China has introduced a set of guidelines designed to foster a more thriving e-commerce ecosystem, with a strong emphasis on integrating artificial intelligence into online retail platforms and accelerating institutional opening-up to further facilitate cross-border e-commerce.

The shift promises more personalized and efficient online shopping experiences for consumers, while continuing to welcome global businesses to share in China's vast digital marketplace, according to analysts and executives.

The guidelines, jointly issued on Monday by the Ministry of Commerce and five other departments, aim to establish "a high-quality development framework" for the sector, with 16 measures covering technological innovation, cross-border trade, rural e-commerce, regulatory oversight and financial support.

"China has been the world's largest online retail market for 13 consecutive years, covering 26 million domestic merchants and serving 3.2 billion consumers globally," said an official from the ministry's e-commerce department.

The guidelines explicitly encourage the development of "AI plus e-commerce", calling on leading enterprises to increase their research and development spending, and to apply large AI models to optimize consumer experiences, reduce operating costs and enhance circulation efficiency.

The policy comes as AI is transforming the way consumers shop. According to a report on changing consumer behavior released in October by United States media service company Omnicom Media Group, 65 percent of consumers now expect to find the answers they are looking for in AI overviews.

"We clearly observe this trend through monitoring clickstream, sessions and conversations on our platform," said Diarmuid Gill, chief technology officer of global commerce media company Criteo, noting that the application of AI is currently focused on the product discovery and price comparison stages, with the final consumer decision-making phase remaining underdeveloped.

As AI has become an important part of the consumer shopping journey, businesses need to deploy AI agent-driven marketing strategies promptly to capitalize on this critical growth opportunity, Gill added.

In January, Chinese tech company Alibaba integrated its Qwen AI model more deeply into its e-commerce ecosystem, enabling users to compare tailored product recommendations from platforms such as Taobao and Fliggy, and make payments via Alipay — all within the chatbot.

Ramon Laguarta, chairman and CEO of US beverage giant PepsiCo, said: "China's digital ecosystem allows us to test our bold ideas with far greater efficiency than anywhere else — from AI-powered supply chains to e-commerce platforms. We are constantly exploring new ways to serve consumers more effectively."

On the international front, the guidelines prioritize expanding cross-border e-commerce. In particular, the country encourages e-commerce companies to establish overseas direct-sourcing bases, expand imports of high-quality products, and create a "direct express lane" for global goods to enter the Chinese market.

"This initiative is aligned with China's commitments to boost imports and promote balanced trade," said Zhou Mi, a senior researcher at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation.

China has been the world's second-largest import market for 17 consecutive years. Zhou added that the new e-commerce push is seen as a practical extension of this pro-import strategy, using digital platforms to bring the best of global supply chains directly to Chinese households. He noted that building direct-sourcing channels overseas is expected to involve streamlined customs procedures, faster logistics integration and smoother cross-border payment.

wangkeju@chinadaily.com.cn