Core Insights - The report by 1688 highlights a significant shift in China's industrial belts from traditional models reliant on experience and scale to user-centered, AI-driven smart operating systems. AI has evolved from a cost-reduction tool to a central intelligence reshaping business logic [1][2] Group 1: Industry Trends - The report indicates that the eastern regions (Guangdong, Zhejiang, Jiangsu) are leading the digitalization process, transitioning from manufacturing hubs to demand digestion centers [1] - The central regions (Henan, Anhui, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi) are experiencing the fastest digitalization growth, with a surge in "specialized, refined, unique, and innovative" enterprises [1] - The western regions (Sichuan, Chongqing, Shaanxi) are expanding digital coverage, leveraging AI to penetrate niche markets with distinctive categories [1] Group 2: AI Application and Growth Areas - Yiwu ranks first in AI application activity nationwide, followed by manufacturing strongholds such as Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Dongguan, and Wenzhou [1] - The report identifies three high-growth sectors for 2025: instant retail, customization, and cross-border business, each with specific operational demands [1] - Instant retail emphasizes speed, necessitating localized and flexible supply chain responses; customization relies on deep understanding of niche scenarios to provide precise solutions; cross-border business focuses on proximity to overseas end-user demands for agile product selection and compliant delivery [1] Group 3: AI Evolution in Industry - The report states that China's industrial belts are at a historic juncture, transitioning from digitalization to intelligence, with AI2B fundamentally reshaping operational logic and value distribution mechanisms [2] - The evolution of AI in industrial belts is predicted to occur in three stages: "AI add-on" from 2024-2025, "AI symbiosis" from 2026-2027, and the full "AI native" era starting in 2028, where AI will autonomously drive most business decisions and product innovations [2] - 1688 has launched the "AI Acceleration: Business Jumpstart Plan," with over 290,000 merchants using AI products and technologies daily as of December 30, 2025, indicating a significant increase in high-frequency and deep AI usage among merchants [2]

Group 1 - The core strategy of the company involves the establishment of offline selection centers, which have been launched in 16 cities across the country, with plans for further expansion [1] - The company has set a special investment budget to support the selection centers, focusing on 177 industrial belts across 40 cities [1] - The selection centers serve as a digital hub for industrial belts, integrating resources from government, leading enterprises, platforms, and factories, and currently cover 47 core industrial belts [1] Group 2 - The company aims to leverage its vast data and technological capabilities to meet industrial demands, using the selection centers to connect online data analysis with local resources [1] - The operational strategy for the selection center project is to iterate and optimize in mature industrial areas before broader replication [1] - As of February 2025, the annual active buyer count on the 1688 platform is projected to exceed 100 million, marking a historical high for the platform and positioning it among the top in the B-class commercial platform sector [2]