Wikipedia

Draft:AI Tools for Wholesale Sourcing on B2B Sites

Artificial intelligence (AI) tools have been adopted by some wholesale online marketplaces according to industry analyses and academic research. Industry analyses show that artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) are being used in procurement and purchasing choices, including supplier selection, sourcing and analytics.[1] Some AI sourcing tools analyze large datasets, such as vendor categories, pricing information, and delivery times, which are used by buyers to select suppliers.[2][3] Several business-to-business (B2B) platforms have introduced AI-based sourcing tools, which are described in industry reports as assisting with product discovery and procurement workflows.[4][5]

Many B2B websites use AI tools to analyze real-time market data and statistics in specific industries to identify products that have higher demand than others.[4] B2B platforms that are currently using AI tools include Alibaba.com, and Amazon Business, TikTok Shop and Shopify Plus. The tools use predictive trend analysis, allowing buyers to search through extensive datasets to predict product demand, including demand affected by seasonality and other external factors.[5]

AI tools have reported drawbacks and disadvantages in the form of algorithm biases, legacy data structures, and challenges in integrating AI applications with old, outdated featured systems.[6]

Early Digital Sourcing

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The adoption of digital tools in retail supply chains has altered supply chain strategy and operations. It has enabled new capabilities such as real-time reporting, visibility, flexibility, and responsiveness in supply chains.[7] Before the widespread adoption of e-commerce sites, companies found that print catalogs could guide customers to their websites and websites could help collect address information for the distribution of catalogs, so both digital and physical formats complemented each other. By 2002 most large retailers had websites with internet sales rising rapidly.[8]

Industry surveys indicate the growing adoption of AI tools in B2B processes, including marketing. For example, in 2025, a report found that 67% of B2B e-commerce firms were using AI or machine learning in parts of their operations.[9][failed verification] Industry reports have also noted that B2B marketing teams are using AI agents to automate tasks and analyze large datasets in their workflows.[10]

Applications in the B2B Landscape

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AI has been used in B2B sourcing and procurement.[11] Academic literature and industry reports point out uses of AI for supplier evaluation and selection, predictive demand forecasting, automated contract and invoice processing, and supply-chain risk assessment. Machine learning, natural language processing, and robotic process automation are commonly used in procurement.[12]

Supplier Discovery and Ranking

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Supplier discovery and ranking systems use artificial intelligence to specify and evaluate potential suppliers. These systems can process supplier characteristic data such as certifications, reliability indicators, delivery times, and pricing, and then rank suppliers on a pre-determined criteria. Machine learning techniques are used to analyze large datasets and support decision-making in the selection of suppliers.[13]

Intelligent Request for Quotation (iRFQ)

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iRFQ's use natural language processing and machine learning techniques to automatically analyze and summarize Request for Quotation (RFQ) documents by extracting key criteria and interpreting complex sourcing requirements.[14]

Price Forecasting and Cost Optimization

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AI-based predictive analytics models have been applied in supply chain contexts to forecast future prices of products and demand trends. These forecasts may be used to inform decisions related to procurement forecasting and cost optimization.[15]

Automated Quality Assurance

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Artificial intelligence methods like machine learning and deep learning have been applied in some manufacturing contexts for quality assurance. They analyze and process quality data and support predictive quality assessment and automate defect detection.[16]

Logistics and Lead-Time Prediction

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AI-driven predictive analytics is used in supply chain management to analyze large volumes of historical and real-time data, enabling organizations to forecast future trends such as product demand and other operational variables and to make decisions.  [17]

Major Platforms and Implementations

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Alibaba

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As of January 2025, industry reports showed that Accio had 500,000 users, and by August 2025, that had climbed to 2 million;[18][19]currently, the tool is free for basic functions, including product search, opportunity research, and basic comparison.[18][19]The sourcing assistant has access to worldwide supplier data and online suppliers for more than 7,600 product categories and access to over Alibaba's 1 billion product listings from over 50 million businesses across 100 markets.[19] Users can use the tool to carry out market analysis and product discovery.[19][20]

Shopify Plus

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Shopify Plus is a paid membership tier of Shopify's e-commerce platform designed for larger and high-volume merchants.[21] It includes built-in tools for business-to-business commerce, such as company profiles, custom pricing, customer specific catalogs, and bulk ordering features for wholesale buyers.[22] In 2023, Shopify introduced a generative AI feature that can automatically generate product descriptions using language models. In May 2025, Shopify launched an AI store builder feature that generates complete online store layouts from descriptive keywords, fully automating the website setup process.[23]

