What role does railway transportation play in the "war" on Double 11?

Since 2009, the "Double 11" shopping carnival launched by Alibaba's Taobao Mall (Tmall) is now in its ninth year. Today, "Double 11" has long become a global business event. The e-commerce transaction volume on the festival day has increased year by year. The transaction volume of the entire network has soared from 50 million yuan in 2009 to 180 billion yuan in 2016. Not only that, "Double 11" also led to the linkage of multiple industrial chains such as logistics, mobile payment, manufacturing, and information technology.

In the process of structural reform on the supply side of railway transportation and accelerating the exploration of market-oriented development, the railway tested the "Double 11" for the first time in 2016. The China Railway Corporation made unified arrangements. China Railway Express cooperated with all railway bureaus and relevant units and departments. Relevant cadres, employees, and young volunteers united as one, dedicated themselves to meritorious service, and made selfless sacrifices. Within 10 days, express trains, luggage cars, and high-speed rail express transportation,* ** