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owners . This will help us to build stronger connections with our customers so that we can better serve them .
Why should businesses be tracking sustainable trends in sourcing and packaging that can help them better serve customers and the environment ? Consumers are becoming increasingly environmentally conscious , and there ’ s a particular growth in demand for sustainable and eco-friendly products and packaging . In fact , recent Alibaba . com data shows an 88 percent increase in inquiries for sustainable products ( eco-friendly and water-efficient products ) on the platform in the past year .
A few sourcing experts we have spoken with also consider sustainable products to be recession-proof as consumers have proven they are willing to pay a premium for them . Additionally , a few states in the US , such as New York , are likely to adopt more strict regulations around sustainability . For example , New York lawmakers proposed the Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act , requesting that companies with over $ 1 million in revenue reduce consumer packaging , improve recycling efforts related to their product packaging and help update recycling infrastructure .
Digitizing also allows businesses to build a database . Moving offline sales conversations and customer feedback online can help companies understand customers ’ needs better , allowing them to make data-driven business decisions and product strategies , as well as provide more accurate answers for customers and ultimately improve the sales efficiencies at scale . For example , AI-driven customer service can provide accurate answers immediately , though the technology needs to be trained on the right inputs for the business .
I think it ’ s also important to highlight how digitization is bringing convenience to customers . Business buyers today are trained to search , shop and transact online rather than offline . Having a digital presence with accurate product details helps customers make purchase decisions quickly . Savvy retailers are adopting new ways to digitize offline experience such as having store sales specialists demonstrate products to customers via videos or live streaming .
Lastly , we ’ re seeing stronger safety and security . Digital payment solutions and security technology allow safer and faster transactions . An example at Alibaba . com is Trade Assurance which protects buyers working with international suppliers .
Can you give some more details on how digitization is transforming B2B commerce ? Digitization removes the geographic barriers and allows business to expand at a global scale . I have encountered numerous stories about manufacturers transforming their businesses and becoming leading players in their industry through digitization . Now , businesses who were only meeting customers locally or at offline events can now be discovered and connected anytime , anywhere . Modern communication tools make it much easier to have a meeting at no extra cost .
Looking ahead , with your expertise , what do you think is next for the e-commerce sector ? Consumption downgrades : I think the e-commerce space will be decentralized and more diversified with platforms specializing in a specific customer segment . For example , with the recent layoffs , inflation and a possible recession , people are less likely to splurge and are looking for cheaper alternatives . Social media impacts : We need to look at the bigger impact of social media on e-commerce . US consumers are not as used to social shopping as consumers in other parts of the world . On the contrary , they still
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