Recent AI Momentum at Alibaba

Accio is an AI-native application designed to simplify global trade for SMEs. Built on Alibaba’s foundational technologies – including the Qwen large language model available as open-source – Accio leverages reasoning models fine-tuned with real industry data across the internet. These models power Accio’s multilingual capabilities and ability to generate precise market insights and actionable sourcing strategies.

Reaching 1 million users is just the beginning. Our goal is to consistently refine our toolkit, enabling SMEs to seamlessly integrate AI functionalities into their workflows. With the enhanced Accio, anyone can now turn vague product ideas into actionable plans in minutes, not months. Everyone can get a shot at becoming an entrepreneur.

– Kuo Zhang, President, Alibaba.com

Business Research: From Insights to Execution

Accio’s Business Research streamlines market analysis by automating labor-intensive tasks like data collection and trend tracking. Instead of juggling scattered reports, users input broad goals – such as launching a product in a new region – and receive structured, real-time reports on consumer demand, pricing trends and competitive landscapes. The tool identifies high-potential niches, and even generates ready-to-use business plans with cost estimates and supplier recommendations. This allows SMEs to act swiftly on opportunities without months of groundwork.

Deep Search: Precision Sourcing, Simplified

Deep Search tackles the complexities of global sourcing by adapting to intricate requirements—whether technical specs, certifications or budget constraints. If a query yields few results, it will intelligently refine searches using synonyms or industry terms, mimicking procurement experts. The feature also vets suppliers for compliance and reliability, delivering AI-curated shortlists in minutes. By translating decades of Alibaba’s trade data into an intuitive interface, it empowers newcomers to source like seasoned professionals.

Revamping Global Trade with AI

A recent Alibaba.com survey of over 4,000 sourcing decision-makers across the US, UK, Germany and France revealed that nearly 64% plan to integrate AI into their sourcing strategies by 2025. Their top motivations include long-term business growth, efficiency improvements and cost reductions.

With global trade projected to exceed $33 trillion in 2024, businesses are increasingly adopting advanced technologies to stay competitive. Tools like Accio address this need by simplifying AI adoption.

Alibaba.com is also undergoing a comprehensive upgrade to incorporate Accio’s capabilities, empowering its 50 million SME buyers and sellers to identify business opportunities and connect with trustworthy suppliers.

Debenhams has been successfully turned around since it was acquired out of administration in 2021, and has been repositioned as Britain’s online department store and is underpinned by a new marketplace led business model. Growing rapidly, the Debenhams business model is stock-lite and capital-lite. and it is very profitable and highly cash generative.

Debenhams is back isn’t just a slogan, its business model and its technology will be at the epicentre of the Group going forward. It is the driving force of the business and provides the blueprint for the wider turnaround of the Group. The company says that the Debenhams marketplace-led business model, proprietary technology and lean operating model will be extended across the Group, adding that this is critical to the turnaround of the youth brands and will help accelerate value creation in Karen Millen.

Going forward as Debenhams Group is reflective of the new strategic direction, leadership change and the major transformation that is being undertaken. It will strengthen brand recognition and trust, leveraging the well-established and iconic Debenhams name; enhance supplier and partner relationships; drive alignment behind the multi-brand marketplace strategy; unite colleagues; and support the Group’s ambitious growth plans. 

The Group will now accelerate its transition to the Debenhams led business and operating model. In recent months, the Group has acted decisively to reposition itself. The US distribution centre has been closed. A successful equity raise was completed. The London office was sold. £50m of annualised head office headcount cost savings have been delivered. The cost base is under continuous review. 

We’ve created a thriving community of brand partners with millions of consumers and we are growing rapidly. The most exciting thing is that we are just getting started. We see a clear path to scaling this into a £multibillion GMV business with strong profitability.

The successful turnaround of Debenhams is our blueprint for the wider turnaround of the Group. The turnaround of our Youth Brands is underway and will take time. I have inherited significant challenges.  I can see their future potential as they evolve into fashion-led marketplaces and adopt a leaner operating model

We go forward as Debenhams Group. This is a defining moment in our journey, reflective of our new strategy, new leadership and new beginnings. 

