Alibaba Acquires Auctiva
Alibaba PR, 8/24/10
Chinese B2B e-commerce site Alibaba.com (1688.HK) has entered into an agreement to acquire US-based third-party eBay tool developer Auctiva. Auctiva has over 170,000 active users and provides listing, marketing and management tools as well as image hosting and online storefronts.
The acquisitions of both Auctiva and US-based multi-channel e-commerce solutions provider Vendio Services, announced in June, brings more than 250,000 new customers to Alibaba.com, and significantly expands the size of it's U.S. operations.
The online merchants who use both Auctiva and Vendio will have direct access to almost 1.5 mln supplier storefronts on Alibaba.com's sourcing platform and small-order international B2B wholesale platform AliExpress. By sourcing their products directly from the manufacturer, reducing travel and taking advantage of global markets, Alibaba.com hopes to help small merchants increase their profit margin in the long term.
With the acquisition, Auctiva's platform will be integrated with AliExpress, allowing Auctiva users to connect to AliExpress via a tab on the Auctiva Web-based platform. This will enable customers to easily search for suppliers, acquire merchandise and list those products on eBay through their Auctiva accounts. Exclusive promotions and special deals on AliExpress products will be available to Auctiva users.
The acquisition closed on August 18, 2010, and is part of the USD 100 mln investment plan for AliExpress that Alibaba.com announced in April 2010. Auctiva will operate as a new business unit within Alibaba.com and will retain its own brand name and operations.
Keywords: Auctiva B2B e-commerce eBay Internet wholesale Alibaba active users 1688.HK AliExpress Vendio M&A
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