Visable
Visable is a Hamburg-based B2B platform operator that runs the europages and wer liefert was (wlw) marketplaces, helping European industrial SMEs showcase products and generate international B2B leads, with add-on Google Ads and Alibaba.com visibility services.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2019
- HeadquartersHamburg, Germany
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
Visable firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Visable
- Legal name
- Visable GmbH
- Website
- https://visable.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2019
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Visable is a Hamburg-based B2B platform operator that runs the europages and wer liefert was (wlw) marketplaces, helping European industrial SMEs showcase products and generate international B2B leads, with add-on Google Ads and Alibaba.com visibility services.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Visable industry classification
Industry- Product category
- B2B Marketplaces
- NAICS
- Other Travel Arrangement and Reservation Services (56159), Travel Agencies (56151)
- SIC
- Wholesale-Durable Goods (5000), Wholesale-Durable Goods, Nec (5099)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Wholesale/B2B Generalist Marketplaces (CRAFAAAF)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Cross-border B2B/Wholesale Trade Marketplaces (CRAFAJAC)
Keywords
Where Visable is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Hamburg
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices5 records
Markets served
Visable business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- B2B Marketplace Subscriptions: Companies pay for access to the wlw and europages B2B platforms to create company profiles, showcase products and services, and connect with B2B buyers. Services include My Account/User Account space for publishing Company Profiles and product catalogs. Contract terms include Initial Period of at least one year with automatic renewal.
- Online Marketing Services (Google Ads): Visable acts as a transparent agent (mandataire) purchasing advertising space on Google and Bing on behalf of clients. Invoiced as a single overall price including media budget for advertising space and management/consulting fees. Services contracted for initial term of 6 or 12 months with automatic renewal.
- Add-on Products (Top Ranking, Sponsored Products): Enhanced visibility options including Top Ranking placement and Sponsored Products. These are complementary products offered in addition to base marketplace services, subject to same contractual terms as main Contract.
- Alibaba.com Visibility Services: Additional visibility services on Alibaba.com platform through the partnership, including Alibaba Keyword Advertisement service, enabling European suppliers to reach global buyers.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | B2B Marketplace Basic Access |
| Subscription | Annual | Top Ranking Enhanced Visibility |
| Subscription | Annual | Sponsored Products |
| Hybrid | Annual | Google Ads Management |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels5 records
Visable product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Visable operates two leading European B2B marketplaces — europages (international reach in up to 21 languages) and wer liefert was/wlw (DACH regional leader) — where industrial suppliers create company profiles and product catalogs to connect with B2B buyers. The company supplements these marketplaces with modular Online Marketing Services (Google Ads management) and add-on products such as Top Ranking, Sponsored Products, Website Leads, and Alibaba Keyword Advertisement to amplify supplier visibility.
Product overview
Visable operates a platform-plus-modules architecture for B2B online visibility. The core consists of two B2B marketplaces — europages (the leading European B2B marketplace, active in up to 21 languages for international trade) and wer liefert was (wlw) (the leading B2B marketplace in the DACH region). These function as the primary sourcing platforms where suppliers create company profiles and product catalogs. Online Marketing Services (Google Ads management) is offered as an add-on module where Visable acts as a transparent advertising agent for clients. Additional paid add-on modules include Top Ranking (enhanced placement), Sponsored Products (promoted listings), Website Leads/WSL (visitor identification via pixel code), and Alibaba Keyword Advertisement (visibility on the Alibaba.com partner platform). The SME-Spotlight magazine and features like wlw Connect and Message Center provide supplementary content and communication tools. The entire portfolio is accessible through a unified login area on visable.com.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- europages The leading B2B marketplace for European trade, enabling companies to reach B2B buyers worldwide in up to 21 languages. Suppliers create company profiles and product catalogs to connect with international business buyers.
- wer liefert was (wlw) The leading B2B marketplace in the German-speaking DACH region (Germany, Austria, Switzerland), enabling suppliers to contact B2B buyers and showcase products and services to a focused regional audience of business purchasers.
- Online Marketing Services (Google Ads) B2B online marketing services including Google Ads and Bing Ads management, providing businesses with systematic approaches to boost visibility among target audiences on search engines. Visable acts as a transparent advertising agent (mandataire) managing campaigns on behalf of clients under a written advertising mandate.
- Top Ranking Enhanced visibility option offered as an Add-on Product on the B2B marketplaces, allowing suppliers to achieve higher placement in search results and increased exposure to potential buyers.
- Sponsored Products Promoted product listings offered as an Add-on Product, enabling suppliers to feature specific products prominently within the marketplace search results and category pages.