– Dan Finley, Group Chief Executive Officer, Debenhams Group

TikTok see this with the success of #LearnOnTikTok which is igniting new interests in everything from local geology to ancient history. And since launching a feed dedicated to Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM), millions of teens use it every week. Today, TikTok are expanding our family features to provide parents with more options for tailoring their teens’ account. They are also introducing a feature to help teens build balanced digital habits.

Simple supervision tools for families

Since launching Family Pairing – TikTok’s parenting controls –  five years ago, TikTok have continually added new features based on feedback from families, as well as guidance from leading experts. Today, they ‘re enhancing Family Pairing by launching a way for parents to block their teens from being on TikTok during times that they control.

No teen or family is the same, and whether it’s during family time, school, at night, or a weekend away, caregivers can use the new Time Away feature to decide when it’s best for their teens to take a break. Parents can also set a reoccurring schedule to best suit their family life. If plans change, teens can request extra time, but parents make the final decision.

TikTok are also adding a Family Pairing feature that can allow parents to see who their teen is following on TikTok, and who follows them, along with accounts their teen has blocked. With increased visibility into their teen’s network, parents will be better equipped to have ongoing conversations and help their teens develop the digital literacy skills they need.

TikTok also hear that parents want to know more about the content their teens engage with on the app. In response, in the coming months, when a teen reports a video they think may be against TikTok’s rules, they can choose to alert a parent, caregiver, or other trusted adult at the same time, even if they aren’t using Family Pairing.

With these latest updates, parents can now view or adjust more than 15 safety, well-being, and privacy features. This includes:

• Re-enabling the TikTok feed dedicated to STEM, if their teen has turned it off. This is now available in more than 100 countries and is enjoyed by millions of teens every week.
• Setting customisable daily screen time limits. For example, parents could choose to limit their teens to 30 minutes on TikTok during the week but a little longer on a weekend. Once a parent-set limit has been reached, a teen can only use TikTok if their parent shares a unique passcode. Even if a parent doesn’t customise their teen’s settings, everyone under 18 has a 60 minute daily screen time limit by default.
• Switching their teen’s account back to the default private setting, if their teen has made it public. 

Helping teens learn balanced digital habits

TikTok are also announcing a new way to encourage young people to switch off at night. If a teen under 16 is on TikTok after 10pm, their For You feed will be interrupted with our new wind down feature. At launch, this is a full-screen takeover with calming music to help teens relax and be mindful of the time. If a teen decides to spend additional time on TikTok after the first reminder, TikTok show a second, harder to dismiss, full-screen prompt. As before, TikTok deliberately do not send push notifications to teens at night, which cannot be changed.

TikTok designed these features to reflect best practices in behaviour change theory by providing positive nudges that can help teens develop balanced long-term habits. In countries where this has already been piloted, the vast majority of teens decide to keep this reminder on. In the coming weeks, and TikTok will also test adding meditation exercises to the wind down reminder, as research shows that mindful meditation can improve sleep quality.

As with any new feature, TikTok look forward to hearing feedback from our community, and to inform our future plans, we’re conducting research with parents and teens around the world to understand how else we can help with the development of balanced habits.

‘Teens, Social Media & You’ campaign

TikTok are also launching today a campaign with Media Smart, the UK advertising and media industry’s education programme, to help reach parents, caregivers and teachers. Together, they have produced a collection of creator-led videos and resources to help people have positive conversations around a teen’s online environment. The campaign is particularly aimed at adults who may not have strong digital literacy, or those who aren’t yet on social media, and will launch in the UK, Germany, Sweden and France.

Partnering with industry and civil society to build consensus on age assurance

Age assurance is one of the most complex areas that online platforms, policymakers and regulators are grappling with. TikTok continue to enforce our age rules and add additional ways to confirm the age of people who use our platform.

As part of their enforcement, TikTok continue to use technology, like machine learning, to prevent people under 13 from being on the platform and make sure that teenagers are in the right age appropriate experience. In addition, TikTok are partnering with Telefónica to understand how people can use information from their phone provider to confirm their age. TikTok also supports the Multi-Stakeholder Dialogue on Age Assurance, an initiative convened by the Centre for Information Policy Leadership and the WeProtect Global Alliance, that brings together online platforms, regulators, policymakers, privacy and child rights organisations to discuss industry-wide approaches to age assurance.

