Alibaba International launched its AI solution for optimizing global e-commerce operations: Alibaba International Framework (hereinafter “Framework”).
Developed by Alibaba International’s AI Business team in 2024 to boost cross-border trade between SMEs, Marco provides comprehensive support to e-commerce merchants across the Alibaba ecosystem, managing over 60 specific marketing, marketplace compliance, and customer service tasks. The solution is available in over 40 languages and offers features such as listing translation, content generation, and image creation at a lower operating cost than its competitors while maintaining high performance.
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Unprecedented adoption
Demand for Alibaba International’s AI services has increased dramatically, driven primarily by Marco. Daily API calls using its AI system by Chinese merchants on Alibaba International surpassed 1 billion in July 2025, a 1,000-fold increase from 1 million in 2023. All Alibaba International e-commerce marketplaces have adopted the AI solution, and the same capabilities are now available to merchants worldwide engaged in cross-border trade.
Key features driving adoption include:
- Creative Image Generation: Generate multiple and diverse visual variations from a single image.
- AI-generated listings: Create product listings directly from images.
- Marketing Content Creation: Generate promotional text.
A significant improvement in Marco’s translation capabilities in late 2024 resulted in a 30% increase in user satisfaction across key European language areas. Marco now generates nearly 40% of all search-optimized product descriptions on Alibaba International platforms, a figure expected to surpass 50% in the near future.
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Expanding ecosystem and new AI tools
Alibaba International has expanded access to Marco’s technology to e-commerce platforms in China operating outside the Alibaba ecosystem. API calls from these partners through Marco have increased 23-fold.
The company has also introduced three specialized AI agents, designed for the complex operational tasks faced by merchants in cross-border e-commerce:
- Smart Refund Agent: Recommends optimal refund solutions by analyzing market intelligence generated by both consumers and merchants, reducing costs by 15%.
- HS Code Agent: Automates customs classification, increasing accuracy by 23%.
- Merchant Recruiting Agent: Identifies and prequalifies potential sellers, virtually doubling the conversion rate of email leads.
“Last year marked a significant shift in how we deploy AI to power cross-border e-commerce, reflecting broader industry needs and trends,” said Kaifu Zhang , Vice President of Alibaba International and Head of its AI Business Team. “Our approach combines deep, scenario-specific data with continuous learning cycles, yielding increasingly powerful problem-solving capabilities. We are evolving beyond standalone generative models into dedicated AI agents that can efficiently tackle a wider range of complex business challenges for merchants participating in cross-border commerce around the world.”
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Source – PR Newswire
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