Qwen App

Objective

Make Alibaba's consumer AI assistant a new entry point to its marketplaces, by moving the start of the purchase from the search bar to the conversation, and thereby extend the customer reach of the group's e-commerce.

The deployment

Qwen, Alibaba's consumer AI app, was connected on January 15, 2026 to the group's services (Taobao and Tmall, Taobao Instant Commerce, Amap, Fliggy, Alipay) to carry out real tasks: ordering a meal or groceries, booking a ticket, buying a product. The launch was driven by a Chinese New Year campaign starting February 6, with three billion yuan in incentives announced by the group. According to the quarterly results published in March 2026, about 140 million users had made their first AI-driven purchase through Qwen's agentic features by the end of February, and Qwen had passed 300 million monthly active users. On May 11, 2026, Alibaba opened the entire Taobao and Tmall catalog (more than 4 billion products) to the Qwen app, whereas the commerce features had until then covered only a few test categories, and launched a Qwen Shopping Assistant in the Taobao app, reachable from the messages tab: comparisons, virtual try-on for clothing, coupon stacking during shopping festivals, and 30-day price tracking that places the order automatically once the target price is reached. In its results for the quarter ended June 30, 2026, Alibaba reports 250 million users who have made their first AI-driven purchase through Qwen since its launch. The group, however, publishes no conversion, basket or GMV figure attributed to these agents; on the contrary, it cites a rise in inference costs tied to the Qwen app among the losses of its AI segment. The evidence therefore covers adoption at scale, not an isolated commercial effect, and that adoption was obtained with heavy subsidies.

Results Proof A

The adoption figures appear in two earnings releases filed with the SEC (6-K); they prove scale, but no effect on conversion or GMV is published, and initial adoption was bought through a three billion yuan campaign.

1. 1
   Capture the intent AI

   The user describes a need in the chat; the agent asks follow-up questions about budget or style.

2. 2
   Search and compare AI

   The agent queries the Taobao and Tmall catalog, suggests options or a product bundle and side-by-side comparisons, drawing on the order history.

3. 3
   Order in the chat AI / user

   The transaction is completed in the conversation window, with platform coupons stacked; price tracking can trigger the purchase automatically at the threshold set by the user.

4. 4
   Track and provide after-sales service AI / e-commerce platform

   The agent's skills cover order management, logistics and after-sales service.