Alibaba’s namesake site, Alibaba.com, is partnering with payments company Slope to offer “pay later for business.”
The companies refer to “pay later for business” as “an embedded financing solution” that allows U.S. business buyers to manage payments and cash flow at checkout. Slope uses artificial intelligence (AI) to provide credit and risk infrastructure services to businesses.
Alibaba recently expanded its AI tools for small businesses in an effort to support small- and medium-sized businesses. The central part of the initiative is Deep Search, an AI-driven procurement tool that allows businesses to search for 280 million product listings using natural language and image-based queries. Unlike traditional search engines, Alibaba said, the system dissects complex questions, cross-references multiple data points, and ranks results by relevance to connect buyers with suppliers more quickly. In addition, Alibaba launched an AI agent in May 2024 that it dedicated to global trade.
Alibaba owns the world’s two largest online marketplaces by gross merchandise value (GMV), Taobao and Tmall. Taobao ranks No. 1 in the Global Online Marketplaces Database, Digital Commerce 360’s ranking of the largest such marketplaces by GMV. Tmall ranks No. 2. Both platforms operate in China and primarily serve the Chinese market. Among Alibaba’s other marketplaces is the global B2B marketplace Alibaba.com.
How Alibaba is offering ‘pay later’ to businesses
Through the integration with Slope, qualified business buyers using Alibaba.com can apply for “flexible payment terms,” the companies said in a statement announcing their partnership.
According to the announcement, Slope’s technology underwrites in real time to assess business buyers’ eligibility based on live transaction and financial data. In doing so, it provides “rapid credit decisions.”
“Through the partnership with Slope, we provide flexible and intelligent financing options for our business buyers, helping them grow by enabling a smoother purchasing experience and greater confidence,” said Issac Chen, senior director of global commerce solutions and services at Alibaba.com, in the statement.
Slope said this marks the “first of several significant partnerships” it plans to announce this year.
“Today’s buyers expect financial tools that align seamlessly with their existing workflows,” said Lawrence Lin Murata, CEO and co-founder of Slope, in the statement. “Our collaboration with Alibaba.com demonstrates how intelligent credit infrastructure can support business growth and cash flow management exactly where buyers already operate.”
In June, Alibaba Group rolled out a similar partnership with fintech provider Balance. That partnership also targets U.S.-based Alibaba users and offers B2B financing at checkout.
“Flexible B2B payments are essential for business customers who want to grow,” said Yiran Li, head of customer retention strategy at Alibaba.com U.S., according to a previous Digital Commerce 360 report. “By embedding Balance directly into our checkout, we’re making it easy for customers to buy on their terms, without being limited by cash flow constraints.”
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