Alibaba's Accio Hits 1 Million Users, Unveiling New AI Features to Empower SMEs in Global Trade
Leveraging Reasoning models to Simplify Market Entry and Global Sourcing for SMEs
HANGZHOU, China, March 10, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Alibaba International Digital Commerce Group ('Alibaba International') announced today that its artificial intelligence (AI)-driven business-to-business (B2B) search engine, Accio, has surpassed 1 million users within five months of launch. To further empower small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), two new features—Business Research and Deep Search—are now available, offering AI-driven solutions for market entry and global sourcing.
Recent AI Momentum at Alibaba
Accio is an AI-native application designed to simplify global trade for SMEs. Built on Alibaba's foundational technologies—including the Qwen large language model available as open-source—Accio leverages reasoning models fine-tuned with real industry data across the internet. These models power Accio's multilingual capabilities and ability to generate precise market insights and actionable sourcing strategies.
'Reaching 1 million users is just the beginning. Our goal is to consistently refine our toolkit, enabling SMEs to seamlessly integrate AI functionalities into their workflows,' said Kuo Zhang, President of Alibaba.com, a leading platform for global B2B e-commerce and a business unit of Alibaba International. 'With the enhanced Accio, anyone can now turn vague product ideas into actionable plans in minutes, not months. Everyone can get a shot at becoming an entrepreneur.'
Business Research: From Insights to Execution
Accio's Business Research streamlines market analysis by automating labor-intensive tasks like data collection and trend tracking. Instead of juggling scattered reports, users input broad goals—such as launching a product in a new region—and receive structured, real-time reports on consumer demand, pricing trends and competitive landscapes. The tool identifies high-potential niches, and even generates ready-to-use business plans with cost estimates and supplier recommendations. This allows SMEs to act swiftly on opportunities without months of groundwork.
Deep Search: Precision Sourcing, Simplified
Deep Search tackles the complexities of global sourcing by adapting to intricate requirements—whether technical specs, certifications or budget constraints. If a query yields few results, it will intelligently refine searches using synonyms or industry terms, mimicking procurement experts. The feature also vets suppliers for compliance and reliability, delivering AI-curated shortlists in minutes. By translating decades of Alibaba's trade data into an intuitive interface, it empowers newcomers to source like seasoned professionals.
Revamping Global Trade with AI
A recent Alibaba.com survey of over 4,000 sourcing decision-makers across the US, UK, Germany and France revealed that nearly 64% plan to integrate AI into their sourcing strategies by 2025. Their top motivations include long-term business growth, efficiency improvements and cost reductions.
With global trade projected to exceed $33 trillion in 2024[1], businesses are increasingly adopting advanced technologies to stay competitive. Tools like Accio address this need by simplifying AI adoption.
Alibaba.com is also undergoing a comprehensive upgrade to incorporate Accio's capabilities, empowering its 50 million SME buyers and sellers to identify business opportunities and connect with trustworthy suppliers.
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About Alibaba International
Alibaba International Digital Commerce Group (Alibaba International) is dedicated to supporting the development of global digital trade with AI-powered technology. It operates various platforms with distinctive business models, covering multiple countries and regions around the world.
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