Alibaba to transform B2B sourcing with agentic AI

E-commerce giant Alibaba has announced the integration of agentic AI capabilities into the user journey of its business-to-business (B2B) marketplace. Launched under the 'AI mode' feature, this technological innovation aims to transform the processes by which professionals discover, evaluate and interact with suppliers.

Even more impressive than generative AI, agentic AI is capable of reasoning, planning and acting autonomously, thereby expanding the possibilities for automation. Its integration marks a significant step in Alibaba's strategy to position agentic artificial intelligence as a central driver of the commercial experience.

The launch comes amid significant growth for the B2B marketplace. It has seen its European order volume increase by 57 percent year-over-year. Its number of active sellers has also grown by 50 percent globally over the same period.

Scheduled for deployment in December, 'AI mode' responds to strong industry demand. According to a statement from Alibaba, over 90 percent of B2B buyers already use AI tools for their sourcing and evaluation processes.

Specifically, the 'AI mode' feature is designed to interpret natural language queries. It can analyse complex technical specifications and automatically compare suppliers based on precise criteria. These criteria include pricing; logistics; certifications; and production capabilities. The tool then delivers personalised recommendations in seconds. The objective is to enable a fully automated and integrated end-to-end commercial experience, leveraging the platform's existing services.

Kuo Zhang, president of Alibaba.com, highlighted the strategic dimension of this development, stating: “AI is no longer a complementary tool at Alibaba.com – it is becoming the operating system of our platform.”

The new feature also highlights what Alibaba.com calls the 'invisible product offering'. This corresponds to an extensive network of specialised, bespoke or regionally-based suppliers, often SMEs whose expertise remains largely unseen with traditional keyword-based search methods. For fashion industry professionals, this means easier access to potential partners for specific collection needs, materials or particular production capabilities.

The company presents this integration as a way to adapt to environmental regulations, which it describes as 'increasingly demanding'. It also addresses the need to diversify supply chains and respond to increased competition by offering faster sourcing solutions. It specifies: “The 'AI Mode' feature was designed precisely to address this environment — helping buyers navigate compliance, identify sustainable partners and bring customised products to market more quickly.”

Last May, Alibaba announced a 6 percent increase in its annual turnover.

This article was translated to English using an AI tool.

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