Cainiao secures 3,000 Flights, announces 6 Export Guarantees

Cainiao Network (Cainiao), the logistics arm of Alibaba Group Holding Limited, announced additional initiatives to support merchants exporting from China to global markets. Cainiao has secured 3,000 flights and will be tapping into its overseas distribution centres and overseas warehouses in over 30 countries and regions to support merchants’ pre-stocking needs and improve the overall experience for its 1.3 billion consumers globally. In addition, Cainiao has notably announced six export logistics guarantees to support Chinese exports.

Priority export warehouses

Merchants opting to use Cainiao’s priority export warehouses will enjoy shipping guarantees in over 20 countries and regions and compensation for delayed deliveries. In addition, specific routes and warehouse storage would offer further promotions and reimbursements.

For first-mile logistics, Chinese merchants can pick up orders from their doorstep or directly from the warehouses. As of last week, Cainiao’s priority export warehouses in China saw a 300 per cent increase in pre-stocked goods compared to the previous year, while goods pre-stocked in the Middle East and Latin America grew by over 200 per cent year-on-year. Together with Alibaba’s eCommerce platform AliExpress, Cainiao’s priority export warehouses span nearly 100,000 sqm, servicing Chinese cities such as Guangdong, Zhejiang and Shandong.

First-mile pick-up and smart order consolidation

To support Lazada merchants selling to Southeast Asia, Cainiao has streamlined and optimized the parcel handling process, from the point of the goods leaving domestic warehouses to cross-border shipping, thereby reducing shipping time by 17 per cent. This year, smart order consolidation has been expanded to cover 52 countries. In addition, it has undergone strategic upgrades to specifically enhance domestic first-mile pick-up and last-mile logistics in destination countries.

Furthermore, goods will be packed using environmentally-friendly materials as part of Cainiao’s green logistics efforts to reduce carbon emissions.

Expedited digital customs clearance

Cainiao has partnered with over 60 customs clearance facilities to implement digitalized customs clearance systems and increased support in export for bonded goods and transits to facilitate a fuss-free process.

International line-haul network

Ahead of Double 11, Cainiao has reinforced its international logistics network and secured various freight routes spanning air, sea, rail and land to safeguard cross-border shipping stability. This encompasses over 3,000 flights and an expansion of the domestic warehouse network.

This year, Cainiao has officially launched its Huanan warehouse to leverage automation processes for parcel handling, sorting, and smart allocation of air shipping slots. By tapping on automation, Cainiao will improve operational efficiencies by over 30 per cent. Cainiao has also launched a dedicated air freight route to Singapore and Malaysia to support the export of Tmall fashion products manufactured in China’s industrial belt, improving delivery timeliness by 40 per cent. This is estimated to bolster the export of over 240 million fashion products to the Southeast Asian region.

Furthermore, consumers in Singapore and Malaysia will benefit from up to 50 per cent savings in shipping fees, with deliveries in as fast as five working days. In the broader Southeast Asian region, Cainiao has partnered with Lazada to provide direct freight routes connecting eight key ports in China to Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Indonesia.

Overseas distribution centres

This year, Cainiao has roped in its distribution centres in the United States, Chile, Poland and Brazil to create a global distribution center network. For example, by leveraging the distribution center in the United States, parcels only require one round of sorting before being dispatched for last-mile delivery, enhancing last-mile delivery timeliness by 15 per cent.

Last mile delivery

Cainiao has established over 1,000 lockers in France, Poland and Spain. Cainiao has also deepened its strategic partnership with EcoScooting, a pioneer Spanish last-mile delivery company, to leverage the complementary logistics infrastructures and capacities to improve the logistics experience for Spanish consumers and eCommerce merchants.