TikTok constantly work to simplify things for caregivers so they can feel confident supporting their teens. Our Digital Safety Partnership for Families is designed to make it easier to start conversations about online experiences and set positive digital boundaries together. It’s intentionally not specific to any single app or service and includes suggested agreements for when devices and parental supervision tools are used. Throughout 2025, TikTok will continue to make deliberate decisions to prioritise teen safety and well-being to continue to keep TikTok safe, especially for teens.

At Internet Matters we know the pivotal role that parents play in supporting their children to stay safe and well online. We very much welcome the enhancements to Family Pairing announced today that will give parents greater control and visibility of their children’s experience on TikTok, and provide greater peace of mind while their teen is enjoying the benefits of the platform. In addition we are pleased to see the introduction of the Wind Down reminder, which will, alongside regular conversations about life online, help parents support their children to develop good digital habits that in turn promote online safety.

– Carolyn Bunting, Co-CEO, Internet Matters

The campaign, first rolling out in the UK before launching in EU territories, sees TikTok content creators invite their audience to a crash course in digital creation, advertising content and online safety. Media Smart worked with youth creative agency, Livity, to develop the creative alongside young people and parents from concept to delivery. They selected six ambassadors for the campaign: young creators (aged 18+) and parent creators, to deliver bespoke content for the UK as well as Germany, Sweden and France.

Media Smart and Livity surveyed parents across the UK which revealed that while 65% of parents felt fairly confident in managing screen time, 70% of parents would like to learn more about safety tools and features on platforms. This informed the three key areas that ‘Teens, Social Media & You’ will address: staying safe online, specific tools and features such as Family Pairing, and healthier habits. The campaign is aimed at adults who do not have great digital literacy skills themselves, those whose teens aren’t yet on social media, or parents of teens who have recently reached the age to join TikTok. It will also reach 13-18-year-olds directly via content on the platform itself.  

Alongside the videos, a downloadable guide is available on Media Smart’s website, which answers commonly asked questions around screen time and mental wellbeing, helping teens deal with harmful content online and identifying what’s okay to share.

It has never been more critical to support parents’ understanding of their young people’s online environment, particularly following the pandemic which led to a significant increase in daily screen-time. We’re pleased to partner again with TikTok and Livity, building on the success of our ‘Adverts, Creators and You’ campaign, to encourage parents and teens to engage in more offline conversations about online safety.

– Rachel Barber-Mack, Director, Media Smart UK

Our partnership with Media Smart is part of our commitment to working with the advertising industry to empower families with the knowledge and tools they need to navigate the online world safely and confidently. By bridging the gap between parents and teens – and equipping parents with the information they need to deliver informed guidance – we’re helping families to have meaningful conversations about staying safe online.

– Isobel Sita-Lumsden, Head of Marketing, Global Business Solutions, Europe

The campaign builds on Media Smart’s expertise in helping young people understand advertising and the online world, and is a follow-up to ‘Adverts, Creators and You’, a partnership with TikTok which launched in 2021 to help teens differentiate advertising and organic content on platforms.

This new service enhancement has been launched as more and more customers are sending smaller parcels and packets due to the soaring popularity of selling clothes on second-hand fashion marketplaces.

A large proportion of parcels sent by Royal Mail customers fit in a postbox, making it a convenient option for those who have paid for postage online and printed a label, or who have a preprinted return label. Royal Mail offers trusted services, including fully tracked options with next-day delivery. Prices start from as little as £1.55 online for a Second Class large letter or small parcel that fits through the letterbox. 

To use the service customers simply need to open the Royal Mail app, select ‘proof of posting’ and the postbox they are at will appear. They then scan their barcoded label, select ‘post now’ and the customers will receive their proof of posting confirmation message.

It is really important for customers to be able to prove when and where they posted their items, as well as having convenient drop off locations. This new service ticks both of these boxes.

We are seeing more and more customers using second hand marketplaces to sell clothing and these items are likely to fit in a postbox. With the convenience of a UK-wide network of 115,000 postboxes located within half a mile of 98 per cent of addresses, customers don’t need to go out of their way to drop off their parcel.

