Europages in Italy with Alibaba. And he makes no secret of his ambitions

What are your strengths in challenging Amazon?

Today we operate with two platforms for SMEs in Europe: Wlw (Wer liefert was, in short: Who sells what?), which focuses on the German market, and Europages, dedicated to European companies also seeking international expansion. Both are managed by the holding company Visable, with Alibaba.com as partner and main shareholder, which firmly believes in our potential.

Although Amazon Business is a leading competitor, we differentiate ourselves with a flat subscription model, which allows companies on Europages to know exactly how much they will pay annually, with no commission on individual sales. Our mission is to enable SMEs on their path to digital commerce with our platforms and online marketing services at a certain and fair cost. Moreover, Amazon often competes with its suppliers by selling its own products. This is not our business model. We do not want to compete with SMEs.

Of course, we regard our platform as a 'work in progress' as we strive to become Europe's leading transactional B2B marketplace for buying and selling.

Why did you decide to open an office in Italy?

Because we want to be closer to the almost 5 million SMEs in your country. With our professionals we intend to stand by Italian entrepreneurs, because we know that the challenge of the digital transition is difficult, but it is the only way to succeed in the global market.

How do you support the digital and sustainable twin transition of SMEs?

For SMEs, today more than ever, it is essential to focus on sustainability and digitisation. Europages offers tools based on artificial intelligence, such as the RFQ (Request for Quote) function, which facilitates contact between buyers and sellers. Algorithms, combined with human control, enable quick and personalised matching, reducing the time needed to obtain quotes and improving service quality. The integration of new features such as automatic Product Posting, which optimises the publication of products, makes the process more efficient and sustainable.

Marketplace per la transizione digitale

Europages offre la possibilità di raggiungere acquirenti in 28 mercati continentali

Peter Schmid, ceo di Visable, società che controlla Europages

The partnership with Alibaba.com, at this geopolitically sensitive stage, may be of concern. What is your response?

All company data on Europages and Wlw are stored and maintained in Europe. The storage and localisation of customer data could be a concern for suppliers, but we can certainly allay this fear. Furthermore, our platforms only host European suppliers: this means that there is no Chinese competition for our customers. Our platforms are not about European trade with China, but about strengthening European SMEs, bridging the digitisation gap and helping what we call 'the backbone of the European economy' to build a solid future.

What are the next steps?

We are looking at new openings in Europe, to be close to SME entrepreneurs and to make the transition to sustainability and digital transition as smooth and easy as possible. The next step will be a new office in Madrid.