Alibaba.com launches tool to help small businesses

Alibaba.com Limited has launched AliExpress an e-commerce platform offering smaller-quantity orders, instant online transactions, and an escrow service to protect buyers and sellers. While Alibaba.com focuses on larger quantity orders including prototype and custom manufacturing, AliExpress directly addresses the needs of businesses that need smaller quantities available for immediate shipment. Alibaba.com will invest more than US$100 million in the development of AliExpress to ensure it delivers the features and services that will help small businesses succeed.

"AliExpress is designed to help even the smallest businesses to be more competitive because they can offer customers more unique products, at better prices through the benefits to global trade," said David Wei, CEO of Alibaba.com.

"AliExpress provides a trusted payment system that makes transactions easy. In addition, there are consistently great deals available on the site and this has helped Factory Direct Technology quickly achieve success in a short amount of time," said Anthony Daniel, owner of Factory Direct Technology in Wilmington, N C.

An important asset for customers on AliExpress is the escrow service. Escrow payment protects all users who transact online at AliExpress by holding the buyer's payment in a separate account and alerting the supplier that payment has been made so they can safely ship the goods. Once the buyer has received the goods, the payment is released to the supplier. This allows the supplier to ship their valuable goods with confidence, and the buyer to place their order knowing their payment is protected until their merchandise has been received.