Vivino Centralizes Multi-Subsidiary AP Operations

We've been able to skill up. There's way less time being spent on AP. It has freed up time to be smarter about treasury and currency, and it has also enabled us to close faster because we're not scrambling to get invoices submitted. [With Tipalti], everything is pretty seamless.

Rebecca Simmons

Global Corporate Controller, Vivino

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Vivino Overview

Industry

Marketplaces

Company Size

100 –‑ 1000

Current ERP

Netsuite

Region

Europe, Germany, Global

Tipalti Products Used

AP Automation

Challenge

Vivino’s decentralized AP processes, manual email-based workflows, and complex cross-border operations strained its finance team as the company scaled globally..

Solution

Tipalti’s accounts payable solution provided a centralized platform for global invoice approvals, payments, and vendor management, which streamlined finance operations and supported localized flexibility across subsidiaries.

Results

With Tipalti, Vivino reduced manual AP work, minimized payment risk, accelerated close timelines, and enabled its finance team to scale operations while building a foundation for strategic growth initiatives.

The Challenge

Multi-Entity Complexity and Fragmented AP Processes on a Global Scale

Vivino is the world’s largest online wine marketplace, empowering its community of millions of wine drinkers from around the world to come together and enjoy wine to the fullest. Founded in Denmark and headquartered in San Francisco, Vivino was operating across more than 13 global subsidiaries. With a dual B2B and B2C model and a heavily regulated alcohol market, Vivino had a uniquely complex finance operation. Time zones, currencies, and languages collided with region-specific compliance demands, and the company’s finance team was stuck managing invoice approvals and payments manually via email.

Complicating matters further, most of Vivino’s financial transactions occurred outside the US, leaving its finance team of three to manage all global finance operations with the help of a shared service center in India. Manual bank setups, local payment workflows, and disjointed systems slowed down everything from invoice tracking to vendor onboarding. Relying on manual workflows made maintaining oversight and managing growth difficult, highlighting the need for a more efficient, unified approach as Vivino scaled.

Where we were when I started was in emails. Invoice approvals in emails, communications in emails. That's not the most fun place to be for someone who is trying to ensure that there are controls. In addition to that, we were a global workforce. When I went to look for a platform to help us control all of this, it became really clear that I needed something global to help manage all the different currencies that we were working with, and all the time zones, and also languages.

Rebecca Simmons

Global Corporate Controller, Vivino

The Solution

One Platform, Multiple Entities, and Global Scale With Tipalti

To address its fragmented and manual processes, Vivino adopted Tipalti Accounts Payable as its comprehensive finance automation platform, streamlining invoice approvals and global payments. Tipalti enabled Vivino to manage multi-entity workflows, reduce integration complexity, and simplify vendor relationships across its diverse supplier base, which included both global tech giants and small, local vineyards.

Vivino started with its Scandinavian headquarters—its largest and most complex entity—before rolling out to smaller European markets like Italy and Spain, and finally the US. The self-service portal proved particularly effective with smaller European vendors, even those who preferred to communicate in local languages. The ability to accommodate regional sensitivities helped drive adoption, ultimately bringing almost all payments through Tipalti. Additionally, Tipalti helped to further streamline operations by centralizing expense oversight and reducing manual bank setups, which empowered cost owners to take greater control while minimizing administrative burdens on the finance team.

I wanted to have as few integrations into our ERP as possible. So that meant finding a platform that could handle not just invoice approval, but also the payments. We always struggled with the local banks, too. [With Tipalti], to be able to control everything in the bank and have a different payment solution gave us more flexibility.

Rebecca Simmons

Global Corporate Controller, Vivino

The Result

Greater Efficiency, Risk Reduction, and Time for Strategy

Tipalti Accounts Payable transformed Vivino’s multi-entity finance operations by automating global payment workflows and accelerating the financial close process. Having a centralized AP function for all subsidiaries also significantly reduced payment risk by eliminating manual invoices and bank setups—one of the finance team’s biggest operational wins.

With nearly 98% vendor adoption and a fully automated AP workflow, the finance team now has real-time visibility into global payments. Despite growing transaction volumes, Vivino can now focus on strategy and expand its finance automation capabilities to improve reporting and gain back even more valuable time.

We've been able to skill up. There's way less time being spent on AP. It has freed up time to be smarter about treasury and currency, and it has also enabled us to close faster because we're not scrambling to get invoices submitted. [With Tipalti], everything is pretty seamless.

Rebecca Simmons

Global Corporate Controller, Vivino