– Nick Landon, Chief Commercial Officer, Royal Mail

Royal Mail is rapidly expanding its number of parcel points to meet growing demand as people send and receive more parcels. In December, the company announced it was launching its own locker network, in addition to giving customers access to around 1,200 lockers and 6,500 Collect+ points at convenience stores in the last year.

This is in addition to 1,200 customer service points, 1,200 dedicated parcel postboxes and access to the Post Office’s 11,500 branches

The survey of 500 UK small business owners and senior decision makers found that peer support plays a critical role in business success by driving tangible commercial benefits; over half (54%) say their professional networks have been valuable in opening up new business opportunities.  

When asked about which types of support business leaders find most valuable from within their professional networks, product or service recommendations top the list (40%), followed by emotional support (33%), and business or financial advice (32%).  

Demonstrating why referrals of products and services from their network are so valuable, almost three quarters (71%) of respondents say they find these referrals from fellow small business owners trustworthy. Almost half (48%) say referrals save them significant time and effort, and a similar proportion (46%) say they rely on peer referrals to ensure they opt for high-quality products and services.  

Our research shows that business leaders are deeply committed to supporting each other and recognise the positive impact it has on future success. Strong business networks drive growth—whether that’s through trusted referrals and recommendations or everyday advice. At American Express, we’re dedicated to empowering small business owners, rewarding their hard work, and providing the tools and incentives they need to thrive.

– Lee Sullivan, Vice President, American Express

Refer a Business and earn points  

The research comes as American Express launches a new offer that gives American Express Business Platinum and Gold Cardmembers the chance to earn additional Membership Rewards points for referring fellow small business owners.    

Until 8 April 2025, Business Platinum Cardmembers will receive 35,000 bonus Membership Rewards points for every successfully approved referral (up to a maximum of 90,000 points per calendar year). Business Gold Cardmembers will receive 25,000 bonus Membership Rewards points for every successfully approved referral (up to a maximum of 90,000 points per calendar year).   

With American Express Cards accepted at more places than ever before, it is easier than ever to earn Membership Rewards points for every eligible £1 spent, making business spending more rewarding.  

Individuals being referred who successfully apply for a Business Platinum Card can earn 85,000 bonus Membership Rewards points when they spend £12,000 in the first three months, and 40,000 bonus points for spending anything between months 14-17.   

Those being referred who successfully apply for a Business Gold Card can earn 45,000 bonus points when they spend £6,000 in the first three months, and 20,000 bonus Membership Rewards points for spending anything between months 14-17.   

The Business Platinum and Gold Cards feature a wide range of benefits, including:      

• Cashflow Management, with up to 54 days to clear your balance, cash can stay in your account for longer, making money management more flexible.   
• Earn rewards on business spending, with the ability to redeem Membership Rewards® points for travel or gift cards, to pay your bill, or reinvest in your business.  
• The American Express Business Platinum Card offers complimentary access to 1,400 airport lounges across 140 countries, along with £200 Annual Travel Credit at American Express Travel Online.  

For more information visit the American Express Refer a Business page.

If you agree (or if you simply don’t respond by the feedback due date), these updates will be published automatically once the due date has expired.

Once the due date has passed, you can still contact support to make changes. If however you disagreed with the changes by responding with feedback, the existing attribute values will persist and the AI proposed updates will not be published.

AI Generated Product enrichment email from Amazon

We are introducing a new programme to leverage the power of artificial intelligence (AI) to generate richer product listings. We recommend changing some content in the listings for products that are in your Brand’s catalogue. We have not yet published the recommended content. Because you are registered as a Brand Representative for the ASIN(s), we ask that you review the AI-enriched content and provide feedback (agree or disagree) by the scheduled date of publication. If you tell us that you disagree with the proposed updates, the existing content will remain and we will not publish the recommended updates. If you do not take any action, the recommended updates will be published.

How to review AI generated product enrichment suggestions

• Download the excel file with the proposed listing updates
• Review the updates, provide feedback within the excel file and save
• Upload your file with your feedback by the feedback review date
• Monitor the status for your submitted file for any additional actions that may be required

It’s worth noting that Review Listings Update does not offer the option to opt In or Out of this AI generated product enrichment service!

