Alibaba arms merchants with AI assistant to streamline cross-border sourcing
The Accio AI assistant is based on decades of accumulated knowledge in B2B fulfilment, logistics, after-sales support and product listings
Alibaba Group Holdings’ international commerce arm on Tuesday unveiled an artificial intelligence (AI) assistant for merchants doing online sourcing, as the tech giant continues to use the technology to improve efficiency.
The AI assistant, called Accio, is the latest offering from Alibaba International Digital Commerce Group (AIDC) that is aimed at streamlining international wholesale transactions for merchants on Alibaba.com, automating traditionally complex and time-confusing operations, according to a statement on Monday. Alibaba owns the South China Morning Post.
AI technologies will “ultimately improve efficiency in the traditional trade”, Zhang Kuo, Alibaba.com president and a vice-president of AIDC, said in the statement.
From initiating product search to completing the transaction typically involves about 28 steps for merchants doing global trading, including tasks such as supplier discovery, customs clearance and price negotiation.
Based on decades of accumulated industry knowledge in the areas of B2B fulfilment, logistics, after-sales support and product listings, Accio will address all major “pain points” in global trades, Zhang said.
