How Alibaba is using AI to revamp its mapping app – and take on Meituan
Late last year, Zhang Xuan’s small beef noodle joint in Shanghai suddenly began seeing a dramatic surge in orders. Sales over the past few months have been 50 to 60 per cent higher than normal, he estimates. The driver? The new Street Stars feature on Chinese tech giant Alibaba Group Holding’s Amap mapping app, which listed Zhang’s eatery as the fourth best restaurant in Shanghai’s Changning…
In a recent development, Alibaba's Amap mapping app has introduced a new feature called Street Stars, which has led to a significant increase in orders for local businesses. Zhang Xuan, a small beef noodle shop owner in Shanghai, reported a 50-60% rise in orders after his restaurant was featured as the fourth best in Shanghai's Changning district.
Amap's Street Stars system utilizes AI to rate venues based on user data, including foot traffic, movement patterns, and verified customer feedback. This feature is part of Amap's broader revamp, which includes hyper-specific area guides, 3D maps of indoor spaces, and "local favourites" guides for 269 Chinese cities. According to Amap's data, merchants featured in the guides have experienced an average of 424% year-on-year increase in orders, while those in the "top picks" category saw a 159% rise.
Amap's street stars feature has disrupted China's local services market, traditionally dominated by Meituan. Amap's Street Stars now offers "local favourites" guides for 269 Chinese cities, and businesses featured in the guides have seen dramatic upticks in sales. Amap's AI strategy is being tested through its latest technical upgrade, Flying Street View 2.0, powered by ABot-Earth 0.7, which is the world's first native 3D urban world model.
This system allows users to preview destinations in an interactive 3D environment, reflecting Amap's shift towards an incubator for world models and embodied intelligence across the tech giant's empire.
Written by urgent.news from SCMP Tech's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
