What is Star Rating?
Star Ratings are a crucial tool for sellers like you to grow your ecommerce capabilities and succeed on Alibaba.com. As a leading global B2B marketplace, Alibaba.com attracts millions of buyers from more than 200 countries and regions worldwide every day, who search for high-quality products from reputable suppliers.
The Star Ratings system provides an overall evaluation of a supplier’s capabilities to serve global buyers, helping your products rank higher in search results and increasing your business opportunities through greater exposure. Achieving a high star rating places you in an excellent position to receive at least 15 inquiries per month.
With six rating scales, ranging from 0 to 5 stars, the more stars you receive, the more opportunities you have to enhance your product’s visibility and rank higher in search results.
“Product Showcase” is an excellent marketing tool that helps you get more visibility and rank higher in search results. It’s important to note that “Product Showcases” are available to suppliers with higher star ratings, making it an excellent incentive to achieve and maintain a high rating.
In summary, the Alibaba.com Star Ratings system is a crucial factor for your success on the platform. Achieving a high star rating places your products in a better position to succeed, increasing your visibility and attracting more inquiries from potential buyers.
Why is Star Rating Important?
1. Increase Impressions
a. Higher search ranking – The higher your Star Rating, the higher your products’ search rankings will likely be
b. Higher Showcase exposure – The higher your Star Rating, the more exposure your Showcases will likely receive
c. Gold RFQ – The higher your Star Rating, the more business opportunities you’ll likely get from serious buyers on Alibaba.com.
Gold RFQ refers to business opportunities buyers with a known profile, such as Pro Buyer.
d. Star Rating display – Buyers tend to trust and contact suppliers with higher Star Ratings.
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Participation Access
a. GGS Featured Industry Expo – A GGS-specific event promoting products to global buyers. This is a featured industry events for Global Gold Supplier or GGS sellers in terms of promoting to millions of buyers in specific month in a year with focus on the main categories like Food & Beverages, Apparel, Beauty & Personal Care, Home & Garden, Gifts & Craft and Sports & Entertainment.
b. Ecommerce Master – A chance for suppliers to demonstrate their capabilities and become Alibaba.com global talent suppliers.
c. March Expo/Super September – The two largest annual promotions on Alibaba.com.
d. Industry Trade Shows – Industry-themed online events for suppliers to promote products to global buyers.
e. Alibaba Netpreneur Masterclass – An opportunity to learn and explore how to harness digital technology to grow business.
The Alibaba Netpreneur Training program will bring digital entrepreneurs and business leaders together to explore how to harness digital technology to positively transform their businesses and the local economy.
The program is organized by Alibaba Business School. Learn more here: Alibaba Netpreneur Training
f. Industrial Diagnostic – In-depth industrial diagnosis from an Alibaba.com account manager. Optimize your platform strategy together with the official Account Manager to attract more matched buyers.
g. Hero Banner – Prominent location under certain categories to gain suitable buyers.
Alibaba.com Star Rating Rewards Upgrades – Summary
Most rewards are given to suppliers with 2 stars and above, such as higher rankings, Gold RFQs and industrial diagnostics.
| Category | Rewards | ⭐ | ⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Core Change |
| Exposure | Higher search ranking | I | I I | I I I | I I I I | I I I I I | Higher priority to 2-star suppliers and above |
| Higher Showcase exposure | I | I I | I I I | I I I I | I I I I I | ||
| Star Rating displayed | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Gold RFQ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | New | |||
| Participation Access | GGS Featured Industry Expo | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | New |
| Ecommerce Master | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Only open to 2-star suppliers and above | ||
| March Expo | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Only open to 2-star suppliers and above | ||
| Super September | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Only open to 2-star suppliers and above | ||
| Industry Trade Shows | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |||
| Alibaba.com Netpreneur Masterclass | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | New | ||
| Industrial Diagnostics | ✓ | ✓ | New | ||||
| Hero Banner | ✓ | ✓ | New |
How to Improve Your Alibaba.com Star Rating?
Step 1: Get to Know the Star Rating Model
- Star ratings range from 1-5 stars
- Suppliers are evaluated based on 6 indicators covering 3 capabilities: products, services and marketing
- Each indicator has different thresholds corresponding to each Star Rating. The lowest-rated indicator acts as the overall Star Rating.
