Cainiao upgrades logistics and network for 11.11 shopping festival

One upgrade involves the chartering of 300 flights from China to consumers around the world.

Cainiao Network, the logistics arm of Alibaba Group, announced a series of measures to boost its logistics capabilities for the 11.11 Global Shopping Festival on 1 November.

These aim to optimise the delivery of orders generated by Alibaba's cross-border e-commerce platforms to consumers worldwide.

In anticipation of surging demand from consumers on AliExpress during 11.11, Cainiao will charter 300 flights with a cargo capacity of over 30,000 tons to expedite the delivery of goods from China to consumers around the world. For fast-growing markets such as South America, chartered flights have more than doubled ahead of 11.11, from three weekly flights last year to seven this year. This number is expected to increase significantly during the duration of the sales event.

In Europe and Russia, to further enhance cross-border shipping efficiency, Cainiao officially launched eight overseas distribution centres in Spain, France, Germany, Italy, Belgium, Portugal, Russia, and Hungary. These distribution centres are equipped with automated logistics systems, IoT, and other smart logistics facilities to decrease operational costs by over 50%.

In Southeast and North Asia, Cainiao has secured additional cargo space in over 1,350 flights with a total capacity of 4,500 tonnes, 210 sea freight trips with 1,170 containers, and 150 trucks totalling 700 tonnes to support cross-border deliveries for Tmall, Taobao, and Lazada consumers for the entire month of November.

"Over the years, 11.11 has showcased the tremendous demand from consumers across the globe. In gearing up for another successful 11.11, technology plays a critical role in the seamless execution and delivery of billions of parcels globally," said Chief Strategist and General Manager for Export Logistics William Xiong. "As we elevate our operations to enhance cross-border logistics efficiency and transparency, merchants can now reduce issues around customer dissatisfaction and shipping delays, which help to improve store ratings and revenue."

Ahead of this year's 11.11, over 300 million international goods from 87 countries and regions have been pre-stocked in China's bonded warehouses, as well as B2B domestic and overseas warehouses in anticipation of surging demand from Chinese consumers. In Japan, Cainiao's pre-stocking service has helped drive 286% growth in the volume of Japanese goods exported to China.