Alibaba’s logistics arm, Cainiao Network, has announced the expansion of its last-mile network in Singapore to shorten the delivery time for cross border e-commerce parcels ahead of its massive annual Double 11 Shopping Festival in November.

In a statement, Cainiao said through partnerships with logistics partners including Singapore Post, BEST Inc. Roadbull and Park N Parcel, the last mile network will comprise over 1,600 collection points, 600 couriers and 500 lockers island-wide.

Cainiao said each parcel will be tagged with an electronic label to facilitate the ease of real-time tracking from end to end, and Cainiao’s Global Smart Delivery Platform (GSDP) will be used to accurately assign delivery tasks to the most suitable logistics partner by evaluating a range of metrics.

This announcement follows the launch of Cainiao’s first Singapore-China air freight route in August of ahead of the Double 11 Shopping Festival.

Singapore's US$2.4B e-commerce industry 

The new route operates four weekly chartered flights between Singapore and Hangzhou, China to help achieve Cainiao’s commitment to delivering globally within 72 hours.

"Cainiao’s expansion and digitalization of its last-mile network aim to support Singapore’s US$2.4 billion e-commerce industry," Cainiao said noting that the industry is set to grow at 12% to 20% annually over the next five years, signalling an immediate need to modernize the corresponding logistics network.