Improve your Trade Assurance score (TA Score) to increase your chances of closing orders on Alibaba

In the rapidly growing global e-commerce environment, trust is the key factor determining the success of an international transaction. Especially onAlibaba.com– the world's largest B2B e-commerce platform, where millions of buyers and suppliers connect every day – building online reputation is imperative to increasing order closing rates.

One of the tools that clearly shows a seller's reputation is Trade Assurance (TA) and Trade Assurance score (TA Score). This is considered the "golden measure" that reflects the quality of a store's operations on Alibaba, and is also an important factor to help Vietnamese businesses improve their export capacity through Alibaba.

1. What are Trade Assurance and TA Score?

• Trade Assurance is a trade protection service provided byAlibaba.comProvided to ensure benefits for both buyers and sellers. This system works similar to an electronic L/C, in which Alibaba acts as an intermediary to hold money, disbursing money to the seller only when the buyer confirms the order meets the requirements. For suppliers, participating in Trade Assurance not only helps increase reliability but also unlocks many new business opportunities. Each participating supplier will be evaluated by Alibaba through a specific index - Trade Assurance Score (TA Score).

• TA Score is a composite score of compliance, order processing performance, response rate, ability to maintain product quality and buyer satisfaction. The higher the score, the greater the store's reputation, which means it increases the likelihood of being given priority by buyers during the search and transaction process.

2. Why is TA Score important for Vietnamese businesses?

For Vietnamese export businesses, especially those opening stores on Alibaba, TA Score is not just a number, but a "certificate of trust" in the eyes of international buyers. Here are three reasons why this metric is important:

2.1. Increase store visibility and rankings

Search system ofAlibaba.comPrioritize displaying products and booths with high TA Score. This means that businesses with good scores will appear in a more prominent position in search results, thereby attracting more views and opportunities to receive orders.

2.2. Increase the confidence of international buyers

When buyers choose a supplier, they often use the "Trade Assurance Supplier" filter to only find suppliers who have registered for transaction protection services. A high TA Score proves that your business has a transparent transaction history, high on-time delivery rate and good feedback - all factors that create trust so buyers are willing to deposit or sign a contract.

2.3. Increase export opportunities and closing rates

According to Alibaba Vietnam's internal statistics, businesses with a TA Score of 80 points or higher have a 2.5 times higher rate of receiving requests for quotation (RFQ) from buyers than stores that do not meet this standard. That means the higher the TA Score, the easier it is for businesses to expand export markets through Alibaba.

3. Factors affecting TA Score

To improve Trade Assurance scores, businesses need to clearly understand how Alibaba scores. This system is based on four main groups of factors:

3.1. Fulfillment Performance

Includes criteria:

• On-time delivery rate.

• Percentage of orders completed without disputes arising.

• Degree of compliance with contract terms.

A high on-time delivery rate not only improves TA Score but also helps increase buyer satisfaction.

3.2. Dispute & Response Management

Negative feedback or complaints from buyers will directly affect TA score. Therefore, businesses need to handle disputes transparently, quickly and according to the correct process.Alibaba.comoften recognize the level of cooperation in the dispute resolution process as a factor in assessing reputation.

3.3. Message and RFQ response rates

Another important factor is buyer response speed. According to Alibaba's algorithm, responding to messages within the first 4 hours is considered "positive feedback", helping to maintain a high TA Score.

3.4. Product quality and reviews from buyers

Feedback Score is also a component of TA Score. Products that meet quality standards, accurately described, and delivered as promised will help increase the average review score, thereby improving store reputation across the system.

4. Five effective ways to improve your Trade Assurance score

According to a team of expertsSellOnAlibaba.com, to maintain a high TA Score and optimize the opportunity to close orders, Vietnamese businesses should apply the following methods:

4.1. Complete business and booth profiles

A complete and transparent business profile will help buyers feel more confident. Please update your logo, factory image, ISO certificate, business license, introduction video and especially the Trade Assurance Logo on the booth page. This not only helps increase reputation points but also provides supportAlibaba.comFaster business identity authentication.

4.2. Ensure delivery on time and in sufficient quantity

This is the most important criterion that directly affects TA Score. Late deliveries of even just a few days can cause scores to drop significantly. Businesses should coordinate with reputable shipping units, closely monitor logistics progress and update the Tracking Number on the system as soon as the goods leave the warehouse.

4.3. Proactively respond quickly to all requests from buyers

Short average response time demonstrates the supplier's professionalism. Make sure your online sales team is always on hand to respond to RFQs, messages, and quote requests as soon as possible.

According to internal data from Alibaba Vietnam, suppliers who respond in the first 2 hours have a 40% higher order closing rate than average.

4.4. Resolve complaints transparently and cooperatively

In case of dispute, please proactively discuss and provide clear evidence such as invoices, delivery documents, quality inspection videos. The Trade Assurance system always prioritizes suppliers who show goodwill and cooperation during the settlement process.

A business that knows how to handle complaints professionally not only maintains its TA Score but is also highly appreciated by buyers for its business ethics.

4.5. Actively receive and encourage positive reviews

After each successful order, encourage buyers to leave positive feedback about products and services. Every “5-star” review from international buyers contributes to improving TA Score, while building a strong brand image on the Alibaba platform.

5. Real case: Vietnamese enterprises improve TA Score and increase export growth

A typical example comes from Minh Phu Decorative Wood Co., Ltd., a furniture supplier in Binh Duong. After participating in consultation withSellOnAlibaba.com, businesses have:

• Improve order management process with internal ERP system.

• Shorten customer response time from 6 hours to 1.5 hours.

• 100% of export orders through Trade Assurance in the first 6 months of the year.

As a result, Minh Phu's TA Score increased from 68 to 92 points, the number of requests for quotation (RFQ) increased by 230% and signed long-term contracts with partners in Canada and Germany.

6. TA Score – small index, big impact on revenue

In the global e-commerce environment, buyers do not have the opportunity to directly meet suppliers. They rely on evaluation indicators like TA Score to decide whether to cooperate or not. Therefore, maintaining a high score not only helps businesses improve their reputation but also increases export revenue through Alibaba. According to statistics from Alibaba Vietnam:

• Suppliers with TA Scores above 85 typically receive 3 times more traffic.

• Order closing rate is 45% higher than suppliers without Trade Assurance.

That shows that investing in Trade Assurance Score is a long-term strategy, helping businesses overcome trust barriers and affirm the Vietnamese brand on the global export map.

7. Starting from Trade Assurance, expanding globally

In the era of cross-border e-commerce, Trade Assurance is not only a payment protection tool but also a "reputation key" to help Vietnamese businesses reach millions of international buyers. Improving TA Score is not difficult, but requires perseverance, transparency and professionalism in each step of operation. The more you optimize this index, the more likely you are to be trusted by global buyers, making the export process through Alibaba more sustainable and effective than ever.

If your business is planning to open a store on Alibaba or wants advice on activating Trade Assurance to improve reputation, please contact the team of experts atsellonalibaba.com– official consulting unit of Alibaba Vietnam. We will accompany you every step of the way – from registering a booth, optimizing your TA Score, to implementing your global export strategy.

ALIBABA VIETNAM COMPANY - EXPORT E-COMMERCE FLOOR

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