B2B portal or own website: what should an exporter pay for first?

A note on bias: we build websites and Google listings for exporters, so we have a stake in this question. We have tried to keep to what you can test yourself.

Key takeaways

• They do different jobs. A portal brings reach. Your own site brings proof.
• It depends on the market. CBI says European buyers rarely use Alibaba to source spices and herbs [1].
• There is no independent data on which portal gives better enquiries. Test it.
• Define "relevant" before you start, or the count means nothing.
• Check what you keep if you stop paying.

What does each one do?

Is a portal enough on its own?

For most food exporters, no. Three points from CBI's guidance for spice exporters explain why:

• Your website is what gets checked. CBI calls it the first source potential buyers will check [1].
• Platforms widen your reach. CBI describes B2B platforms as a way to reach a wider audience, in a trade that is mainly face to face and relies on personal contact, factory visits and sample analyses [2].
• Platforms differ by market. CBI says Alibaba may be more useful for buyers outside Europe, and names Tridge, Greentrade and 1-2-Taste as other places where spices are traded [1].

So a portal is a channel, not a presence. It can start a conversation. Your own pages help that conversation continue. Our guide to what foreign buyers check shows what they look at next.

IndiaMART vs TradeIndia: which is better?

We can't tell you, and we doubt anyone else can. When we looked for this answer, we found no independent data on enquiry quality for either platform. Most comparison articles come from competing portals or from sellers of portal services, so treat their claims as opinion.

The result also depends on your product and your market. A portal that works for a garment exporter may do little for a dehydrated onion exporter. The only reliable answer is your own numbers.

How do you test a portal?

Run a fixed test before you commit to a long plan:

1. Define a relevant enquiry. For example: a named company, a product you sell, a realistic quantity and a stated destination.
2. Complete the profile properly. Add products, specs, real photos and a named contact.
3. Reply within one working day. Our reply method has a template. Slow replies spoil the test.
4. Log every enquiry with its date, country, product, quantity and whether the company checks out.
5. Count after 90 days. Divide what you paid by the number of relevant enquiries.
6. Decide. Renew only if the cost per relevant enquiry makes sense for your margins.

Run the same test on a second portal if you want a comparison, and keep the same rules for both.

What should you ask before you pay?

Ask the sales person these questions, and get the answers in writing:

• How many active buyers from my target countries use my product category?
• Are enquiries sent to me alone, or to several suppliers at once?
• What is the full cost for a year, including tax and add-ons?
• How do you check that buyers are real?
• What happens to my listing and my content if I stop paying?
• Can I start with a shorter term?

A vague answer is a useful answer. It tells you how the platform will behave after you pay.

Which should come first?

Government options exist too. DGFT's Trade Connect ePlatform has a Source from India profile for eligible exporters, and eligibility has changed over time, so check trade.gov.in [3].

If you need your own presence first, read about the export company website. Our Buyer-Ready Pack builds it at ₹45,000 once, in 10 working days from your inputs, and everything stays in your company's name.

Next step. Find out what a buyer sees after a portal enquiry. Our free Buyer Check is a 1-page report on your Google listing, website and spec gaps, with the 3 fixes that matter most, within 24 hours.