China’s e-commerce logistics activity picked up steam in August, with the sector’s key index rebounding to one of its higher levels so far this year, according to the latest official data released Friday by the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing (CFLP).
In August, the e-commerce logistics index, an indicator of logistics operations, came in at 111.5 points, up 0.3 point from July. Of the nine sub-indices, eight saw increases compared with last month.
In detail, on the supply side, e-commerce logistics continued to turn for the better as its service system underwent further improvement. In August, the inventory turnover index rose by 0.4 point month on month, logistics timeliness by 0.5 point, fulfillment rate by 0.9 point, and the satisfaction rate by 0.1 point.
On the demand side, consumption related to the transition from summer to autumn provided a lift, with categories, such as beauty and skincare, and autumn apparel, continuing to underpin basic online demand. By contrast, demand for traditional digital products, including smartphones and computers, moderated, as back-to-school spending was partly offset by rising prices.
In general, consumer preferences have increasingly shifted toward AI-enabled smart products, and high-end smart electronics have emerged as a new engine of growth.
In terms of actual operations, both the total e-commerce logistics volume and the rural logistics volume continued to grow in August. Compared with the same period of last year, the two volumes have maintained a growth rate of more than 20 percent.
“The rebound in e-commerce logistics is the most vivid sign of consumer vitality. Not only are urban orders stable, but rural e-commerce logistics has also grown markedly. This indicates that both urban and rural consumer markets are gaining momentum. When logistics gets moving, domestic demand is reviving. And it also reflects that the potential of our domestic economic circulation is being continuously unleashed,” said Ma Zengrong, vice chairman and secretary-general of the CFLP.