- Suppliers with a cumulative penalty score of 36 or more serious infringements with display “unhealthy” risk status and be unable to achieve Star Supplier status until it returns to “healthy”.
| Capabilities | Product | Service | Marketing | |||
| Indicator | Potential Products and Above1 | Top and Super Products1 | Store Response Time | Active Buyers1 | Conversion Rate1 | Marketing Traffic Index |
| ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ≥216 | ≥21 (include at least 1 super product) |
≤12h | ≥60 | ≥10% | 90 |
| ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ≥216 | ≥21 | ≤16h | ≥35 | ≥8% | 80 |
| ⭐⭐⭐ | ≥48 | ≥6 | ≤20h | ≥20 | ≥6% | 70 |
| ⭐⭐ | ≥30 | ≥4 | ≤22h | ≥10 | ≥5% | 70 (Bonus2) |
| ⭐ | ≥12 | ≥1 | ≤24h | ≥4 | ≥3.5% | 70 (Bonus2) |
1The threshold for the number of Potential Products and above, Top and Super Products, Active Buyers, and Conversion Rate may vary based on the region and/or category.
2Marketing Traffic Index is a bonus function that can help suppliers boost the rating of either potential products, active buyers, or conversion rates from 0 stars to 1 star or 1 star to 2 stars when they reach 70 points.
Indicator Definitions
| Capabilities | Indicator | Definition |
| Product | Potential Products and Above | Total number of Potential, Top and Super products. |
| Top and Super Products | Total number of Top, and Super products. | |
| Marketing | Active Buyers | Number of unique buyers who sent an inquiry, IM (instant message), RFQ with buyer’s reply, or conducted TA (Trade Assurance) in the previous 30 days.
Note: Visitors directed by keyword advertisements are included. |
| Conversion Rate | Number of unique active visitors who contacted suppliers or conducted Trade Assurance after viewing their products or storefront divided by the total number of unique visitors in the past 30 days.
Note: Abnormal traffic is removed to improve indicator stability. |
|
| Marketing Traffic Index | A supplier’s ability to obtain traffic through active marketing tools over the past 30 days. Active marketing tools include:
a. 30 points for US $100, 50 points for US $200, 70 points for US $300 and 90 points for US $500 spent on KWA in the past 30 days b. 30 points for 90% store response rate or more c. 10 points for current Premium Sponsored Ads d. 10 points for every 7 RFQ quotations in the past 30 days (maximum of 20 points) e. 10 points for opening all available Showcases f. 10 points for five or more products with videos
Note: Points can also be obtained for the equivalent of: 30 points = MYR 400; 50 points = MYR 800; 70 points = MYR 1,200; 90 points = MYR 2,000 |
|
| Service | Store Response Time | The average amount of time a supplier takes to respond to a buyer’s first message (i.e., inquiries, instant messages) over the past 30 days.
Note: 1. Messages that are sent to the spam folder within 24 hours will not be counted. If the seller returns a spam inquiry to their inbox, the inquiry is redefined as a valid message. The indicator begins from when the buyer sends the inquiry;
2. Only manual replies from sellers are included in the overall store response time |
Step 2: Complete recommended actions to increase each indicator rating
FAQ
Q: How often is the Star Rating updated?
A: It is updated once a month. The supplier’s Star Rating affects what privileges they are eligible to receive.
Q: What is a forecasted Star Rating?
A: The forecasted Star Rating is the expected Star Rating for the following month based on current indicators. The forecasted rating is updated every day and does not affect a supplier’s privileges.
Q: Can I trust the star ratings on Alibaba.com?
A: While the star ratings on Alibaba.com can be a helpful guide, it’s important to conduct your own research and due diligence before making any purchases. Consider factors such as the supplier’s trading history, response rate, and overall reputation on the platform.
Get Ahead with Star Rating: The Secret to Standing Out on Alibaba.com
In conclusion, a high Alibaba star rating is crucial for success in the competitive world of e-commerce marketplaces. At our company, we understand the significance of this rating and the impact it can have on your business.
We can provide you with effective strategies to improve your rating and enhance your online reputation. Alternatively, if you are looking to take your business to the next level, we can guide you through the process of signing up as an Alibaba Gold Supplier member.
Don’t let a low rating hold you back – contact us today to learn how we can help you achieve success in online marketplaces.
