If you’ve ever been on the receiving end of B2B procurement, you know the drill: a Google search to find potential suppliers, then a tedious back-and-forth to see if they meet your needs, only to be hit with an Excel sheet bloated with tens of thousands of SKUs—most of which don’t even apply. From there, it’s a hunt to find the right product, negotiate price and terms, and finally, close the deal. It’s a process that feels less like modern business and more like trying to find a needle in a haystack with your eyes closed.
Ironically, procurement has become a job that feels almost inhuman. Not because of the people doing it—but because of what’s being asked of them.
In the age of generative AI, self-driving cars, and real-time decision engines, why is B2B procurement still stuck in the early 2000s?
What Is Autonomous Commerce?
Autonomous commerce is a simple idea with massive implications: what if we could replace the back-and-forth of traditional procurement with the speed, structure, and intelligence of AI?
Think of an AI agent that can scan through data, qualify leads or suppliers, understand intent, match needs, filter products, and propose deals—without relying on dozens of phone calls, endless spreadsheets, or outdated systems.
This isn’t a futuristic concept. It’s already happening in other sectors. Tools like ChatGPT are proving that AI can take unstructured, messy, fragmented data and turn it into actionable insights—quickly and at scale.
Now, imagine applying that same logic to a space like wholesale procurement or B2B liquidation, where data chaos is the norm, not the exception.
Why Procurement Is Ripe for AI
The core pain in procurement today boils down to four words: fragmented data, everywhere.
Buyers spend more time searching, sorting, filtering, and structuring data than actually acting on it. Every step—from finding the right supplier to qualifying inventory to negotiating—is time-consuming, manual, and often redundant.
This is where AI shines. Its ability to:
– Extract structured data from unstructured sources
– Apply logic and filters instantly
– Surface insights in real time
– Automate repetitive workflows
…makes it uniquely suited to a procurement world that’s overdue for reinvention.
A Shift in Thinking
What we’re witnessing is more than automation—it’s a shift in how commerce gets done. Autonomous commerce doesn’t just make things faster; it removes friction entirely.
For entrepreneurs and executives in the Middle East and beyond, this represents a moment of opportunity. Whether you’re on the buy side or the sell side, AI can help you move faster, make smarter decisions, and unlock growth in places where it previously felt impossible.
We’re just scratching the surface of what’s possible.
