SalesViewer

What is SalesViewer?

SalesViewer is a B2B website visitor identification platform launched in 2014 and operated by SalesViewer GmbH from Bochum, Germany. The product is built for German and European B2B sales teams that want to know which companies are browsing their website but never identify themselves through a contact form. The tracker captures the visitor IP, runs it through a network and provider database to find the most likely organisation behind it (typically by matching against a corporate IP allocation), and surfaces the result in a dashboard alongside the pages the company browsed. SalesViewer integrates with HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive, and Microsoft Dynamics so identified companies can be pushed into the CRM. Hosting is fully in Germany on ISO 27001, certified infrastructure.

Cookies and data collected by SalesViewer

SalesViewer writes a first, party cookie sv_visitor (typically 1 year) used to deduplicate visitor sessions, plus a session cookie sv_session for the current visit. The tracker collects the full visitor IP address, the user agent, the referrer, the URLs visited, the time spent on each page, and the visitor's scroll behaviour. The IP is then matched against a database of corporate IP ranges to identify the company. SalesViewer also offers an optional contact enrichment add, on that pulls publicly available data about the identified company (size, sector, location) from external providers; this is done server, side and does not change what is stored on the visitor's browser.

GDPR and ePrivacy implications

Even in a B2B context, the visitor IP is personal data under Article 4(1) GDPR (CJEU Breyer ruling), and the sv_visitor cookie qualifies as access to information stored on the terminal under Article 5(3) of the ePrivacy Directive. Consent is therefore the safer legal basis under EU rules. SalesViewer GmbH publishes a DPA based on Article 28 GDPR; the operator acts as controller and SalesViewer as processor. The German data localisation removes the Chapter V transfer question, which is the main reason European B2B customers choose SalesViewer over Leadfeeder, Albacross or 6sense.

Consent requirements

Two patterns are common. Conservative pattern: load the SalesViewer tracker only after the visitor has accepted the Marketing or B2B identification category in the CMP. This is the position of the BfDI and the German LfDI authorities since the TTDSG came into force. Permissive pattern: rely on legitimate interest with a documented LIA that explains why B2B company identification is necessary, why the data subject's rights are not seriously affected, and how the visitor can opt out. Several BfDI rulings have been mixed on the legitimate interest path, so consent remains the safest option for German audiences.

International data transfers

None. SalesViewer GmbH processes all data in Germany on ISO 27001 infrastructure and uses sub, processors based in the European Economic Area. There are no transfers to the United States or other third countries. This is one of the strongest selling points of the product compared with US, headquartered B2B intent tools, and it removes the need for SCCs, a Transfer Impact Assessment, or any DPF, dependent fallback. For organisations in regulated sectors (public administration, healthcare, defence) where US transfers are politically sensitive, this is a meaningful advantage.

Practical compliance steps

Sign the DPA published by SalesViewer GmbH and add it to the record of processing activities under B2B prospecting. Decide between consent and legitimate interest, and document the choice. Gate the tracker behind your CMP if you go for consent. Configure a sensible retention period in the SalesViewer account (most B2B sales teams do not need more than 12 to 24 months of identification history). Update the privacy policy with a section on B2B identification, the legal basis, the cookies, and the German data location. Provide a clear opt, out mechanism for visitors who do not want their IP processed.