Islamabad: Alibaba.com, the leading global business-to-business (B2B) e-commerce platform and a unit of the Alibaba International Digital Commerce Group, today recognized businesses for their pursuit of success and global growth ahead of the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Day ( MSME) June 27. Alibaba.com has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting small and medium-sized businesses, saying it is rolling out artificial intelligence (AI) tools for global suppliers, which around 30,000 firms have adopted so far. platform.
This year’s MSME Day marks the seventh anniversary of its designation by the United Nations to recognize the critical role MSMEs play in achieving the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and the contribution of SMEs to the global economy. On this momentous occasion, Kuo Zhang, President of Alibaba.com, participated in a panel discussion on global trade during the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) Biennial Global Review of Aid for Trade. Along with four MSMEs from Ethiopia, Vietnam, Italy and India, Zhang also joined a session organized by the United Nations International Trade Center (ITC) to celebrate MSME Day.
Zhang emphasized the importance of ensuring that no SMEs in underdeveloped countries are left behind in the AI era, noting that among the top 20 countries using Alibaba.com’s AI tools, around 10 are developing countries.
“As a member of the private sector, we are honored to have worked with international agencies such as the ITC over the past 25 years to support small and medium-sized enterprises around the world,” Zhang said. “As we drive wider adoption of our AI tools among MSMEs, we also hope to expand our global supplier base to 100,000 suppliers in the next three years. In short, we are building a global supply chain with and for MSMEs using AI.”
A recent Alibaba.com survey of MSMEs using its platform showed that they regularly look for innovative solutions and offerings such as AI. In fact, 25-30% of SMEs surveyed use AI on a daily basis.
On Alibaba.com alone, around 30,000 SMEs around the world use the platform’s AI tools. As a result of using these tools, the companies surveyed experienced a 37% increase in product exposure, creating greater opportunity for new business deals and growth. In addition, those participating MSMEs already using Alibaba.com’s AI tools support their businesses through AI expertise, as they collectively adopted 70% of the optimization suggestions from these tools.
“Using artificial intelligence has helped put my Alibaba.com store on autopilot and saved us a lot of time because it’s just me and one employee running our business,” said Sieu To, deputy general manager of Hanh Sanh Co., Ltd, a Vietnam-based electric fan company . “For many business owners who are new to e-commerce, I think AI tools will bring them closer to the platform.”
MSMEs have increasing access to global suppliers
In addition to a growing set of innovative solutions to support their business, MSMEs on Alibaba.com can diversify their product sources by tying up with suppliers with a specific industry and product focus. These key global digital supply chain clusters include the following:
In Northeast Asia, buyers can connect with skin care suppliers with natural ingredients from Korea and work with home furniture and camera, photo and accessory manufacturers in Japan.
In Southeast Asia, Vietnam is a supplier of spices and seasonings, as well as home and outdoor furniture. Buyers can also find specialist suppliers in India and Pakistan for loose gemstones and horse racing equipment.
In Western Asia and Europe, you will find suppliers of carpets, men’s clothing and construction and construction machinery in Türkiye. Buyers can reach out to suppliers of industrial machinery in Germany and suppliers of wine, textile machinery and women’s clothing in Italy.
“As one of the first Italian businesses on the Alibaba.com platform, I have always believed in our quality Italian accessories. Alibaba.com has helped me expand my business beyond Europe to markets such as China, Vietnam, Bangladesh and Ghana,” said Maria Francesca Aceti, CEO of Deltha Pharma.
Alibaba.com expands support for suppliers in developing countries
As Alibaba.com seeks to expand its supplier base, it is increasing its efforts to source suppliers in developing countries. It is worth noting that Alibaba.com is set to help 100 SMEs across Africa establish a presence on its platform to sell their products globally. Additionally, of the 500 events and seminars Alibaba.com is holding this fiscal year (April 2024 to March 2025) for global suppliers, about 300 will be held in developing countries.
“Starting with brick-and-mortar and moving to e-commerce was a strategic path for my business,” said Dagmawit Abebe, owner of Ethiopian coffee brand Kedemt Coffee. “Using e-commerce platforms like Alibaba.com has been critical to overcoming local market challenges and expanding our reach.”
Alibaba.com now connects more global SMEs than ever before, serving more than 48 million buyers and more than 200,000 suppliers worldwide on its platform. Alibaba.com will continue to put small and medium-sized businesses at the forefront through innovation and new solutions aimed at simplifying global sourcing and selling.
