UK merchants can now source goods directly from Alibaba.com suppliers and list them on a variety of sales channels thanks to a new partnership struck between the Chinese online marketplace and Bristol-based Brightpearl.
Using a new Brightpearl app, traders can access product information from Alibabalcom’s supplier list, negotiating on price and other terms from the Brightpearl platform. They’ll then be able to list directly the goods they’ve found on sales channels from Amazon to eBay.
The deal is set to mean that UK companies of all sizes will be able to source from China at at lower rates.
“’Source from Alibaba.com’ offers our merchants access to thousands of products from a wide variety of suppliers,” said Scott Hill, product manager at Brightpearl. “Our research has shown that in areas like apparel, consumer electronics, jewellry, beauty and personal care, Alibaba.com wholesale supplier prices are typically up to 30 percent more cost effective.”
“By teaming up with Alibaba.com, we’re able to better support our merchants. The system not only allows them to view and search for products directly within Brightpearl, it also automatically enters data such as product name and supplier information, eliminating the need for rekeying.”
Wei Duan, international business development and marketing director, EMEA, at Alibaba.com, said: “It is our mission to help small and medium businesses succeed and benefit from cross-border trade. Our collaboration with Brightpearl is an extension of our plans to help SMEs source products more efficiently, enabling them to make time and cost savings that will really contribute to the growth of their business.”
He added: “Merchants can use ‘Source from Alibaba.com’ with confidence based on the knowledge that every order includes Alibaba.com’s Secure Payment service, meaning their payment will only be released to the supplier once they confirm delivery.”
