HZ info：According to the Ministry of Commerce, from January to February 2025, China’s e-commerce experienced vigorous growth, with both internal momentum and open market vitality continuing to be unleashed. Industrial e-commerce has emerged as the focal point, with the Ministry of Commerce introducing concepts such as “industrial e-commerce,” “e-commerce platform + industrial cluster,” and “overseas platform + domestic industrial cluster” for the first time. These concepts emphasize the integration of supply and procurement as well as the convergence of digital and physical resources. During this period, the transaction volumes for plastics and electronic products increased by 7.1% and 6.7%, respectively, while AI and cross-border e-commerce have propelled the digitalization of the industrial chain to a new level. As a pioneer, iBuyChem has led industry development through innovative practices.

Since 2022, the Ministry of Commerce has included iBuyChem in its “Statistical Reports on the Business Operations of Typical E-Commerce Service Enterprises.” The development of iBuyChem is a microcosm of the evolution of China’s industrial e-commerce. With over 20 years of deep industry experience, iBuyChem integrates online and offline scenarios on its platform to provide comprehensive services for enterprises that cover research and development, procurement, production, sales, supply chain management, and market expansion. Currently, the platform serves more than 180,000 members and has established an index monitoring system for over 50 key industrial products. It operates with more than one million active buyer factories, releasing over 1,000 purchase and sample requests each month.

In terms of transaction scale, iBuyChem’s annual Gross Merchandise Volume (GMV) has consistently reached the multi-billion mark. The company focuses on empowering the digital value chain through information, transactions, and data. In financial service innovation, iBuyChem has partnered with institutions such as China Construction Bank, Agricultural Bank of China, and CITIC Bank to develop technology-driven financial value-added services based on transaction data credit. These services provide loan support for enterprises along the industrial chain.

AI-Driven University-Enterprise Collaboration and Digital-Physical Integration

AI Assistant Powered by Professional Knowledge Base Large Models

iBuyChem has integrated an AI large model into its professional knowledge base to launch an AI assistant. This tool helps buyers quickly locate materials and provides formulation guidance as well as sample requests, thereby enhancing the online experience. Furthermore, the platform collects performance requirements from factories regarding material development. In collaboration with South China University of Technology, iBuyChem co-established a university–enterprise research initiative to develop high-performance green materials that meet market demands, for which an invention patent has been applied. Simultaneously, the “New Materials + Digital Economy Demonstration Zone” jointly established with Haizhu District in Guangzhou is assisting small and medium-sized enterprises in their digital transformation, thereby promoting the integration of digital and physical resources.

China's Action in Global Exhibitions and Global Marketing

【Insert iBuyChem Russia Video, February 29, 2024】

In 2024, iBuyChem, together with Chinese suppliers, participated in the Russia Coatings Exhibition and conducted market research in Russia.

iBuyChem publishes the “New Materials Industry” magazine globally and organizes Chinese new materials companies to participate in professional international trade fairs, with a presence in Russia, Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, Saudi Arabia, and other countries. Through professional journals published in Russian, English, and Arabic, as well as dual platforms on its international website, iBuyChem accurately connects high-quality domestic new materials suppliers with overseas buyers. By leveraging both online and offline channels, the company has built a new digital export model for the new materials industrial chain.

In 2024, the “New Materials Industry” magazine received significant attention and acclaim at the Indonesia APCS Asia Pacific Coatings Exhibition.

A Vietnamese business delegation visited in 2024.

At the 2025 Russia Coatings Exhibition, iBuyChem, via its Russian special issues and international website, assisted domestic high-quality new materials suppliers in precisely connecting with overseas buyers.

Accelerating Service Layout in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Africa Through Resource Sharing and Joint Construction 

iBuyChem co-hosted the 2023 Saudi Arabia (Jazan) Investment Promotion Conference.

In 2019, the “overseas platform + domestic industrial cluster” strategy was already part of iBuyChem’s development blueprint. Against the backdrop of the “Belt and Road” initiative and the strategic economic integration between China and Saudi Arabia, China’s manufacturing globalization process continues to advance. iBuyChem has consistently participated in and co-organized Middle Eastern investment recommendation exchange conferences, helping Chinese suppliers set sail for international markets. 

From February 6 to 8, 2025—the first working day after the Spring Festival—a government delegation of over 20 members led by the Saudi Investment Department visited Guangdong and Guangzhou. The delegation paid visits to the Guangdong Provincial Department of Commerce, Guangzhou Financial Bureau, Canton Fair, Guangzhou Investment Development Committee Office, Guangzhou Industrial Investment Group, GAC Group, and Xiaopeng Motors. Subsequently, the delegation held a working group meeting at iBuyChem’s headquarters and discussed related policies and resource support for building a cross-border trading platform for chemical new materials and green building materials in Saudi Arabia.

iBuyChem facilitated one-on-one exchanges between selected enterprises and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF). 

On March 19–20, iBuyChem hosted one-on-one sessions between selected enterprises and the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) and the King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC) team in Hong Kong at an overseas sovereign fund and globally renowned investment institution forum hosted by Guangdong Province Governor Wang Weizhong. Following the forum, Zhang Guozhi, a member of the Standing Committee of the Guangdong Provincial Party Committee and Vice Governor, held further discussions with PIF representatives and iBuyChem Chairman Guo Xihong. Concurrently, iBuyChem recommended 10 outstanding companies for one-on-one discussions with PIF.

Future Outlook

By leveraging AI and cross-border e-commerce, and deepening the integrated industrial e-commerce model, there are abundant market opportunities and developmental prospects for enterprises along the industrial chain. Industrial e-commerce is steadily propelling China’s e-commerce onto a more prominent global stage.