Nanjing is among a new batch of cities in which deliveries of online orders can be achieved in record time, only 9 hours at the minimum, from today, thanks to a tie up between two of the country’s biggest e-commerce and delivery specialists.
The announcement came earlier today, 5 September, that Tmall and Cainiao had launched their half-day delivery in six more cities; Changsha, Jinhua, Nanchang, Nanjing, Tianjin and Wuhan. That brings the number of cities offering the speedy deliveries nationwide to 14, with more in the works.
The “1212” half-day delivery model created by Tmall and Cainiao sets midday and midnight as order-payment deadlines, guaranteeing delivery before 21:00 the same day and before 12:00 of the next day, respectively.
Nanjingers have been quick to take advantage of the brand new initiative. A Ms. Fang, who works in Yuhuatai District, Nanjing, was quoted by Sina Finance as saying, “I placed an order on Tmall this morning for a snack recommended by a colleague. Not long after I finished lunch, it arrived”.
Ying Xinda, who is in charge of Tmall’s half-day delivery project, said, “In the eight cities that have [previously] achieved half-day delivery, Tmall’s user satisfaction has hit a record high”.
It is reported that in cities with half-day delivery, after consumers open Taobao on their mobile phones to then enter Tmall, applicable product-details pages shall display an eye-catching, green half-day delivery logo.
There too the promised delivery time will be displayed, along with a service guarantee of compensation in the event of late arrival.
Behind the increased speed of half-day delivery is Cainiao’s flexible supply-chain model integrating the vertical-warehouse concept and distribution. In the 56-hectare Wuhan Cainiao Park, for example, flexible Automated Guided Vehicles (AGV) are responsible for both receiving and shipping goods.
With the warehouse only used for storage, such a solution allows for a higher utilisation of warehouse working space that can also be applied flexibly to both 2B and 2C integrated businesses.