Amazon Business

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Amazon Business Assistant is an artificial intelligence chat tool that has been launched by Amazon Business designed to provide interactive procurement support for business buyers. According to industry reporting, the assistant uses past purchase data and account settings to offer real-time recommendations, identify potential cost-saving opportunities, and highlight irregular spending patterns.[24]

TikTok Shop

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TikTok Shop is an e-commerce feature that allows businesses to sell products directly on the TikTok platform. Douyin Shop[25] is the Chinese version of TikTok and according to industry reporting TikTok shop includes an artificial intelligence-based seller assistant tool that works from the seller management interface and provides real-time guidance and contextual recommendations to merchants. Independent reporting has also mentioned TikTok's AI tools which support advertising and creative workflows by assisting with tasks such as converting static images to video and five-second reels that can be used on the platform.[26]

Ethical and Practical Concerns

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Ethical and practical considerations have been highlighted regarding hte use of AI tools in supply chain activities. In particular, algorithmic bias, where AI systems produce systematically skewed outcomes due to historical data or design limitations, is identified in AI ethics literature as an ethical issue that can undermine fairness and equity in automated decision making.[27]

References

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  1. ↑ Balkan, Dursun; Akyuz, Goknur Arzu (2025-08-20). "Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) in procurement and purchasing decision-support (DS): a taxonomic literature review and research opportunities". Artificial Intelligence Review. 58 (11): 341. doi:10.1007/s10462-025-11336-1. ISSN 1573-7462. Archived from the original on September 14, 2025.
  2. ↑ "BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE TRANSFORMATION THROUGH AI AND DATA ANALYTICS". ResearchGate. Archived from the original on 2025-10-02. Retrieved 2025-12-24.
  3. ↑ Chopra, Ashok (2019). "AI in Supply & Procurement". 2019 Amity International Conference on Artificial Intelligence (AICAI). Amity International Conference on Artificial Intelligence (AICAI): IEEE (published 29 April 2019). pp. 308–316. doi:10.1109/AICAI.2019.8701357. ISBN 978-1-5386-9346-9. Archived from the original on November 16, 2024.
  4. 1 2 "What Is Real-Time Data? | IBM". www.ibm.com. 2025-07-29. Archived from the original on October 12, 2025. Retrieved 2025-12-24.
  5. 1 2 Seyedan, Mahya; Mafakheri, Fereshteh (2020-07-25). "Predictive big data analytics for supply chain demand forecasting: methods, applications, and research opportunities". Journal of Big Data. 7 (1): 53. doi:10.1186/s40537-020-00329-2. ISSN 2196-1115. Archived from the original on November 8, 2025.
  6. ↑ "What Is Algorithmic Bias? | IBM". www.ibm.com. 2024-09-20. Archived from the original on October 17, 2025. Retrieved 2025-12-24.
  7. ↑ Ishfaq, Rafay; Davis-Sramek, Beth; Gibson, Brian (2022). "Digital supply chains in omnichannel retail: A conceptual framework". Journal of Business Logistics. 43 (2): 169–188. doi:10.1111/jbl.12277. ISSN 2158-1592. Archived from the original on December 30, 2025.
  8. ↑ Cortada, James W. (2004-01-08), "10. Business Patterns and Digital Applications in the Transformation of the Wholesale and Retail Industries", The Digital Hand, vol. 1 (1 ed.), Oxford, England: Oxford University Press, pp. 283–317, doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195165883.003.0010, ISBN 978-0-19-516588-3, archived from the original on December 30, 2025, retrieved 2025-11-18
  9. ↑ "How B2B Marketplaces Are Rewriting the Rules of Trade". BCG Global. 2024-05-30. Archived from the original on September 12, 2025. Retrieved 2025-11-18.
  10. ↑ Brohan, Mark (2025-03-19). "Report: 67% of B2B ecommerce firms using AI to drive growth". Digital Commerce 360. Archived from the original on 2025-04-29. Retrieved 2025-12-29.
