Platform, space, and information gap; Shelves, Content, and Monopoly

Platform, space, and information gap; Shelves, Content, and Monopoly

Chen Gang Pro

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2025-03-25

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The B-end product manager is responsible for conducting in-depth analysis and research on the target industry and market, understanding customer needs, pain points, expectations, and behaviors, and finding the value proposition of the product

Both e-commerce giants and local lifestyle service platforms are connecting the supply side and demand side in different ways to meet the diverse needs of users. However, the construction and operation of the platform are not static, and it involves multiple issues such as solving spatial distance, bridging information gaps, establishing trust mechanisms, improving information matching efficiency, and ensuring timely performance.

There are two conditions for the existence of a platform.

One way is to solve the spatial distance problem, by transporting goods from point A to point B. The shorter the time, the stronger the competitiveness. This is the difference between inbound retail and long-term e-commerce. The former is like Meituan's instant retail, while the latter is like Alibaba's e-commerce business, JD and Pinduoduo's e-commerce business. The stronger the demand for timeliness in product categories, the more controllable the platform's delivery system is required; The time requirement is not high, and the delivery system can be built on top of other delivery foundations.

The second approach is to address the information gap. What you want happens to be what I have, but both parties are not aware that they each have what the other wants. At this point, the platform solves the problem of information gap through space. This is also the origin of 1688, which solves the problem of difficult business for small and medium-sized merchants.

The platform needs to have information gap and distance space, which are the basic business framework.

Three major business segments have been extended around the supply side and demand side, namely trust tools, information matching, and performance timeliness.

Why did I switch to product manager after 10 years of experience in interaction design?

After the actual job transfer, I found that many tasks were still beyond my imagination. The job of a product manager is indeed quite complicated. In theory, the job of a product manager includes all aspects of the product, from market research, user research, data analysis

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The first major sector, the instrumentalization of trust

The instrumentalization of trust has two dimensions, the first being trading tools and the second being evaluation systems.

The connector between supply side and demand side - trading tool.

In the traditional offline business model, there are two prerequisites for user A to make payment to merchant B: good quality of goods and reasonable price. Good goods are based on face-to-face transactions, and the eyes are like a ruler to distinguish between good and bad goods; Next is the price, which should be appropriate based on the product value and user A's past experience. Transactions will be smoother with acquaintances or lower prices.

If they are not in the same space, transactions require strong endorsement to solve the problem of transaction trust. Therefore, payment carriers have emerged in the transaction scenario, which is that the basic elements of Alipay and later Jingdong Payment and Tiktok Payment are to solve the problem of transaction trust. The larger the platform size, the more trading tools will grow, but the foundation of WeChat Pay's birth is not trading tools, but the convenience of trading relationships between acquaintances, or in other words, the onlineization of financial relationships between offline acquaintances.

The larger of the two is judged from the perspective of business logic. WeChat Pay based on acquaintance relationships will surpass e-commerce based on trust transaction endorsement in terms of volume.

User selection judgment - evaluation system. Providing users with more selection criteria before purchasing, such as Volkswagen's evaluation system and Meituan's evaluation assets formed around stores, are valuable assets that are difficult to replace. After Tiktok cut into local life, it also formed an evaluation system around the geographical location of the merchants' POI points and around the product packages. The packages are attached to the POI points.

The second major sector, efficient matching of information - shelf and content stimulation

There are two modes for efficiently matching supply and demand: shelf and content stimulation.

Shelves are a quick match after demand arises.

After I have a demand, how to efficiently find tools that can be used for supply requires establishing a shelf mentality for users. When ordering takeout, you may think of Meituan; when looking for hotels, you may think of Ctrip; when buying clothing, you may think of Tmall; when buying 3C stores, you may think of JD.com; when buying second-hand or old books, you may think of Confucius Old Books website.

The core of shelves lies in the user's mindset, which brings about the continuous improvement of the supply and fulfillment system to strengthen the user's mindset.

Content stimulation occurs before the demand is generated, and users are not aware that I have this demand. After reading your content, the demand is generated and a transaction relationship occurs. The core of content stimulation lies in algorithms, which efficiently match supply and demand based on user tags and the corresponding time of the tags. For example, if a video of crayfish supper is recommended to me late at night, the user may place an order and make a purchase, and so on.

The stimulation of demand through content also requires the fulfillment system to repeatedly strengthen the user's mindset in order to break through the transaction ceiling.

