Singles' Day doubles deliveries

China's four express delivery giants hit new highs of orders during Monday's online shopping Singles' Day frenzy, said industry authorities on Tuesday.

On Monday, Shentong, Yuantong (YTO), Yunda and Zhongtong (ZTO) each received delivery orders for over 10 million items, said Li Huidu, vice chairman of China's Express Association.

"It was a remarkable day that lifted them all into the 'ten million club' and is a huge vote of confidence for China's express industry," he said.

As of 12 a.m. Monday, express enterprises had received delivery orders for over 144 million items, double the orders for the whole of the previous Singles' Day.

Netizens' frenetic clicking during 24 hours of online shopping madness shows just how China's online retail sector is booming, with a plethora of discounts and record-breaking sales.

YTO Express received 12.5 million orders on Monday, over 70 percent up on last year's Singles' Day.

"We have been preparing our equipment, information management system, manpower and vehicles for the online shopping bonanza for a very long time," said Yu Weijiao, chairman of YTO Express.

Singles' Day, a celebration for those not paired off, has become China's biggest annual commercial holiday and an e-commerce revelation.

Alibaba, an e-commerce giant, saw sales on its two online platforms Tmall.com and Taobao.com 83 percent up on a year ago, at 35 billion yuan (almost 6 billion U.S. dollars) when the Chinese version of Cyber Monday ended at midnight.

What concerns Chinese e-commerce enterprises is not sales volume, but the herculean task of actually delivering the goods. Following the "shopathon", over 100 chartered cargo aircraft, countless high-speed rail carriages and innumerable vehicles are whizzing all over the country delivering the goodies.

China's express delivery is making giant steps forward, boosted by e-commerce, and Singles' Day is the harshest of tests, said Li.

"We are witnessing an annual increase of 100 percent," said Lai Haisong, chairman of Zhongtong Express. The volume of last years Singles' Day has become this year's normal daily volume.

Worries remain in express delivery, seen as perhaps over dependent on e-commerce, and their disproportional high investment makes them a weak link in the industry chain, said Li. E-commerce orders make up about 70 percent of the business of private delivery companies.

"The frenzy is over, but the upcoming few days will be the peak working period for the couriers. We are in the critical period," said Yu.