Artificial Intelligence (AI) is profoundly and comprehensively altering traditional business models, with the e-commerce industry being no exception. If all goes as planned, AI will emerge as the primary battleground for future e-commerce. For any player aiming to triumph on this new frontier, embracing AI, transforming, and empowering themselves with it is crucial to elevate their development to a new level. As the annual 618 shopping festival approaches, it's essential to view it through an AI lens to anticipate the fresh imagination it will unleash.

In reality, e-commerce players have already started integrating AI in innovative ways well before the 618 festivities. From Alibaba's significant investment in AI to Tencent's aggressive and comprehensive access to deepseek, it's evident that an increasing number of players view AI as a new boon for their development. After initial groundwork and accumulation, AI at this year's 618 is no longer a novice but a relatively mature entity.

So, what fresh imagination will AI bring to this year's 618? How will AI enhance and transform the e-commerce experience? Through in-depth analysis, it becomes clear that AI's new imagination for 618 encompasses several key aspects. Assuming no unforeseen circumstances, these new imaginations will likely become standard configurations for future e-commerce players.

AI Will Transform E-commerce Supply Methods

Summarizing and defining AI's transformation of internet players reveals it to be a process rooted in supply-side reform. Ultimately, AI aims to change traditional e-commerce supply methods, thereby further enhancing industry efficiency. From this perspective, AI's transformation of traditional e-commerce supply methods is undoubtedly the most noteworthy aspect of this year's 618.

Traditional e-commerce supply methods are often passive, requiring users to search for products. With the ever-increasing upstream supply in e-commerce, it's becoming increasingly challenging for users to obtain desired goods through such methods. Despite advancements like big data and cloud computing, users still need to invest time and effort. Thus, improving the efficiency of B-end to C-end docking has become critical for e-commerce players seeking new growth.

As AI increasingly lands in e-commerce scenarios, especially when it starts a deep and comprehensive transformation of the supply side, B-end to C-end docking efficiency begins to optimize further. This shift from passive searching to active provision is a significant change, and it's worth noting that such active supply from the B-end is not haphazard but rather precise and refined, based on AI. When this new supply method becomes mainstream, the operating efficiency of the entire e-commerce industry will undoubtedly improve.

AI Will Transform E-commerce Business Models

Just as internet technology maturity gave rise to new business models like "Internet+", the maturity of AI technology, especially its increasing integration with industries and scenarios, will spawn new "AI+" business models. This is true for the e-commerce industry, which saw the emergence of content e-commerce, social e-commerce, and interest e-commerce in the internet era. In the AI era, more novel e-commerce models will arise.

Today, we witness new models of digital-physical and virtual-real integration, unmanned delivery, instant retail, and virtual digital human-led live streaming in the e-commerce industry. These are representatives of the new AI-era e-commerce models. Considering AI's new imagination for 618, the new e-commerce business models spurred by AI are a direct manifestation of this trend.

These AI-driven e-commerce models no longer rely on internet-era platforms and centers but rather facilitate faster and more accurate upstream-downstream docking in a de-platformed, decentralized manner. As this de-platformed, decentralized model gains popularity, e-commerce will increasingly return to the industry itself, with the industry becoming the primary driving force—an important aspect indeed.

For e-commerce players aiming to make a difference in the AI era, establishing as many industry connections as possible and achieving deep integration with the industry are crucial. AI ultimately becomes the pathway to virtual-real and digital-physical integration.

AI Will Reshape Roles and Statuses in E-commerce

One reason AI brings significant changes to various industry scenarios is its ability to reshape the roles and statuses of all parties. In e-commerce, this means reshaping roles and statuses, ultimately leading to new development. Considering AI's impact on e-commerce, reshaping roles and statuses stands out as a key change.

Historically, C-end users chose products after they were produced. While e-commerce enabled B-end to C-end docking, C-end users' passive product acceptance hasn't fundamentally changed. With the proliferation of supply and users' emphasis on participation and personalization, changing C-end users' passive role to active involvement in production and supply has become a new demand.

In the AI era, especially with efficient B-end to C-end interaction, C-end users' traditional passive role transforms into an active supply role. By providing demand data and personalized needs to the B-end, C-end users become part of the industry's development process, bringing tangible changes to their own development.

AI Will Create New E-commerce Dividends

AI's popularity partly stems from the new dividends it offers. The same applies to e-commerce. In the internet era, e-commerce dividends were about traffic and scale. In the AI era, they're more about industrial and stock dividends.

As 618 approaches, observing AI's new imagination requires considering AI's industry transformation and stock activation. We've mentioned AI anchors and digital humans, microcosms of AI's internal transformation of e-commerce. As more e-commerce elements, processes, and links are replaced by AI, we'll see new development possibilities and dividends.

Internet-era e-commerce dividends were horizontal. In the AI era, they're vertical. Exploring AI's new imagination for this year's 618, the new e-commerce dividends it creates are another aspect worth our attention.

Conclusion

AI is unlocking new imagination for 618, a natural outcome of major e-commerce players fully embracing AI and a direct manifestation of AI's increasing presence in various scenarios and industries. AI's great magic partly stems from its internal reshaping of e-commerce.

As AI deeply transforms e-commerce from the ground up, we may witness new possibilities and imagination spaces. Taking this as a starting point, e-commerce will truly transition from the "Internet e-commerce" era to the "AI e-commerce" era.