Hamburg, 14 November 2023 – Alibaba.com, a leading platform for global business-to-business (B2B) e-commerce and part of Alibaba International Digital Commerce Group, is investing in Visable GmbH, based in Hamburg, Berlin, Münster and Paris. Alibaba.com and Visable will cooperate to accelerate the growth of Visable’s B2B platforms wlw (known as "Wer liefert Was") and europages in Europe by leveraging Alibaba.com’s leadership across technology, e-commerce and experience in international expansion.
Visable will continue to operate as an independent company with its own brand and growth strategy. The existing organizational structure will be maintained, and the current management team will continue to lead the company and drive its growth. As Visable continues to enhance its platforms, it will now be able to tap into the e-commerce expertise and technology know-how of Alibaba.com.
"Alibaba.com was created to connect B2B buyers and sellers globally to make it easy to do business anywhere. The partnership with Visable we are announcing today is a key part of our commitment to help European SMEs tap into global e-commerce opportunities and accelerate digitizing their business," said Kuo Zhang, President at Alibaba.com. “We look forward to supporting Visable’s platforms to enable European SMEs to better access international trade opportunities and seize growth opportunities for their business.”
"We are delighted that we were able to win Alibaba.com as a partner for our business,” commented Peter F. Schmid, CEO at Visable. "Our long-term strategic goal is to strengthen Visable's position with the wlw and europages platforms as Europe's most comprehensive B2B marketplace offering. To achieve this, we will continue to enhance the user experience through digital tools and expand our product portfolio. By leaning on Alibaba.com’s technology know-how and experience in internationalization, we will be able to connect business buyers and European suppliers more efficiently and cost-effectively, ultimately improving their margins and business growth which, especially in times of economic crisis, is vital for SMEs.’
Peter F. Schmid, CEO of Visable
Press contact
Visable GmbH
Sarah Jürs
Corporate Communications
ABC Street 21
20354 Hamburg
About Visable
Visable supports industrial SMEs in making products and services internationally accessible to buyers. As a combination of its own B2B platforms and online marketing services, such as Google Ads and retargeting, tailored specifically to business customers, the company offers a broad digital portfolio for increasing reach on the Internet.
The platforms operated by Visable GmbH include wlw ("Wer liefert was"), today the leading B2B platform in the D-A-CH region, and the European B2B platform europages, on which around three million companies are registered. Together, the platforms reach three million B2B buyers a month who are looking for detailed company and product information. The platforms register around 266,000 search queries per day. With its online marketing services, Visable offers companies additional opportunities to increase their reach on the internet.
Visable was founded in response to the challenges of internationalisation and digitalisation in the B2B sector and today employs around 450 people at its locations in Hamburg, Berlin, Münster and Paris. As the joint umbrella for the wlw and europages brands, Visable is continuously expanding its B2B platforms and online marketing services.
You can find further articles, information, press releases and downloads at https://www.visable.com/en_int/about-us/press