  11. ↑ Guida, Michela; Caniato, Federico; Moretto, Antonella; Ronchi, Stefano (2023-03-01). "The role of artificial intelligence in the procurement process: State of the art and research agenda". Journal of Purchasing and Supply Management. 29 (2): 100823. doi:10.1016/j.pursup.2023.100823. ISSN 1478-4092. Archived from the original on December 29, 2025. Retrieved December 29, 2025.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: article number as page number (link)
  12. ↑ "AI in Procurement | IBM". www.ibm.com. 2023-08-02. Archived from the original on December 29, 2025. Retrieved 2025-12-29.
  13. ↑ Samuels, Alexander (2025-01-20). "Examining the integration of artificial intelligence in supply chain management from Industry 4.0 to 6.0: a systematic literature review". Frontiers in Artificial Intelligence. 7 1477044. doi:10.3389/frai.2024.1477044. ISSN 2624-8212. PMID 39902380. Archived from the original on July 7, 2025.
  14. ↑ Trappey, A.J.C., Trappey, C.V., Hsiao, D.-Y., & Chuang, A. (2022). Intelligent RFQ Summarization Using Natural Language Processing, Text Mining, and Machine Learning. Computers in Industry, 135, 103600. Archived from the original on . Retrieved on December 19, 2025
  15. ↑ Iseri, Funda; Iseri, Halil; Chrisandina, Natasha J.; Iakovou, Eleftherios; Pistikopoulos, Efstratios N. (2025-07-02). "AI-based predictive analytics for enhancing data-driven supply chain optimization". Journal of Global Optimization. doi:10.1007/s10898-025-01509-1. ISSN 1573-2916. Archived from the original on December 29, 2025.
  16. ↑ Tercan, Hasan; Meisen, Tobias (2022-10-01). "Machine learning and deep learning based predictive quality in manufacturing: a systematic review". Journal of Intelligent Manufacturing. 33 (7): 1879–1905. doi:10.1007/s10845-022-01963-8. ISSN 1572-8145. Archived from the original on November 22, 2025.
  17. ↑ Kagalwala, Hatim; Radhakrishnan, G. V.; Mohammed, Irshadullah Asim; Kothinti, Rishi Reddy; Kulkarni, Nirzar (2025-02-15). "Predictive Analytics in Supply Chain Management: The Role of AI and Machine Learning in Demand Forecasting". Advances in Consumer Research. 2: 142–149. ISSN 0098-9258. Archived from the original on December 30, 2025.
  18. 1 2 Cheng, Evelyn (12 November 2024). "China's Alibaba releases AI search tool for small businesses in Europe and the Americas". CNBC. Archived from the original on September 20, 2025. Retrieved 2025-11-28.
  19. 1 2 3 4 "Alibaba arms merchants with AI assistant to streamline cross-border sourcing". South China Morning Post. 2024-11-12. Archived from the original on June 11, 2025. Retrieved 2025-11-28.
  20. ↑ Brohan, Mark (2025-03-11). "Alibaba's AI search engine surpasses 1 million users". Digital Commerce 360. Archived from the original on June 25, 2025. Retrieved 2025-12-10.
  21. ↑ "B2B Commerce Platform". Shopify. Archived from the original on 2025-10-07. Retrieved 2025-12-10.
  22. ↑ Stone, Madeline. "Shopify just made its move into generative AI and said it's the first of many new features it plans to roll out this year". Business Insider. Archived from the original on March 28, 2024. Retrieved 2025-12-10.
  23. ↑ Reuters. 2025. "Shopify Launches AI Tool That Builds Complete Online Stores from Keywords." Reuters, May 21, 2025. Archived from the original on March 28, 2024. Retrieved on December 19, 2025
  24. ↑ Brohan, Mark (2025-11-12). "Amazon expands AI footprint in B2B buying with launch of new tool". Digital Commerce 360. Archived from the original on November 25, 2025. Retrieved 2025-12-30.
  25. ↑ "ByteDance-owned Douyin launches shopping app to rival Alibaba, JD.com, PDD". South China Morning Post. 2024-03-26. Archived from the original on November 10, 2024. Retrieved 2025-12-10.
  26. ↑ "TikTok brings expanded suite of generative AI ad tools to WPP, Adobe". Marketing Dive. Archived from the original on 2025-07-17. Retrieved 2025-12-30.
  27. ↑ "TikTok brings expanded suite of generative AI ad tools to WPP, Adobe | Marketing Dive". www.marketingdive.com. Archived from the original on July 13, 2025. Retrieved 2025-12-30.
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