Original title: "No free shipping in remote areas"? Delivery fee has been reset to zero!
'Free shipping in remote areas' seems to be an unspoken' common sense 'among people. But this year, this' common sense 'has been rewritten.
There is no difference in online shopping experience
Even in remote areas, free shipping is available
Three months ago, when Geng Bing, who worked in Lhasa, Xizang, bought luggage online, the delivery fee was 30 yuan. Not long ago, he tried to "group order again" and found that the same product was even free shipping. This is partly due to the continuous tilt of e-commerce platforms towards logistics subsidies for remote areas. On September 9, Pinduoduo announced that it would reduce or exempt the second stage freight for transfer and consolidation orders in remote areas. The platform would bear all the logistics transfer fees incurred by merchants supplying goods to Xinjiang, Xizang, Gansu, Ningxia, Inner Mongolia and Qinghai.
Starting from September 9th, Pinduoduo will waive the second stage logistics transfer fee for orders sent by platform merchants to remote areas.
During holidays, Geng Bing enjoys cycling, camping, or self driving with friends to appreciate the beautiful scenery of the plateau. In July of this year, he purchased a roof luggage worth over 600 yuan on an e-commerce platform, which came in handy during his journey. After seeing the new policy of reducing postage fees, Geng Bing remembered that the over 600 yuan of this roof luggage included a delivery fee of 30 yuan. After opening this order, he found that the delivery fee had been waived and the price was more affordable than before.
"Unexpectedly, after the platform undertook the second stage of freight, the merchants covered another stage of freight and directly realized the package mail." Geng Bing said, "I'm glad that Xizang can also enjoy the online shopping experience that is no different from the eastern and central regions."
The logistics transfer fee has been reduced
Both the goods and funds have arrived
The reduction of logistics transfer fees in remote areas benefits not only online shoppers, but also new farmers returning home to start businesses. Tianshui, Gansu Province, is famous for its abundant production of "flower cows and apples". Zhai Kai, a local fruit merchant, was one of the first merchants to benefit from the new policies introduced by e-commerce platforms. Due to high logistics costs and long delivery times in Xinjiang and other regions, Zhai Kai temporarily closed the ordering rights of local consumers. After the announcement of the "Billion Reduction" plan to cover logistics transfer fees in remote areas, he calculated that originally, it would cost 36-37 yuan to send a 3-kilogram flower cow apple to Urumqi by regular express delivery, but now it only costs 5 yuan to be sent to the transfer warehouse, which is comparable to the eastern and central regions. I immediately opened up the purchasing rights of consumers in remote areas, and as long as there are orders, they will be shipped on time, "Zhai Kai revealed. Nowadays, there are more and more orders from Xinjiang and other places, reaching hundreds of orders a day." The upcoming 'Double 11' may usher in a strong growth wave. Wei Jigang, Deputy Director and Researcher of the Market Economy Research Institute of the Development Research Center of the State Council, believes that with the accelerated release of favorable measures such as the reduction of transit fees, more businesses' enthusiasm has been mobilized. The logistics cost savings of merchants will attract more funds to invest in the development of the western market.
Selling goods from the central and eastern regions to the northwest region
Open up a new blue ocean to help farmers increase their income
Selling consumer goods from the central and eastern regions to the northwest through e-commerce platforms is a new path to wealth creation. At present, some e-commerce platforms have set up express transfer and consolidation warehouses for remote areas such as Xinjiang and Xizang in Xi'an, and Xi'an and Chengdu have become the front-line strongholds of the platform's westward strategy. In late October, national fruits such as apples, oranges, tangerines, and oranges became the main force in the market. The e-commerce platform "Nongyun Action" entered Xi'an and Chengdu, and analyzed in detail the various new policies and business strategies launched by the platform to local merchants in the categories of fruits, vegetables, meat, poultry, and aquatic products. The focus was on the "100 billion reduction and exemption" plan and the "new quality merchant support plan", answering merchants' doubts and clearing business difficulties. Luo Peng, who runs an e-commerce business for agricultural products, is a native of Neijiang, Sichuan. In 2016, with the rapid rise of e-commerce platforms and the flourishing development of the logistics industry, Luo Peng seized the opportunity and returned to his hometown with two middle school classmates to start his own business, running a fresh fruit business online. In just three years, Luo Peng's store has become the top vertical category on the platform. After expanding its business, Luo Peng also co built four employment assistance workshops and three warehouses with the local government, which has driven employment for more than 200 people in the surrounding area.
The upcoming "Double 11" is Luo Peng's first supply to remote areas such as Xinjiang and Xizang. What support resources does the platform have? How to optimize the performance experience? "This is the most concerning question for Luo Peng. We hope to promote the direct connection of more high-quality products to remote areas through 'reduction and support', and help revitalize consumption and improve living standards in the western region, "said the special envoy of the" Nongyun Action ". After the release of the new postage reduction policy, "we have been receiving refunds of several hundred yuan every day for over a month now, and the accumulated amount is not a small number," said Luo Peng.
The logistics performance in the western region is impressive
A new chapter has been added to 'The Western Mail'
In mid October, major e-commerce platforms announced the official launch of the "Double 11" event, followed by the peak logistics season. The peak season for express delivery services this year starts on October 21st and is expected to end before the Spring Festival in 2025. According to monitoring data from the National Post Bureau, from October 21st to 23rd, the postal and express delivery industry in China received approximately 1.92 billion packages, a year-on-year increase of 48.7%. Among them, 729 million express packages were collected on October 22, a year-on-year increase of 74.0%, setting a new record for daily business volume. Looking back at the data for 2023, the performance of the western region, which used to not offer free shipping, is actually more impressive - in 2023, the cumulative volume of express delivery services in Xinjiang (excluding postal company parcel services) reached 305 million pieces, and the cumulative revenue of express delivery services reached 6.2 billion yuan, an increase of 88.1% and 77.9% respectively year-on-year, both of which ranked first in the country in terms of growth rate.
Wei Jigang, Deputy Director and Researcher of the Market Economy Research Institute of the Development Research Center of the State Council, emphasized that building a strong logistics country requires a comprehensive and systematic transformation of the logistics industry from macro to meso to micro, from urban to rural, and from domestic to international. This kind of change is not simply about patching up, nor is it a partial or short-term action, but a global, holistic, and long-term one, and "not a single one can be missing" on the road to a strong logistics country. Today, in remote areas such as Xinjiang and Xizang, the tracks that these businesses used to take the initiative to bypass are becoming smooth roads. The note of 'no free shipping for remote areas' is slowly disappearing. Just as the train of the times rolls forward, gradually flattening the once rugged roads.