Logistics: The Secret Ingredient in China’s E-commerce物流：中国电商的秘方

How Alibaba and JD.com accelerate logistics innovation.

阿里巴巴和京东如何加速物流创新。

There’s definitely something going on behind the scenes of China’s e-commerce industry： In no other country in the world is delivering packages to consumers in 24 hours considered standard practice. What’s the driving force behind this logistics service？

中国电子商务行业的幕后必定有一些奥秘：目前世界上没有其他国家把24小时内将包裹送达消费者作为标准惯例。这种物流服务背后的驱动力是什么？

The answer is pretty easy to find. Just look at the Chinese e-commerce market： intense competition， large volumes of packages， and the need to satisfy ever-growing demands from sophisticated1 Chinese consumers.

很容易便能找到答案，只需看看中国电子商务市场：竞争激烈，包裹数量庞大，还要满足成熟老练的中国消费者日益增长的需求。

E-commerce in China is three times the size of any market globally， according to eMarketer2. According to Alibaba， Cainiao Network and its logistics partners delivered 25.1 billion packages in 2019.

根据eMarketer的报告，中国电子商务规模是全球其他市场的3倍。阿里巴巴称，2019年菜鸟网络及其物流合作伙伴运送了251亿个包裹。

Peak shopping seasons in China bring dizzying numbers of orders. Last year， during the 11.11 shopping festival， more than 1.3 billion orders were processed within 24 hours by Alibaba’s Cainiao Network.

中国购物旺季带来了惊人的订单数量。2019年“双十一”购物节期间，阿里巴巴的菜鸟网络在24小时内处理了超过13亿笔订单。

Netsunion Clearing Corporation3 reported that 26.18 billion transactions worth RMB 16.91 trillion （about $2.38 trillion） occurred during the 6.18 online shopping festival from June 1 to June 18， 2020.

网联清算有限公司称，2020年6月1日至6月18日的“6·18”网购节期间，有261.8亿笔交易达成，金额共计16.91万亿元人民币（约合2.38万亿美元）。

To serve over 1.4 billion citizens and nearly 900 million mobile internet users， retail and e-commerce businesses must innovate. They frequently adopt new technologies like AI， Internet of Things， and automation.

要想服务超过14亿中国人和近9亿移动互联网用户，零售和电子商务企业必须进行创新。这些企业频繁采用人工智能、物联网和自动化等新技术。

To get the edge4 in a fiercely competitive marketplace， digital commerce giants JD and Alibaba have pushed each other to master the difficult step-child of e-commerce： getting stuff from here to there.

为了在竞争激烈的市场中占据优势，电子商务巨头京东和阿里巴巴争先恐后，以图掌控电子商务不招待见且难管教的“继子”：物流。

Logistics with Chinese characteristics

中国特色物流

Consumers in China expect logistics services to be on-demand and free， and do not expect to pay extra for these features. This is a contrast to the European and American markets， where consumers pay a premium5 for expedited6 services like Instacart7 and Amazon Prime Now. The additional fees charged by these companies reflect the high cost of shipping items in developed markets.

中国消费者期望物流服务按需配送、一律免费，不愿为这些功能支付额外费用。这与欧洲和美国市场形成鲜明对比，欧美地区的消费者要为加急服务支付额外费用，比如即时送和亚马逊超快配送等。这些公司收取的额外费用反映了发达市场的高昂运输成本。

At its core， Alibaba is a marketplace， while JD.com is a retailer. Their business models have huge differences， but in logistics， Alibaba’s Cainiao Network and JD Logistics have both thrown traditional e-commerce logistics business models away and created market-specific solutions.

从本质上说，阿里巴巴是交易平台，而京东是零售商。他们的商业模式存在巨大差异，但在物流方面，阿里巴巴的菜鸟网络和京东物流都摒弃了传统的电子商务物流商业模式，创造了针对特定市场的解决方案。

Alibaba’s Cainiao Network

阿里巴巴的菜鸟网络

Alibaba’s Cainiao Network offers an innovative， data-driven platform that helps improve efficiency and customer experience for all supply chain partners. At a high level， it can be summarized as a logistics platform which focuses on freight between warehouses that then use third-party partners to complete last mile deliveries.

阿里巴巴的菜鸟网络提供了一个创新型数据驱动平台，有助于提升所有供应链合作伙伴的效率和客户体验。从高层次上讲，可以把菜鸟网络归结为专注于仓库间货运的物流平台，随后这些仓库借助第三方合作伙伴完成最后一英里配送。

Alibaba has also invested in these logis-tics companies in an effort to improve operational efficiency across the entire logistics chain. Cainiao Network offers a data platform that links warehouse operators， distribution centers， and contractors together to ensure that it can support local and international shipments.

阿里巴巴还投资这些物流公司，以提高整个物流链的运营效率。菜鸟网络搭建起数据平台，关联仓库运营商、配送中心和承包商信息，以确保平台能够支持国内和国际运输。

Automation： Cainiao Network’s smart warehouse in Wuxi has 700 automated guided vehicles （AGVs）. Internet of Things technology in the warehouse directs AGVs to drive， load， and unload.

自动化：菜鸟网络在无锡的智能仓库拥有700台自动导引车。仓库中的物联网技术指挥自动导引车行驶、装卸。

Last mile delivery solutions： Package pickup stations located in neighborhoods and university campuses， called Cainiao Post， account for 10% of total packages delivered in Alibaba’s China retail marketplaces. In March 2020， the total number of package pick-ups saw three-digit growth year-on-year， due to surging demand for contactless delivery during and after Covid-19. Cainiao has recently announced that it will add 30，000 new community post stations in 100 cities in China.

最后一英里配送解决方案：位于社区和大学校园的包裹取件处称为菜鸟驿站，占阿里巴巴中国零售市场配送包裹总量的10%。2020年3月，由于新冠疫情期间及之后对非接触式交付的需求激增，包裹取件总数同比实现三位数增长。菜鸟近日宣布，将在中国100座城市新增3万个社区站点。

JD Logistics

京东物流

JD Logistics offers end-to-end logistics， including both freight-to-warehouse and last mile delivery. Its logistics services are available to online and offline businesses， even those that do not sell on its e-commerce platform. Brands and businesses can use these services to deliver products， without investing into their own logistics.