Alibaba Is the Biggest B2B Platform You’re Ignoring

Everyone knows Alibaba as the consumer giant behind Taobao and Tmall. Fewer foreign businesses realise that Alibaba is also the largest B2B trading platform on earth, and that for a lot of companies the real money in China is not selling to shoppers at all. It is selling to other businesses. If you make something other companies buy, this is the door you have been ignoring.

The two B2B faces of Alibaba

• 1688.com. The giant domestic wholesale marketplace, in Chinese, where Chinese businesses source from each other. Enormous volume, low prices, the engine room of China’s own supply chains.
• Alibaba.com. The international-facing platform that connects global buyers with suppliers. This is where overseas companies find manufacturers and where suppliers find foreign buyers.

Why B2B is the quiet opportunity

Consumer selling in China is crowded and expensive. B2B is less glamorous and far less contested by foreign brands, which means the buyer there is doing serious research and is ready to place real orders. One B2B customer can be worth a thousand consumer sales. If your product is an ingredient, a component, a material, or equipment, the B2B platforms may be a faster route to revenue than fighting for shoppers.

Is a listing enough to get orders?

No, same trap as consumer platforms. A listing on 1688 or Alibaba.com puts you on the shelf among thousands. B2B buyers still research you outside the platform before committing to a serious order, they check whether you are a real, credible company. A strong Baidu presence and a professional Chinese face online turn a cautious B2B enquiry into a signed deal.

Should a small company try B2B in China?

If you sell to businesses, yes. The barrier to being taken seriously is credibility, not size, and credibility you can build. A small, focused supplier that looks trustworthy and answers fast often beats a bigger one that treats enquiries lazily. B2B rewards reliability over flash, which suits a sharp small company perfectly.

Where we come in

We are a team of 50 in Shanghai who help small B2B companies look credible to Chinese buyers and get found when they research you. We build the trust layer that turns a listing into orders. If you sell to businesses in China, tell us what you make and we will show you where the buyers look.

Oliver Verot moved to China in 2007 and has helped small brands get found and sell here ever since. He co-founded this agency to give smaller companies the China playbook the big agencies keep for enterprise clients.

SEO Agency China, a team of 50 in Shanghai. We help foreign brands grow in China. Talk to us.