Cainiao Group, the logistics arm of Alibaba, announced an enhanced partnership with Alibaba's e-commerce platforms, Taobao and Tmall, to launch a new cross-border logistics service known as 'Taobao PLUS' ahead of the upcoming 11.11 shopping festival.

Cainiao said this service will be active across five key markets — Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, Singapore, and Malaysia.

"Taobao PLUS will provide free shipping, free returns, and tax-free services to consumers in these markets, who will be able to enjoy more convenient and efficient logistics services," Cainiao said.

It added that consumers will also be eligible for a free upgrade to Cainiao’s premium logistics services if they hit the minimum spending limit. 

Meanwhile, it said that Taobao and Tmall customers in Hong Kong and Macao will enjoy guaranteed next-day delivery, and those in Singapore and Malaysia will enjoy five-day delivery for consolidated orders.

To achieve this delivery timeliness and cope with the anticipated surge in demand, Cainiao has expanded its consolidation and distribution warehouses.  

 
To better address consumers' needs in Hong Kong, Cainiao said it also reinforced its last mile capacities with the addition of new self-collection points as well as weekend operations, large parcel storage, and extended operating hours to several self-collection points.