What: Alibaba's AI-powered B2B search engine Accio reaches 500,000 SME users within two months of launch, achieving 30% higher conversion rates through natural language processing capabilities.

Why it is important: The rapid adoption of Accio demonstrates a critical shift in B2B commerce, where AI-powered natural language search is becoming essential for efficient global trade operations and improved conversion rates.

Alibaba's B2B search engine Accio has achieved remarkable growth since its November 2024 launch, attracting 500,000 small and medium-sized enterprise users. The AI-powered platform leverages natural language processing across five languages, including English, French, German, Portuguese, and Spanish, facilitating seamless international trade communications. Accio's sophisticated architecture, trained on over 200 million trade industry-specific parameters, enables it to process complex queries across more than 7,600 product categories. The platform's intuitive interface allows users to interact conversationally, moving beyond traditional keyword searches to provide comprehensive product information and comparisons. During the peak retail season, over 50,000 SMEs worldwide utilized Accio for Black Friday and Christmas inventory sourcing. The platform's effectiveness is demonstrated by a significant 30% increase in conversion rates for suppliers through its Accio Inspiration feature. The Accio Agent component further enhances the user experience by streamlining inquiry follow-ups, payments, and after-sales support, marking a new era in B2B global trade efficiency.

IADS Notes: Alibaba's successful launch of Accio reflects the company's broader AI transformation strategy throughout 2024-2025. In January 2025, Alibaba Cloud significantly expanded its AI capabilities with enhanced language models supporting 29 languages, laying the groundwork for Accio's multilingual functionality. This development aligns with China's broader retail AI adoption trends, which reached 230 million users by December 2024, demonstrating strong market readiness for AI-powered solutions. The rapid uptake of Accio, gaining 500,000 SME users in just two months, was further supported by Alibaba Cloud's "Partner Rainforest Plan" launched in December 2024, which created a comprehensive ecosystem for AI implementation and partner support. The 30% increase in conversion rates through Accio validates Alibaba's strategic focus on AI-powered solutions, particularly in streamlining B2B operations and enhancing global trade accessibility.

Alibaba’s AI search engine has grown to 500,000 users