arrange them neatly for free, and you might even get the title of 'One of the Four Great New Inventions.' So, whether you can tell a story of financial recognition and grow to a scale that is too big to fail is the final key to the path of platform success. In this regard, I only admire Ma Yun. Finally, three suggestions for readers who want to imitate:

1. The term 'consumption upgrade' is deceptive. The success of NetEase Yanxuan and Miniso proves again that people still like cheap goods; it's just that the story of selling needs to be upgraded.

2. The path of 'mass entrepreneurship' is obviously correct, but the road of 'mass innovation' is tortuous. A C2C selling model can give rise to Taobao, Xianyu, Youzan, Pinduoduo, Yunji... Keep inheriting and developing. Business is not a ball game; there is no first half or second half. Whenever you enter, you are earlier than those who come later.

3. Regulation at the start is indeed not strict, but there is a tradition of settling accounts after the autumn harvest. So it doesn't matter how you enter the game; what matters is adjusting your posture in time to stay in formation. Source: Zhang Dongwei Zhang Dongwei: Internet veteran, marketing expert, internet finance lecturer, and college student entrepreneurship mentor.