Platform / AI sourcing
Module 3 · Product and supplier similarity
A better product and a better supplier, suggested by AI
evorio compares products by description and image, and suppliers by their range and track record. Next to the product card and the request for information, buyers see the alternatives at once.
Similar products
When a buyer looks at a product, evorio shows similar products from the database that may have a better price or a higher Sustainability Index. It is also an early warning of cannibalisation in the collection.
Product description
Attributes are compared one by one and weighted by how strongly they drive sales. The weights come from a model trained on sales data.
Product photo
Photos are turned into vectors by the CLIP model and compared by similarity. Chosen after testing several neural network architectures.
One similarity score
Text and image scores are combined with a weighted average, which matched the experts best in testing.
Similar suppliers
Diversification in one click
Depending on one supplier is a strategic risk. When a buyer prepares a request for information (RFI) for an existing supplier, evorio shows similar suppliers with a similarity percentage. The buyer adds them to the request without searching the database.
- Comparison on three levels: product classes and subclasses, brands, and the products themselves
- Suppliers clustered first, then their products compared by text and image
- Order history: who delivers on time, and where delays and defects occur
- A widget with similar suppliers on the supplier card and in the RFI
Stronger negotiating position
Real alternatives in every request mean better terms and lower risk of supply gaps.
Less work on requests
Buyers do not search for suppliers by hand, and the request reaches a wider group of proven companies at once.
Validated by experts
Twelve industry experts rated pairs of products and suppliers on a 1 to 5 scale in a dedicated validation tool. The model's recommendations were compared with their ratings.
| Test | Scale | Result | Target |
|---|---|---|---|
| Product similarity, error versus experts (MAPE) | 130,690 products | 32.2% | < 35% |
| Supplier similarity, error versus experts (MAPE) | 1,594 suppliers | 29.4% | < 35% |
| Supplier similarity, pairs rated highly by experts | prototype | 16.2% | < 35% |
| Processing 1,000 new products | final configuration | 12 min | < 15 min |
| Recalculating supplier similarity | final configuration | 2 min 25 s | < 15 min |