You're about to see a significant change in how businesses buy and sell goods online, thanks to Alibaba's International Digital Commerce Group (AIDC). Starting in September, they will launch an AI-powered conversational sourcing engine. This new tool is designed to simplify global business-to-business (B2B) e-commerce for merchants.
Simplifying global trade
Alibaba's new AI tool will be available on a dedicated mobile app and its official website, Alibaba.com. The idea is simple: instead of spending hours typing out what you need and searching through countless products, you can talk to the AI. It will understand your requirements and match you with the best products and suppliers quickly and efficiently.
Zhang Kuo, president of Alibaba.com, shared his enthusiasm for the new tool. “Our AI-powered conversational sourcing engine will transform how tens of millions of global small and medium-sized enterprises operate within the US$20 trillion B2B e-commerce industry,” he said. The AI will also be available to merchants on third-party platforms, not just Alibaba's ecosystem.
Years of experience with one tool
This new AI tool isn't coming out of nowhere. It's built on years of Alibaba's experience in global trade. The tool has been trained with data from a billion product listings. This means it's good at finding what you need now and can predict future sourcing requirements. This is a massive step from the old method of manually searching for suppliers and products.
Alibaba's push into AI shows that the company is still heavily invested in the international B2B e-commerce market. This comes even as other Chinese budget shopping apps like Shein and Temu grab global consumer attention.
Expanding the team
Alibaba isn't stopping at just launching this new tool. AIDC is assembling a team of around 100 employees to work on their AI business and is looking to hire more people. They are serious about using AI to boost operational efficiency and improve how they do business.
This move follows statements from Alibaba's chief executive, Eddie Wu Yongming, who has emphasised the company's focus on AI. He believes AI will be a crucial driver for Alibaba's future success.
The launch of this AI-powered tool marks an exciting time for global merchants. It will provide a more efficient and effective way to handle B2B e-commerce, making it easier than ever to do business worldwide.
