On December 23, Alibaba's wholesale platform 1688 hosted its annual Business Leaders Summit, announcing the winners of its 2025 Business Leadership Awards across industries including consumer goods and industrial products.
At the event, representatives from 1688's Merchant Development Center stated: "In the AI era, business success no longer depends on price wars but on certainty—stable orders, reliable delivery, and consistent operations. Growth isn't achieved through cutthroat competition ('juan') but through stability ('wen'). The more reliable a company is, the more confidently customers place orders, and the more business opportunities the platform matches for them." Experts further noted that China's economy is undergoing K-shaped divergence, where only digitally transformed and resilient businesses can navigate cyclical fluctuations.
Increasingly, merchants on 1688 are shifting from competing for mass traffic to refining supply chain value. The platform is collaborating with core sellers to build dependable fulfillment capabilities and AI-driven operations, fostering a win-win ecosystem for platforms, sellers, and buyers to lead in this K-shaped market landscape.
Despite spanning diverse sectors, this year's awardees share a common trait: China's manufacturing competition is evolving from external resource rivalry to internal capability building.
Facing challenges like inconsistent quality and industrial imbalances, manufacturers are breaking through via full-chain innovation ecosystems, smart manufacturing upgrades, and optimized resource allocation. Empowered by AI, big data, and IoT, many have simultaneously boosted productivity while reducing labor costs, demonstrating strong potential.
For instance, Shanghai Yifei Packaging transitioned from a traditional producer to a "one-stop safe delivery solutions" provider by developing an AI-powered quoting system and flexible production lines to counter market volatility. In cosmetics, Weifang Nao Cosmetics carved a niche with "research-grade essential oils," tapping into the wellness economy. Meanwhile, Yiwu Kefei Apparel elevated basic hosiery into premium fashion through rigorous quality control and agile supply chains, proving value can be created even in low-tech segments via relentless quality and efficiency pursuit.
The 1688 Business Leadership Awards spotlight exemplary manufacturers, focusing on AI-driven transformation and holistic growth. Evaluated across three measurable dimensions—platform data analysis, expert review, and field research—winners span packaging, apparel, electronics, home materials, and hardware, setting industry benchmarks.
1688 has established a virtuous cycle of "identifying benchmarks, distilling methodologies, and empowering ecosystems" within its merchant growth framework. By setting forward-looking criteria, the platform systematically highlights best practices, providing the ecosystem with clear reference points and replicable strategies.