What is RFQ? Effective B2B quote request outreach and response strategies

RFQ (Request for Quotation) on Alibaba.com is a channel to reach B2B customers who have confirmed their buying needs. In the first eight months of 2026, Vietnam's exports reached 374.84 billion USD, an increase of 22.4% — but the domestic business sector only increased by 7.4%, showing huge room for online export channels.

Customs data in the article is from the General Statistics Office (August 2026)

1. Context: why RFQs are more important than ever

Vietnam's exports are growing rapidly, but that increase is not evenly distributed: domestic enterprises - the group of SMEs that need more sales channels - grow much slower than the FDI sector.

Market data: In the first 8 months of 2026, Vietnam's exports reached 374.84 billion USD, an increase of 22.4%. The domestic economic sector reached 74.47 billion USD, an increase of 7.4%, accounting for 19.9%; FDI sector increased by 26.9%. Source: General Statistics Office.

This gap is what RFQ solves. Instead of waiting for customers to come to the booth, businesses proactively approach buyers who have posted specific needs - for businesses that do not have an international sales team, this is a way to shorten the time to learn the market.

In 8 months, Vietnam had 33 export items worth over 1 billion USD (93.6% of total turnover), 7 items exceeded 10 billion USD.Source: General Statistics Office.

2. What is Alibaba RFQ and the 4-step process

RFQ stands for Request for Quotation — request for quotation. Buyers post their needs on the platform (product, quantity, standards, delivery time, sometimes even budget); Suitable suppliers send quotes to compete for orders.

Need to distinguish: RFQ is a public request, open to many suppliers to bid. Inquiry is a private message sent to a supplier after viewing a booth. RFQs compete on speed and detail of quotes; Inquiry is heavy on persuasion.

• Buyer posts request— product description, quantity, quality standards, delivery time, payment conditions; RFQs are classified by industry and region.

• Appropriate distribution system to sellers— based on the industry, products and operating history of the booth; Sellers can also proactively search for RFQs by keywords.

• Seller sends quote— state price, MOQ, production time, payment conditions and validity period.

• Buyers compare, negotiate and close— both sides discuss further about price and conditions; Transactions can be done viaTrade Assuranceto protect both sides.

3. The role of RFQ in customer exploitation

RFQ role in customer exploitation

4. Benefits and recommended toolkits

• Access costs are lower than advertising— RFQ is a proactive channel, not dependent on keyword bidding budget.

• No need for physical presence in the target market— multi-national buyers post their needs directly to the platform.

• Shorten sales cyclethanks to pre-confirmed need.

• Have data to optimize productsaccording to the buyer's actual requirements.

5. Three Vietnamese industry groups are growing and are suitable for RFQ exploitation

• Vegetables— $6.15 billion in 8M 2026, up27.7%. Wide range of products (fresh, dried, frozen, purée) should be suitable for diverse quotation requirements.

• Toys and sports equipment- increase22.6%. Few Vietnamese businesses exploit content and booths in this group, the level of competition on the floor is lower.

• Seafood— $8.0 billion, up11.8%. Stable growth, factory file with export certification available.

Source: General Statistics Office, May 8, 2026.

Market data:All three groups belong to the domestic economic sector - a part that is growing more slowly than the general level. This is the group that needs the online B2B channel the most, and is also the RFQ group that brings the most obvious results.

6. 3-step roadmap for putting RFQ into operation

• Prepare the background.Buyers often inspect the booth after receiving a quote; Lack of certification or lack of reviews will result in lost orders even if the price is good.

• Responding to RFQs is like responding to a switchboard.Need a clear responsible person, ready quotation form and specific screening criteria (product, minimum quantity, market, certification). Without screening, time will be spent on requests that do not match the capacity.

• Measure and optimize.Track the response rate to the right number of RFQs and the conversion rate — without these two metrics, it's impossible to know whether to edit the quote or edit the product catalog.

7. Conclusion

RFQ is the most clearly structured customer acquisition channel on Alibaba.com. The real value lies in three things: the buyer has a confirmed need, the cost of access is low, and each request for quote carries market information.

Conditions for exploitation: sufficiently reliable store records, a real person in charge of RFQ, standard quotation form and two tracking indicators. Missing one piece, the RFQ is just a long list of requests that no one is handling.

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