If there is a business ceiling for content stimulation, it is more of a ceiling for algorithms and existing performance systems. Compared to the logic of shelves, content stimulation is the early intervention of user needs, which is easier to enhance user loyalty.

Can the logic of accommodating shelf demand be accommodated under content driven demand?

It can accommodate, but the prerequisite is that the platform has unity, and the content driven platform and the shelf demand platform are both the same platform. If two business entities are different and their interests are difficult to reconcile, even if they can be stable in the short term, it is based on the strong voice of the brand itself in terms of shelf demand, and the other party needs to take advantage of the situation to grow.

So if you want to become a vertical business platform relying on Tiktok, you will usually be eaten by Tiktok, without exception. This is the huge attraction of content-based platforms relying on algorithms. There are both good and bad, and the bad thing is that algorithms will destroy other small platforms like wildfire, making it even more difficult for small ecological platforms to survive, leading to monopolies.

The degree of monopoly of content-based platforms will significantly exceed that of shelf based platforms, but the current business ceiling is low and the impact is relatively limited.

The third major sector, performance time limit

The performance time is based on the home business scenario, and the control of time is in the hands of the platform and the supplier; The control of the delivery time to the store is in the hands of the user, and we will not discuss this business scenario.

There are two types of home delivery scenarios: people's home delivery and goods' home delivery. The arrival of people at home depends on the density of supply and the richness of the supply side. The more points you have, the narrower the business coverage radius, and the higher the performance efficiency. The arrival of goods depends on the delivery system.

The higher the time requirement, the more it is necessary for the platform to build its own delivery system and improve overall performance efficiency through systematic capabilities. The timeliness requirement is weak, and it depends on the cost oriented mechanism. Usually, platforms and external cooperation are needed to enhance the certainty of performance.

But now there are two major changes facing Far East E-commerce and inbound retail business, which have a significant impact on Far East E-commerce business.

Firstly, the improvement of infrastructure has significantly enhanced delivery efficiency. For example, changing from the traditional 72 hour to 48 hour, or even 24-hour fulfillment, has become a basic capability of the platform.

Secondly, the timely satisfaction of users' needs has become higher. The patience of users is becoming shorter and shorter, and as the supply of entering retail becomes more abundant, the satisfiability of users' needs is also becoming stronger. But when given a choice, users tend to prefer platforms with shorter delivery times.

The impact of entering retail on Yuanjing E-commerce, and even the possibility of directly cutting off highly standardized products. The good thing is that user mindset transfer takes time, which also gives top companies time to launch business attacks and defend their existing business.

This article is written by [Chen Gang Pro], the product manager of Renren, and the WeChat official account is [Chen Gang Pro]. The original/authorized release on Renren is the product manager, and it is forbidden to reprint without permission.

The title image is from Unsplash, based on the CC0 protocol.

平台、空间、信息差；货架、内容与垄断

陈罡Pro关注

2025-03-25

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无论是电商巨头还是本地生活服务平台，都在通过不同的方式连接供给侧与需求侧，满足用户的多样化需求。然而，平台的构建和运营并非一成不变，其背后涉及到空间距离的解决、信息差的弥合、信任机制的建立、信息匹配的效率以及履约时效的保障等多方面的问题。

平台存在的有两个条件。

一种是解决空间距离，从A点把货物运送到B点，时间越短竞争能力也就越强，这就是大家提到的进场零售与远景电商的区别，前者例如美团的即时零售，后者如阿里的电商业务，京东、拼多多的电商业务。品类对时效要求越强，需要平台对配送体系具有可控性；时效要求不高，配送体系可以建立在其他配送基础之上。

第二种是解决信息差。你要的东西刚好我有，但双方之间并不知道各自有对方要的东西，此时平台通过空间解决信息差的问题。这也就是1688的来历，解决中小商家生意难的问题。

平台要存在信息差与距离空间，这是基础的业务框架。

围绕供给侧与需求侧，延伸出三大业务板块，信任工具、信息匹配与履约时效。

做交互设计10年，我为何转岗到产品经理？

真正转岗之后，我发现很多工作还是超出了自己的想象。产品经理的工作确实比较杂。理论上，产品经理的工作包括了产品的方方面面，从市场研究、用户调研、数据分析...

