After Singles Day, Alibaba delivered 40 million packages in 3 days

Before Singles Day, we laid out four things to watch for to measure Alibaba’s success. One of them was whether the company broke US$9 billion in sales. It did. Another was whether it could deliver on promises to ship quickly thanks to its recent additions in logistics and delivery. The answer to that question is less clear.

Alibaba’s delivery subsidiary Cainiao reports that in the three days following Singles Day, it delivered more than 40 million packages. But while that may seem like a lot, Cainiao says that Tmall’s Singles Day sales generated about 278 million delivery orders. Delivering 40 million packages in three days represents just 14 percent of the total deliveries required. Most customers had to wait longer than that (though to be fair to Alibaba, probably not much longer).

Of course, part of the problem is customers themselves. Cainiao has asked customers to make sure they answer their phones when unfamiliar numbers are calling, as it could be the delivery man with their package and ignoring the calls causes delays. Cainiao has also asked that customers try to make stops as easy as possible for delivery personnel by doing things like meeting them in an office building’s lobby or outside so they don’t have to waste time on stairs or in elevators.

(Source: Techweb)