This means that the cost of a First Class stamp is becoming ever close to double the cost of Second Class, and it’s seriously worth asking if First Class is even worth purchasing, especially when looking at the latest Quality of Service report. If you’re sending non-urgent mail such as a birthday card, simply post it early with Second Class and cut your stamp prices in half. If you’re sending urgent mail…. well there’s a 1 in 5 chance it won’t arrive on time.

For Q3 2024-25, 76.2% of First Class mail, arrived within one working day and 92.0% arrived within two days. This is with 79.1% reported on time against the USO standard of 93%.

Royal Mail delivered 92.3% of Second Class mail within three working days and 98.5% within five days. This is with 94.1% reported on time against the USO standard of 98.5%.

Royal Mail carefully considers prices, balancing affordability with the increasing cost of delivering mail. Letter volumes have fallen from 20 billion a year in 2004/5 to 6.7 billion in 2023/4, and could fall to 4 billion a year within the next four years. Over the same period, the number of addresses has risen by four million meaning the cost of each delivery continues to rise.

– Royal Mail

It should be noted that Royal Mails Universal Service Obligations that they report on only apply to letter post. We suspect that they are considerably better at delivery parcels on time.

The West Midlands Multibank takes surplus products donated by businesses and gives them to families in need across the region. From clothing, crockery, and cleaning products, to toiletries, towels and toys, Multibanks put business surplus in the hands of those who need it most.

Co-founded by Gordon Brown and Amazon, Multibanks are community donation hubs led by a prominent local charity that provide brand-new items for social workers, teachers, charities and community groups to distribute to local families.

This is the sixth Multibank, an initiative which launched in 2022 and has donated more than 7 million goods to help over 600,000 families from Multibanks in Scotland, Greater Manchester, Wales, London, Tees Valley, and now the West Midlands. This year, families will receive more than a million orders from the Multibanks across the UK.

According to a report from BirminghamLive ‘Birmingham: A Child Poverty Emergency’, almost half (46%) of Birmingham’s children are growing up in poverty, up from 27% in 2015 and more than at any time since records began.

The report found that teachers and youth workers are frequently having to spend their own money to meet the basic needs of young people, while GPs and medics voiced their concerns about the mental and physical toll poverty is having on those impacted.  One of the solutions proposed by the report was the creation of a Multibank in the region.

The West Midlands Multibank will be run by Birmingham Voluntary Service Council (BVSC), building on the charity’s established work supporting children, young people and families across the region. BVSC aims to ensure no good product goes to waste, and no family goes without the essentials they need.

Community support organisations, schools and colleges, and charities in the West Midlands will now be able access the donated goods from the West Midlands Multibank including soap, toilet roll, household products, school kit and more.

The project has drawn support from Richard Parker, the Mayor of the West Midlands Combined Authority, who has worked closely with Gordon Brown, BVSC and Amazon to bring the pioneering Multibank initiative to the region. He will mark the launch by donating 1,000, four-week bus passes, worth £64 each, to be given to families in need.

The Multibank will process donations from Amazon as well as Navigator and Sofidel in a dedicated 8,000 sq. ft warehouse in the Saltley area of Birmingham. It will also welcome thousands of hygiene products donated by Amazon customers following their You Buy, We Donate campaign from earlier in the year, which was supported by suppliers of essential household brands including Unilever, L’Oréal, Garnier, Nivea, ‎Colgate, and Tommee Tippee, and backed by delivery logistics providers, Palletline, Mercedes-Benz and Volvo.

Amazon helped set-up the warehouse operations and will provide logistics and tech support, together with team members from its fulfilment centre in Sutton Coldfield to work at the West Midlands Multibank on-site full-time for three years. Amazon Web Services (AWS), Amazon’s cloud computing business, will provide additional digital skills support and training for people accessing the Multibank in the region, and has pledged £80,000 to cover the site’s rent this year.

The project is backed by the Multibank Fund, established by Comic Relief and Amazon, who have committed an additional £6 million over the next four years to fund the sustainability of Multibanks across the UK. Managed by Comic Relief, the fund will help to scale this vital service to more families across the country.

