Alibaba.com & PSGI Form Strategic Partnership

Online, October 24, 2012 (Newswire.com) - Pearl Shine Group International (PSGI), a nationally & internationally recognized diversified group of companies, recently entered into a strategic partnership with one of the world's largest B2B portals, Alibaba.com. The platform provides an online space that brings together buyers and sellers to communicate, collaborate and carry out global trade. More than 650,000 Pakistani SMEs are currently members of Alibaba.com, and the new local partnership will help grow and solidify new potential for local suppliers to enjoy more exposure in the global market.

"Pakistani exporters need a stronger online presence because the world has turned into a global village," said PSGI CEO, Irfan Haider Awan. "Local business owners should explore and avail the opportunities beyond our national territory by making intelligent use of e-commerce mechanisms in this new technological era. Such steps will not only help Pakistani SMEs benefit from economies of scale but will also contribute to better balance of trade."

He further added, "Many countries today are enjoying economic growth by effectively using the Internet for business. The global B2B e-commerce transactions have crossed US$12.4 trillion milestone in 2012 which stood was just $ 3.4 trillion in 2005. Although Pakistan still lacks a substantial presence in terms of online business, it also highlights the high potential this medium represents for us, especially for our 3 million-strong SME community."

"Alibaba.com is excited about this new partnership with PSGI for it gives us a chance to work closer with the Pakistan market," said Head of Global Supplier Development and Sales, Timothy Leung, Alibaba Group. "Online business and e-commerce can potentially take Pakistan's trade opportunities to the next level. We understand the potential of Pakistani SMEs and will continue to offer new programs and services, both online and offline, so these businesses can learn how to capitalize from online trade through Alibaba.com."

Alibaba.com will be offering its new service, Verified Membership, to new and existing members for a limited time. Launched at the beginning of 2012, the Verified Membership program is aimed at helping Alibaba.com's non-paying supplier members establish trust with potential buyers. Suppliers participating in this program undergo basic background checks to confirm that they are legitimate businesses. Government records such as tax ID numbers and other sources are cross-checked to confirm a company really exists and to verify its contact and other information is accurate. Those who successfully pass the verification process will gain a special logo on their Alibaba.com profiles and enjoy higher search rankings than free members.

Verification for Pakistani suppliers on Alibaba.com will be conducted by its local partner PSGI, with all communication with customers in URDU to offer a more localized experience. With the new Verified Membership program, Alibaba.com and PSGI will further "trade-enable" Pakistani SMEs by confirming their legitimacy and making them more visible to buyers worldwide who source products through Alibaba.com.

The new partnership between PSGI and Alibaba.com aims to help small businesses market their products internationally, find genuine buyers, sell their products/ services and explore domestic and international business opportunities. It is expected that the partnership will contribute to the development of Pakistan's e-commerce environment which has the potential to increase business activity, drive economic growth and create new job opportunities for budding entrepreneurs.

About Alibaba.com:

Alibaba.com (www.alibaba.com) is a global e-commerce platform for small businesses operated by Alibaba International Business Operations, one of Alibaba Group's seven major business groups. Formed in July 2012 as a result of the consolidation and upgrade of the Alibaba.com international marketplace and AliExpress, Alibaba International Business Operations aims at creating the go-to English-language platform for cross-border trade and purchases between any two countries as well as helping small businesses worldwide expand to overseas markets. As of March 31, 2012, Alibaba.com had 27.3 million registered users from more than 240 countries and regions and showcased 2.4 million supplier storefronts.

About PSGI:

PSGI is a group of companies, established through registered corporation and running the various segments of businesses which mainly include the IT services, E-business, Trading, construction and foods.

PSGI is a locally & internationally recognized corporate services provider company with extensive knowledge and experience in the various online industries. Integrity is the basic component of PSGI, and we are running the operation with corporate integrity and fairly in all our dealings to ensure trust, credibility and corporate growth. Since the inception, PSGI has constantly been and still continues to enhance its facilities to meet modern infrastructure needs to ensure a more efficient, prompt responding business operations environment.

PSGI is recognized and affiliated with different regulatory, legal bodies and association for its authentic recognition throughout the world. PSGI is the group which has its presence globally.