- Website Leads (WSL) A service enabling suppliers to identify companies visiting their own websites through pixel-code technology. The pixel is installed on the client's website to detect and attribute visits to identifiable companies and provide marketing and performance data within the client's login area.
- Alibaba Keyword Advertisement An advertising service available on the partner platform Alibaba.com, offering additional visibility and keyword-based advertising for European suppliers seeking to reach global B2B buyers through Alibaba.com's platform.
Quantifiable outcome
- 3 million B2B buyers reached monthly
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Visable
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Visable technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
AI capability3 records
Feature6 records
Visable partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators12 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Visable competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- TradeKey: A global B2B marketplace primarily serving SMEs in emerging markets for cross-border sourcing. Competes with europages for international supplier visibility, particularly in price-sensitive segments where Visable's D-A-CH premium positioning is less relevant.
- EC21: South Korea-based global B2B marketplace with a similar supplier listing and buyer inquiry model. Overlaps with Visable in cross-border B2B sourcing, particularly for industrial and consumer goods categories.
- Thomasnet: North America's leading industrial B2B sourcing platform connecting buyers with suppliers across industrial categories. Closely analogous to Visable's wlw and europages for the US market, with similar supplier profile/listing monetization and a long heritage in industrial B2B directories.
- Global Sources: Hong Kong-based B2B marketplace and trade show operator connecting international buyers with Asian manufacturers. Operates a similar marketplace + value-added services (e.g., sponsored listings, sourcing tools) model and competes for cross-border B2B visibility and lead-generation budgets.
- IndiaMART InterMESH: India's largest online B2B marketplace serving SMEs with a subscription-based supplier listing and lead generation model. Closely mirrors Visable's revenue model (paid supplier subscriptions + add-on visibility products) and is a benchmark for B2B marketplace unit economics.
- Kompass: European-headquartered B2B directory and marketplace operating across multiple countries. Competes directly with europages and wlw in European B2B supplier discovery, with a comparable multilingual model and SME supplier customer base.
- Alibaba.com: The world's largest global B2B marketplace, operated by Alibaba International Digital Commerce Group. Alibaba.com is simultaneously Visable's strategic investor (since November 2023) and its most direct competitor in cross-border B2B sourcing for SMEs, operating a near-identical marketplace + keyword advertising model.
- Made-in-China: China-headquartered B2B marketplace focused on connecting Chinese suppliers with international buyers. Represents the supply-side counterpart to Visable's European supplier focus and competes for global buyer mindshare in cross-border B2B sourcing.
Others
- Google Business Profile: Google's free business listing platform serving as a baseline supplier/buyer discovery channel. While not a direct B2B marketplace competitor, it functions as an indirect substitute for Visable's directory value proposition and a critical distribution dependency for the Google Ads add-on revenue stream.
Broad incumbents
- Solocal (PagesJaunes): France-based local search and digital advertising group operating directory-style products for French SMEs. Overlaps with Visable's online marketing services and French supplier base but operates as a broader local digital advertising incumbent rather than a pure B2B marketplace.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Visable social profiles
Digital presenceVisable compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Visable financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Visable leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Visable subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries2 records
Visable funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Visable M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Visable
What does Visable do?
Visable operates two leading European B2B marketplaces — europages (international reach in up to 21 languages) and wer liefert was/wlw (DACH regional leader) — where industrial suppliers create company profiles and product catalogs to connect with B2B buyers. The company supplements these marketplaces with modular Online Marketing Services (Google Ads management) and add-on products such as Top Ranking, Sponsored Products, Website Leads, and Alibaba Keyword Advertisement to amplify supplier visibility.
Is Visable a public or private company?
Visable is a private company. It is classified as private equity controlled and is currently operating.
When was Visable founded?
Visable was founded in 2019. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Visable based?
Visable is headquartered in Hamburg, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does Visable make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. B2B Marketplace Subscriptions are the primary driver. The others are online Marketing Services (Google Ads), add-on Products (Top Ranking, Sponsored Products) and alibaba.com Visibility Services.
Who are Visable's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are TradeKey, EC21, Thomasnet, Global Sources, IndiaMART InterMESH, Kompass, Alibaba.com and Made-in-China. Google Business Profile is listed as an others. Solocal (PagesJaunes) is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Visable have an API?
No public API is recorded for Visable.
What industry is Visable in?
Visable's product category is B2B Marketplaces. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRAFAAAF, Wholesale/B2B Generalist Marketplaces, with a secondary code of CRAFAJAC, Cross-border B2B/Wholesale Trade Marketplaces. Its NAICS code is 56159 and its SIC code is 5000.