The opening of the West Midland’s Multibank will help families, schools and all family support services across the region to have the material means to relieve and turn around the dreadful hardship being experienced across this region. John Boumphrey, UK Country Manager at Amazon, and I are grateful to BVSC for coordinating the start-up of the West Midlands Multibank and we thank local community charities and businesses like Palletline, Volvo and Mercedes-Benz for their pledges of support to help us roll out our Multibank coalition of compassion in the region. We are also grateful to Amazon customers and suppliers for their smart partnership which is ensuring tens of thousands of hygiene and essential baby products are already in stock here to support families across the region who need the most. It just shows what we can do when we choose to come together to make a difference.  Together, we are bringing immediate relief to many aspects of household poverty and I hope, restoring hope to all families that better days still do lie ahead.

– Gordon Brown, former UK Prime Minister

Our goal is simple, to help as many families across the West Midlands as possible, by connecting surplus goods from Amazon and other businesses, with those who need it most. We’ve now donated 7 million products to more than 600,000 families by working with committed partners to scale the Multibank across the UK. But this is just the beginning as we bring together our resources, logistics expertise and AWS technology to operate this vital hub, and with support from the charity and business sectors we will reach even more people this year.

– John Boumphrey, UK Country Manager, Amazon

At BVSC we work hard with our community and public sector partners to tackle child poverty, which is a growing scourge on our society. Now, thanks to Gordon Brown’s vision and to the generous support of Amazon and Comic Relief, the West Midlands Multibank is established and will be helping local charities, schools and social workers to access essential goods for families in need. This is a visionary initiative that has the potential to tackle poverty and reduce pollution all whilst improving people’s lives. We look forward to growing across the West Midlands, and to welcoming more charities and private sector donors into the effort.

– Brian Carr, CEO, Birmingham Voluntary Service Council

Too many families are struggling to afford the basics, and no child should have to go without. The Multibank is making a real difference – providing essentials that ease pressure on parents and bring a bit of joy to children who need it most. This also shows what can happen when businesses step up for their communities. Donating surplus stock isn’t just about reducing waste – it’s about giving families a helping hand when they need it most.

– Richard Parker, Mayor of the West Midlands

This new Multibank will be an invaluable lifeline to many people across the region. Comic Relief is incredibly proud to support and help this vital cross organisational initiative that helps essential goods; whether it’s clothes, bedding, household products or school uniforms reach communities and families who need it most throughout the UK.

– Samir Patel, CEO, Comic Relief

Products are principally donated by Amazon but with growing support from other businesses, including INEOS, Haleon, Morrisons, Navigator, Sofidel, ColPal, Pura and Unilever. Amazon has also joined forces with suppliers to run more You Buy, We Donate campaigns again this year on Amazon.co.uk to boost essential supplies across the Multibank network.

Amazon describes Haul as ‘a shopping experience in the Amazon Shopping app that provides customers in the U.S. a place to discover even more affordable fashion, home, lifestyle, electronics, and other products with ultra-low prices with everything priced at $20 or less’.

Slow delivery goes against everything Amazon have built over the past few decades, where they’ve pretty much single handedly trained us to expect everything to arrive tomorrow, if not today. But the economy is hurting consumers and they’ve voted with their wallets to shop on Temu and sacrifice speed for low cost so Amazon have having to follow.

Now a job advert (since deleted) reveals Amazon are on the hunt for a Software Development Engineer to work on Haul with plans to raise it’s profile in the US and launch worldwide later this year… by which we can only deduce that the UK and Europe will be top of Amazon’s expansion plans.

This team is driving two 2025 S-team goals to make haul “Go Big” in the US and launch WW this year. Our team is on a mission to completely reimagine the end-to-end customer journey for Retail products – from the front-end Shopping experiences all the way through the backend supply chain (Seller experience, Operations, . Engineers in this team have the opportunity to work on all Retail surfaces – from Homepage, DP, Search, PurchaseX, P13N, Accounting, Pricing, Tax, Returns, DEX etc. It’s a massive challenge, but also a chance to make a huge impact.

– Amazon

Amazon are betting big on Haul which suggests that early adoption in the US has been positive. Amazon have a history of putting all their resources behind a project that shows promise, although they’re equally as quick to pull the plug if a project falters. But by putting two S-teams (Senior leadership teams) behind the Amazon Haul project it shows that this will be a big focus for 2025 so keep an eye out for developments.