Along with new AI features introduced to the
global sourcing platform's Smart Assistant, Alibaba.com highlights
commitment to the entrepreneurial spirit with new Entreprenuts
campaign
NEW
YORK, Jan. 9, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Alibaba.com,
a leading platform for global business-to-business (B2B) e-commerce
and part of Alibaba International Digital Commerce Group (AIDC),
will launch its latest Smart Assistant features powered by
artificial intelligence (AI) at CES in Las Vegas, NV from January 9-12, 2024. The Smart Assistant, an
AI-powered global sourcing tool, caters to both newcomers and
seasoned entrepreneurs in the dynamic world of global commerce.
As a one-stop B2B sourcing platform, Alibaba.com remains
committed to delivering innovative solutions to help buyers and
suppliers streamline operations to more efficiently reach their
goals and continue to grow. The Smart Assistant updates unveiled at
CES will help business owners adeptly enhance their supply chain
and solve complex sourcing needs and challenges as they seek to
stand out in today's competitive marketplace.
"Today's small businesses face a variety of headwinds, but with
the right technology and support, they can feel confident that they
will overcome obstacles and help their business thrive, which is
why we're expanding the features of our new Smart Assistant tool to
better serve today's entrepreneurs," said Chris Lu, General Manager at Alibaba.com
North America. "With advances in
AI, we are ushering in the next generation of sourcing and
empowering small businesses to succeed with our Smart Assistant at
their side."
The Smart Assistant: Shaping the Future of
Sourcing
Alibaba.com developed the Smart Assistant as an
AI-powered, intuitive personal guide to sourcing that helps small
business owners discover new opportunities, stay up-to-date on
trends, seamlessly track orders and more in a single, efficient
touchpoint.
First announced at CES and coming soon to the Alibaba.com Smart
Assistant is the Instant Help feature, which leverages an
AI-powered chatbot to answer basic inquiries and offer real-time
insights and resources, regardless of time zones or language
barriers. The Instant Help feature provides buyers with essential
knowledge and industry insights about a variety of verticals and
product types, as well as offer tips to elevate their
communications with suppliers. It will help ensure small businesses
can increase efficiency, purchase smart and keep up with trends by
leveraging AI to increase competitive advantages.
Since their launch in September
2023, the first two features of the Smart Assistant
– Upgraded Image Search and Smart Request for Quotation (RFQ)
– have already provided significant benefit to entrepreneurs using
the Alibaba.com desktop platform. Based on Alibaba.com's internal
study since September 2023, buyers
using the Upgraded Image Search have seen a 28% higher deal closing
rate than those only using traditional text search. Buyers who used
the Smart RFQ tool saw 29% more quotes from suppliers, while
suppliers saw a 21% increase in buyer responses to quotes as
compared to the original RFQ process.
"Developed from buyer-supplier feedback and embedded with
profound industry knowledge, we are excited to demonstrate how the
Smart Assistant rapidly and accurately produces product requests
and images aligning with buyer needs," Lu said. "Smart Assistant
helps buyers embrace their creativity, improve the efficiency of
matching buyers and sellers, while making sourcing more accessible
for all."
Alibaba.com will provide a showcase of Smart Assistant features
at their booth on Wednesday, January 10,
2024 at 11:00 AM PT, hosted by
smart sourcing expert Stella Shenshen. The Alibaba.com booth is
located at the Las Vegas
Convention Center's Tech East in the AI and Robotics section in
North Hall's Grand Lobby on level 1, Booth 9017.
Visitors to the booth will also have the opportunity to network
and connect with 20 top-rated suppliers in-person, personally
experiencing the ways Alibaba.com offers buyers advanced sourcing
solutions and AI-powered tools to take their business to the next
level.
Tech and AI Power the Future of Businesses, E-commerce and
Sourcing
In addition to announcing new Smart Assistant
features at CES, Alibaba.com leadership will discuss the evolution
of e-commerce and sourcing, as well as how sourcing has been
influenced and improved by AI and other technological
innovations.
Rah Mahtani, Head of Marketing
for North America at Alibaba.com,
will be participating in the panel "Reshaping Retail – AI Creating
Opportunity," discussing how industry leaders like Alibaba.com are
helping entrepreneurs and small business owners harness the power
of AI to streamline processes in B2B e-commerce and across the
retail workflow. This session will take place on Wednesday, January 10 at 1:00 PM PT on Level 4 at Marcello 4404.
Going "Entreprenuts" to Support Small Business
Innovation
To complement its presence at CES, Alibaba.com is
also debuting a new campaign celebrating entrepreneurial spirit and
innovation. The Entreprenuts campaign highlights how entrepreneurs
are willing to bet big, as well as maintain persistence and
boundless creativity, against daunting odds. In other words, they
can go a little "entreprenuts" to achieve their dreams and create
new products – just like the products showcased each year at
CES.
Throughout the Entreprenuts campaign, which will run from
January 8 through February 8, 2024,
Alibaba.com will encourage buyers to share stories of their
craziest entrepreneurial moments, utilizing the most "nuts''
stories in a video highlight to showcase what it means to be an
Entreprenut. Buyers can also earn their Entreprenut badge and
profile by answering a questionnaire that will determine their
unique Entreprenut characteristic. At the end of each quiz, buyers
will be provided with exclusive tools and services to help them
achieve their goals as they kickstart 2024.
"This campaign demonstrates Alibaba.com's continued support of
small and medium-sized businesses in the
United States and helping them realize their entrepreneurial
dreams and push beyond what others might believe possible," said
Rah Mahtani, Head of Marketing for
North America at Alibaba.com. "As
buyers share their experiences, Alibaba.com will offer innovative
new resources and products to help these 'Entreprenuts' succeed on
their journey."
The campaign debuts at a key crossroads for small business
owners. The US has seen a surge in the number of newly registered
businesses, which hit record highs in both 2021 (5.4 million) and
2022 (5.1 million). Sadly, 20% of these new businesses face failure
within the first two years, and a staggering 45% of startups do not
surpass the five-year mark due to challenges such as market
volatility, supply chain disruption, shifting consumer demands, and
inventory management. This makes the tools and capabilities
Alibaba.com offers, which are designed to help entrepreneurs level
up their sourcing and supply chain operations in the increasingly
competitive small business arena, more valuable than ever.
For more information on Alibaba.com and its latest innovations,
please visit https://www.alibaba.com/. To schedule a press
interview, please contact alibaba@finnpartners.com.
About Alibaba.com
Launched in 1999, Alibaba.com is a leading platform for global
business-to-business (B2B) e-commerce that serves buyers and
suppliers from over 200 countries and regions around the world. It
is engaged in services covering all aspects of commerce, including
providing businesses with tools that help them reach a global
audience for their products and helping buyers discover products,
find suppliers and place orders online fast and efficiently.
Alibaba.com is part of Alibaba International Digital Commerce
Group.
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SOURCE Alibaba.com