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第一大板块，信任的工具化

信任的工具化有两大维度，第一个是交易工具，第二个是评价系统。

供给侧与需求侧的连接器——交易工具。

传统的线下业务模型中，用户A付款给商家B的前提条件有两个：货好与价格合适。货好，建立在当面交易的基础上，眼睛就是尺来分辨货物的好与坏；接下来就是价格，要合适，基于产品价值与用户A的过往经验判断。熟人或者价格低，交易会更加顺畅。

如果不在同一空间内，交易就需要强背书，来解决交易信任的问题。因此围绕交易场景中支付载体就出现了，这就是支付宝以及后来的京东支付、抖音支付基础要件就是解决交易信任问题而产生的。平台体量越大交易工具也会借势增长，但微信支付诞生的基础反而不是交易工具，而是熟人之间交易关系的便利性，或者说将线下熟人之间的财务关系线上化。

二者的体量谁更大，从业务基础逻辑上来判断。基于熟人关系的微信支付体量上会超过基于信任交易背书的电商。

用户的选择判断——评价体系。用户购买之前给用户更多的选择标准，例如大众的评价系统，以及美团围绕门店形成的评价资产都是一笔难以替换的宝贵财富。抖音切入本地生活后也在围绕商家地理位置POI点位以及围绕产品套餐各自形成评价体系，套餐依附于POI点位之后。

第二大板块，信息的高效匹配——货架与内容激发

供给和需求之间如何高效匹配，有两种模式，货架与内容激发。

货架是在需求产生之后的快速匹配。

我有需求之后，如何高效找到能做供给的工具，这就需要对用户建立货架心智。点外卖你会想到美团，找酒店你会想到携程，买服装你可能想到的是天猫，买3C家店你可能想到的是京东，买二手书或者旧书你想到的可能是孔夫子旧书网。

货架的核心在于用户心智，围绕用户心智带来的是供给、履约体系不断完善，来加强用户的心智。

内容激发是在需求产生之前，用户并不知道我有这个需求，看完你的内容之后，需求产生然后发生交易关系。内容激发核心的在于算法，从用户标签以及标签对应的时间来高效匹配供给与需求，例如大晚上给我推小龙虾夜宵的视频，用户可能就下单购买了等等。

内容激发需求也需要履约体系反复加强用户心智，来突破成交天花板。

如果说内容激发有业务天花板，更多属于算法与现有履约体系的天花板。和货架的逻辑相比，内容激发是提前介入用户的需求产生，更容易提升用户的忠实度。

内容激发型需求下能不能容纳下货架需求的逻辑？

可以容纳，但前提条件是平台具有统一性，内容激发型平台与货架需求的平台都是相同的一个平台。如果两个业务主体不同，利益难以兼容，即便短时期能够稳定，也是基于货架需求品牌本身的强声量，对方需要借势成长。

所以你想要依靠抖音成为一个垂类的业务平台，通常都会被抖音给吃掉，没有例外。这就是依靠算法下内容型平台的巨大虹吸力。有好也有坏，坏的是算法会将其他小型平台摧枯拉朽般摧毁，小的生态平台更加难以存活，垄断因此而产生。

内容型平台的垄断程度会大幅超过货架型平台，只是现在的业务天花板低，影响相对有限。

第三大板块，履约时效

履约时效基于到家业务场景，时效控制权在平台与供给方手中；到店的时效控制权在用户手中，这种业务场景我们不做讨论。

到家业务场景分为两种，人的到家与物的到家。人的到家在于供给的密度与供给方的丰富性，你的点位越多业务覆盖半径也就越窄，履约效率也就越高。物的到家，在于配送体系。

时效要求越高，就需要平台能自建配送体系，通过系统化能力提升整体履约效率。时效要求弱，需要看成本导向机制，通常平台和外部合作，来提升履约的确定性。

但现在远景电商与进场零售业务面临两大变化，对于远景电商业务有较大冲击。

第1，基础建设的提升，配送时效得到大幅度提升。例如从传统的72小时，变为48小时，甚至是24小时的履约也变成平台基础能力。

第2，用户对于需求的满足及时型变得更高。用户的耐心变得越来越短，随着进场零售的供给变得越来越丰富，用户的需求可满足性也变得越强。但有选择时，用户更偏向送货时间短的平台。

进场零售对于远景电商的冲击，甚至是直接切走标准化高的产品成为可能性。好的是，用户心智迁移需要时间，也使得头部企业有时间做业务进攻，以此来防守自己的存量业务。

本文由人人都是产品经理作者【陈罡Pro】，微信公众号：【陈罡Pro】，原创/授权 发布于人人都是产品经理，未经许可，禁止转载。

题图来自Unsplash，基于 CC0 协议。