China’s express delivery firms handled 552 million parcels on Nov. 11, the Double 11 online shopping festival, 1.8 times the usual daily average, the State Post Bureau said.
The country’s courier sector handled 4.27 billion parcels from Nov. 1 to 11, as online sales rose in the run-up to the annual online shopping bonanza, according to the bureau.
It said the courier sector is well-prepared for the peak season that may continue until Nov. 20, and the delivery network is running smoothly.
Initiated in 2009, the once-a-year “Double 11” shopping festival has evolved into one of the most expected shopping festivals in China.
The popular single-day event creator Alibaba was mum on sales numbers, however, the e-commerce giant did not let down on the fanfare. In a futuristic example of the all-out push, Alibaba dispatched over 700 autonomous delivery robots, called Xiaomanlv or “Little Donkey” in Mandarin, twice as many as last year.
Even in tough times, a presence in the world’s second-largest retail market is a must and 290,000 brands took part in 11.11 across its platforms, the same number as last year.
“The economy is undergoing substantial transformations this year, and everyone is looking for assurance amid uncertainty. As a result, both merchants and consumers have high expectations this 11.11. Businesses want to lock in certainty and cement confidence, while consumers expect pleasure and joy from 11.11,” said Trudy Dai, Alibaba’s President of Core Domestic E-commerce.
