当买卖双方开始用 AI 做生意 1688加速解决“鸡同鸭讲”问题

This article focuses on 1688’s newly launched AI-enabled Universal Transaction Protocol (UTP) for B2B trade, which brings accessible business convenience and practical opportunities for everyday users.

1. Significantly improved transaction efficiency: Previously, even after AI-powered product search, users still needed to complete ordering and other processes manually. With the UTP, buyers’ AI agents can automatically handle the entire workflow from product search, ordering, payment to order fulfillment tracking, eliminating step-by-step manual operations and simplifying access to domestic Chinese supply sources.

2. Ready-to-use AI tools for new small stores: 1688 has launched an automated dropshipping and distribution operation feature, which essentially works as a 24/7 AI store manager for distribution entrepreneurs. It handles the full process from product selection, price adjustment to customer service and order fulfillment. In the several months since launch, it has served tens of thousands of new stores, with many new entrants earning 3,000 RMB per month, making it a low-cost option for everyday people to try entrepreneurship.

This article outlines new trends in AI-era B2B trade and provides clear guidance for brands on channel development and trend positioning.

1. Fundamental shift in trade trends: Currently, 20% of procurement demand on 1688 is initiated by AI agents, and this share is projected to reach 80% in two years. AI-led procurement and agent-based automatic transactions will become the core of future trade, and brands need to adapt to this shift in advance.

2. Greatly lowered barrier for channel expansion: The newly launched UTP solves the interoperability problem between different AI agents. After brands list their products, AI agents of global buyers can directly find products and complete orders automatically, eliminating the need for brands to dedicate staff to monitoring inquiries round the clock, lowering the barrier for brands to reach global buyers.

3. Proven mature AI distribution model: The end-to-end AI-powered automated distribution model has been validated. Brands can leverage this model to expand downstream channels and cut operational costs.

This article clarifies new opportunities in the AI trade era and provides actionable business directions and opportunity alerts for sellers.

1. Clear industry outlook: B2B trade is shifting toward A2A (agent-to-agent) automatic transactions. Currently, 20% of procurement demand on 1688 is initiated by AI agents, and this share will rise to 80% in two years. Sellers that adopt AI tools early can capture first-mover advantage in the industry’s growth.

2. Accessible tools for small and new sellers: 1688’s automated distribution feature is ready for immediate use. The AI handles the full set of store operations including opportunity discovery, product selection, pricing, customer service and fulfillment, requiring minimal labor investment. It has served tens of thousands of new stores, with many new sellers earning 3,000 RMB per month, demonstrating its low barrier to entry.

3. New growth opportunities: UTP is an open ecosystem. After implementation, sellers’ AI agents can directly connect and transact with AI agents of global buyers, reducing manual coordination costs, unlocking more cross-platform and cross-regional order opportunities, and expanding overall growth potential.

This article outlines clear business opportunities and digital transformation directions for original manufacturing factories in the AI era.

1. New access to global markets: 1688 already hosts more than 1 million original manufacturers. The new UTP solves the interoperability problem between disparate AI agents. After factories list their products, global buyers’ AI agents can directly find products and place orders automatically, eliminating the need for factories to constantly monitor inquiries. This greatly lowers the barrier for factories to be discovered by global buyers and win international orders.

2. Clear digital transformation roadmap: Future B2B trade will shift from the traditional model built on personal relationships and repeated manual coordination to protocol-based direct AI collaboration. Factories that adapt to UTP early and develop their own AI agents can get ahead of the A2A transaction trend, improve transaction efficiency, and cut labor costs.

3. Clear trend to prepare in advance: 20% of procurement demand is already AI-initiated today, and this share will hit 80% in two years. Factories that prepare for AI compatibility early will be the first to capture growth dividends.

This article sorts out industry pain points and development trends in AI-powered trade, and outlines clear market directions for trade service providers.

1. Clear unmet industry pain points: While AI is already widely used in product search, operations and other trade links, AI agents from different organizations cannot interoperate to complete end-to-end automatic transactions. Most existing general transaction protocols only cover B2C retail scenarios and fail to accommodate the more complex needs of B2B procurement. The lack of unified standards in B2B creates significant market opportunities for service providers.

2. Clear industry development trajectory: B2B trade will inevitably shift to A2A automatic transactions, replacing traditional relationship-based commerce with programmable, highly-trusted protocol-based commerce. Open universal transaction protocols are a core industry demand, and 1688’s UTP provides a standard reference for the industry.

3. Well-defined customer demand: Both buyers and factories currently face the pain point of AI being unable to complete full-process transactions automatically, requiring repetitive manual work. Service providers can develop supporting tools built around the open UTP standard to serve different customer segments and capture growth opportunities.

This article shares 1688’s latest AI trade initiative, providing important references for all types of platform operators to track industry trends and optimize operations.

1. Clarifies core market demand for platforms: As AI becomes more widespread in trade, A2A automatic transactions are the future direction. The market needs platforms to build interconnected general transaction infrastructure to solve the interoperability problem between different AI agents. Existing protocols built for B2C cannot meet the complex procurement needs of B2B, so platforms need to fill this infrastructure gap.

2. Provides a replicable open ecosystem model: Instead of building a closed ecosystem, 1688 partnered with third-party industry institutions to launch the open UTP universal transaction protocol, positioning itself as a builder of public infrastructure for the industry. This approach aligns with industry trends, boosts the platform’s industry influence, and attracts more original manufacturers and ecosystem partners to join, making this open strategy a valuable reference.

3. Highlights a critical trend to prepare for early: AI-initiated procurement already accounts for 20% of total demand today, and will rise to 80% in two years. Platforms need to build A2A transaction infrastructure in advance to avoid falling behind industry trends. Open standards also help platforms expand recruitment and attract a wider range of merchants.

This article presents the latest industry developments in AI-era B2B trade, offering high reference value for industrial internet research.

1. A fundamental new industry shift: Advances in AI are pushing B2B trade to shift from the traditional manual coordination model to A2A (agent-to-agent) automatic transactions. Currently, 20% of procurement demand on the 1688 platform is initiated by AI agents, and this share is projected to reach 80% in two years, meaning the entire industry structure is undergoing restructuring.

2. Identifies new core unaddressed industry problems: The scaled development of A2A transactions faces a core bottleneck: disparate AI agents operate on incompatible standards and cannot interoperate. Most existing general transaction protocols only cover B2C retail scenarios and cannot adapt to the complex requirements of B2B procurement. The lack of a unified open standard is the core industry problem to be solved in the AI trade era.

3. Documents a new business model exploration: 1688 has launched the open UTP universal transaction protocol, choosing not to build a closed ecosystem but instead to create open transaction infrastructure for the entire industry. It proposes a new direction of replacing traditional relationship-based commerce with protocol-based commerce, and this open ecosystem business model provides a new research sample for studying industrial internet in the AI era.