RFQ Response Rate (30d), Alibaba

RFQ Response Rate (30d) for Alibaba stores. Tracked live in Vortex IQ Nerve Centre. How to read it, why it matters, and how to act on it.

Metrics type: Key Metrics • Category: Listing Health

At a glance

RFQ Response Rate (30d) is a Listing Health metric tracked from Alibaba data. It is the percentage of requests for quotation and buyer inquiries you answered within 24 hours over the trailing 30 days. Alibaba weighs this rate heavily when awarding and maintaining the Verified and Gold Supplier badges, so falling below the badge threshold directly risks your standing and inbox visibility. The card pairs with Median RFQ Response Time to show coverage alongside speed. Cross-reference the related cards below for context.

What it counts	The share of RFQs and buyer inquiries responded to within 24 hours over the trailing 30 days, as exposed by the Alibaba integration. The metric is computed from the latest available data and refreshed on the standard data refresh.
Sample type	Backend API data from Alibaba, refreshed on the standard data refresh.
Why it matters	The metric appears in the Listing Health category and complements the sibling cards listed below. Alibaba ties badge eligibility to this rate, so dropping below the threshold puts Verified and Gold Supplier status at risk.
Reading the value	Read as a percentage on the gauge; higher is better. Watch the margin above the badge threshold and compare to the prior period for direction.
Currency	percent
Time window	30D vsP
Alert trigger	<70% (badge threshold)
Sentiment key	ali_rfq_response_rate
Roles	owner, marketing, operations

Calculation

Calculated automatically from your Alibaba data as the count of RFQs and buyer inquiries answered within 24 hours divided by the total received over the trailing 30 days, expressed as a percentage with a comparison against the prior period. Inputs are the RFQ and message records the Alibaba integration exposes. The card renders as a gauge so the distance from the badge threshold is visible at a glance. See the At a glance summary above for what the metric tracks and the worked example below for a typical reading.

Worked example

A representative reading of RFQ Response Rate (30d) for a typical Alibaba supplier. Suppose the gauge reads 64% on 12 Mar 26, down from 78% the prior period, and the alert has fired because it slipped below the 70% badge threshold. Out of roughly 50 RFQs and inquiries in the window, 18 went unanswered inside 24 hours, most of them arriving overnight and on weekends. Left unaddressed, this rate is the kind that triggers a badge review. The fix is to ensure every inquiry gets at least a holding reply within the day, using saved templates and broader coverage hours. For deeper investigation, use Vortex Mind to find which time slots and message types are slipping; for natural-language exploration, ask Ask Viq how many RFQs were missed this month.

Sibling cards merchants should reference together

Card	Why merchants reach for it
median-rfq-response-time-hours	Listing Health sibling: the speed half of the same RFQ story.
buyer-messages-unread	Listing Health sibling: unread messages drag the response rate down.
verified-gold-supplier-badge-status	Executive sibling: this rate is a direct input to badge eligibility.
supplier-badge-kpi-threshold-crossed	Listing Health sibling: flags when a badge KPI like this one crosses its line.
revenue-at-risk-live	Executive sibling: missed RFQs become measurable revenue exposure.

Reconciling against Alibaba Seller dashboard

Where to look in Alibaba’s own dashboard:

Open My Alibaba > Message Centre and the RFQ Market performance view, where Alibaba reports your response rate and the metrics tied to supplier badge eligibility. Confirm period boundaries and filter settings match the Vortex IQ profile to reconcile cleanly.

Why the Vortex IQ value may legitimately differ:

Reason	Direction	What to do
Period boundary. Vortex IQ uses a 30-day rolling window with prior-period comparison; Alibaba may use a fixed assessment window for badges.	Variable	Match the period range.
Time zone. Alibaba uses account time zone; Vortex IQ aligns to your merchant reporting time zone, which can change whether a reply lands inside 24 hours.	Marginal	Confirm time zone match.
Filter scope. Profile-level filters and the exact definition of a qualifying RFQ may narrow the Vortex IQ view.	Variable	Match filter settings and the RFQ definition.

Cross-connector reconciliation: complement with sibling cards in the same category for the full diagnostic picture. For divergence investigations, use Vortex Mind.

Known limitations / merchant FAQs

Q: How often does RFQ Response Rate (30d) update? The card refreshes on the standard data refresh (typically every 30-60 minutes for live integrations). For real-time signals, force a manual refresh from the dashboard.

Q: Why does my Alibaba dashboard show a different number? The most common reasons are differences in the assessment window Alibaba uses for badges versus the 30-day rolling window here, plus time-zone alignment and filter scope. Match these settings before assuming a real divergence.

Q: How does RFQ Response Rate (30d) relate to other Listing Health metrics? Read it alongside Median RFQ Response Time and Buyer Messages Unread for the full responsiveness picture, and alongside the badge status cards since this rate is a direct input. Single-metric reads can mislead; the diagnostic value is in the cross-reference.

Q: Can I customise the alert threshold? Yes, alert thresholds are configurable per profile in the Alert Rules tab. The default trigger fires below 70%, aligned to the badge threshold. Adjust to match your business baseline rather than relying on the generic default.

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Tracked live in Vortex IQ Nerve Centre

RFQ Response Rate (30d) is one of hundreds of KPI pulses Vortex IQ tracks across Alibaba and 70+ other ecommerce connectors. Nerve Centre runs the detection layer; Vortex Mind investigates the cause when something moves; Ask Viq lets you interrogate any number in plain English.

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