UK SMES EMBRACE AI AMIDST INCREASING MANUFACTURING AND PROCUREMENT PRESSURES

-New research revealed as Alibaba.com brings its agentic AI platform, Accio Work, to Smart Manufacturing Week in Birmingham-

LONDON, June 4, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- As the Official Agentic Business Partner of Smart Manufacturing Week in Birmingham from 3-4 June 2026, Alibaba.com is bringing Accio Work, its agentic AI platform for businesses, to the show floor to demonstrate how agentic AI can address the operational pressures facing UK manufacturers today. 

At the heart of the partnership is a bespoke 'Event Edition Agent' built specifically for Smart Manufacturing Week. It brings together three practical tools in one place: 'AI Expert Agents', 'Smart Navigation' and 'Industry Trend Reports', giving visitors a live, hands-on way to find suppliers, compare products and make faster procurement decisions on the spot. Visitors can pre-register for free access to these tools here.

Accio Work acts as an agentic business team for SMEs, handling sourcing, supplier research and procurement and marketing tasks that would otherwise consume hours of manual effort. According to Alibaba.com's recent study of over 500 UK SME owners, 40% are using AI at least once a week to help overcome day-to-day operational challenges. Time-saving was cited as the primary driver for the adoption (37%), followed by improving efficiencies (36%) and better decision making with better data and insights (22%).

The findings shed light on where that time is actually going, and which risk detracting business owners' attention from business growth. More than a third (35%) said dealing with emails take up the most time each month, followed by bookkeeping (31%) and invoicing (17%).  19% of those surveyed said chasing late payments was the time-consuming task they liked the least, while over a quarter of SMEs use their evenings to complete such tasks.

Over half (53%) of SMEs believe that running their small business has become more complex in recent years. One of the biggest challenges is knowing which products to stock, develop or launch was a challenge, cited by 49% of respondents.

According to the research, the most frequently used AI-powered tools and services include research tools (26%), writing tools (25%), and AI assistants, such as chatbots (24%).  

Notes to editors

• The research was conducted by One Poll, among a sample of 500 SME owners across the UK. The data was collected between 17-18^th March 2026. One Poll abides by and employs members of the Market Research Society and follows the MRS code of conduct and ESOMAR principles. One Poll is also a member of the British Polling Council.
• Attendees at Smart Manufacturing Week can meet the Alibaba.com team at the AI Sourcing Lounge on Stand E40, where they will explore the latest innovations in smart sourcing, supplier discovery and AI-driven manufacturing solutions including their agentic AI platform Accio Work designed to help businesses improve efficiency, resilience and growth.

About Alibaba.com

Launched in 1999, Alibaba.com is a leading platform for global business-to-business (B2B) e-commerce that serves buyers and suppliers from over 200 countries and regions around the world. It is engaged in services covering various aspects of commerce, including providing businesses with tools that help them reach a global audience for their products and helping buyers discover products, find suppliers and place orders online fast and efficiently. Alibaba.com is part of Alibaba International Digital Commerce Group.

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