Still Using Filters? You’re Already Behind.
It’s 2025. Your product team needs a new biodegradable food container. You open a sourcing platform and type in “eco-friendly box,” only to get 427 semi-relevant results. So, you add filters: region, material, price. You still waste 90 minutes, three emails, and a WhatsApp call—only to end up with a PDF and zero confidence.
Smart B2B buyers have outgrown that loop.
They don’t just search. They describe. They ask. They use platforms like Accio to say:
“I need compostable food containers, MOQ under 500, delivered to France in 21 days.”
And they get back relevant suppliers—ranked, documented, and ready for quote.
This isn’t just better UX. It’s a strategic shift: from filtering to intent-based sourcing. From slow search to fast discovery.
“Ask Anything About B2B”: What That Actually Means
On traditional platforms, you’re expected to speak in machine language: short keywords, HS codes, and product category trees. But procurement professionals don’t think that way. No one wakes up saying, “Today I’ll search by NAICS.”
Buyers want to say things like:
- “We’re testing recycled PET for our cosmetic bottles.”
- “Looking for laser-cut wood signs, small batch, US-based.”
- “Need alternatives to injection molding for low-volume runs.”
Modern sourcing tools like Accio are designed to parse that kind of input—whether it’s a typed sentence, a URL to a similar product, or an uploaded image. The result? Matches that don’t just check boxes, but reflect your actual business need.
You can now ask anything about B2B, and start with a sentence—not a filter set.
How Accio Finds Matches That Matter
Behind Accio’s simplicity is a layered AI system optimized for three modes of sourcing:
- Product Search: Upload an image or describe a need. Accio searches across global listings—translating between regions, specs, and supplier catalogs.
- Supplier Search: Need vetted factories, not product links? Accio pulls from Alibaba.com, Europages, and wlw.de to surface verified producers based on your parameters.
- Business Research: Think beyond specs. Discover trends in materials, demand shifts by category, or which products are gaining traction across industries.
This isn’t magic. It’s matchmaking—with context.
Let’s say you want cotton tote bags. Traditional search gives you 100 vendors. Accio shows 12 who match your specs, delivery window, and region—and have relevant past exports or trade certifications.
That’s not just a match. That’s a shortlist.
What Makes a Supplier “Winning”?
AI can narrow the field. But it takes a sharp buyer to make the right choice.
The best procurement teams don’t just click the first result. They evaluate suppliers using signal-based judgment—and Accio supports that by presenting what matters:
- Responsiveness: How quickly do they reply to queries?
- Certifications: Are they CE-marked? FDA-compliant? ISO-ready?
- MOQ & Lead Time: Does their scale fit your production needs?
- Transparency: Do they show documentation, trade history, and named contacts?
- Location Fit: Can you reduce delivery time or tariff complexity by switching sourcing region?
One Accio user shared:
“We used to go through ten vendor calls to get one short quote list. Now I can screen by region, filter out factories with outdated certs, and chat with the best three—all in an hour.”
A “winning supplier” isn’t the loudest one. It’s the one that matches your constraints and enables growth.
From Sourcing Tool to Strategic Lens
Here’s where things get interesting: Smart buyers don’t just use sourcing tools to find products. They use them to spot markets.
When hundreds of queries hit Accio for thermal bottles in March, or for biodegradable utensils in Q2, that’s more than noise. That’s signal. It tells you what’s rising—and what’s cooling.
Accio’s Business Research dashboard surfaces exactly that: directional demand, rising keywords, and emerging material clusters. You’re not waiting for an analyst report. You’re seeing the market move—in real time.
For marketers and category managers, this unlocks another dimension:
You’re not just sourcing reactively. You’re shaping pipeline based on marketing insights tied to what buyers across the globe are already asking for.
One team used this to expand their Q3 product line. They weren’t chasing demand—they were leading it.
Pro Tips from Buyers Who Use AI Best
How do advanced users get the most out of AI sourcing? It’s not just luck. It’s technique.
1. Describe the problem, not the product
“Need portable chargers that meet EU battery reg. and come with USB-C cable.”
Better than: “Power bank supplier.”
2. Use images when words fail
Take a competitor’s Amazon photo. Upload it. Accio matches across catalogs—even if naming is inconsistent.
3. Refine iteratively
After your first search, add:
“MOQ under 300,”
“Lead time < 20 days,”
or “Prefer suppliers with recent export records.”
You get better matches—fast.
4. Mix filters with full-sentence queries
Advanced buyers still use filters for hard limits (region, certs), but they combine them with descriptive prompts to get nuanced control.
5. Use Accio for idea discovery
You’re not sure what your next product line should be? Use the trend view to explore what other buyers are actively sourcing this month.
That’s how one direct-to-retail brand found their next best-seller—in a category they hadn’t even considered.
Common Pitfalls When Using AI for Sourcing
As powerful as AI can be, it’s not a mind reader—and it’s not magic. Here are a few common mistakes that first-time users make:
- Being too vague: Inputs like “cheap bag” or “fast shipping” often lead to low-quality results. Be specific about quantity, material, and region.
- Treating the first match as the final answer: AI can surface excellent results, but supplier due diligence is still essential.
- Skipping follow-up refinement: Great sourcing happens in iterations. Adjust your inputs, ask follow-up questions, and keep narrowing the target.
Smart tools need smart users. When you approach AI sourcing as a dialogue, not a one-shot search, the results are dramatically better.
Stop Searching. Start Discovering.
The shift is already happening. AI-powered sourcing is no longer a novelty—it’s becoming the new standard.
Smart buyers know the game has changed. They don’t spend hours fine-tuning filter menus or chasing cold emails. They frame smarter questions, feed better input, and let tools like Accio surface what matters.
You don’t need a bigger sourcing team. You don’t need to guess what’s trending.
You just need to describe your need—and see where AI can take you.
Ready to move faster, with more clarity?
Ask better. Source smarter. Grow stronger.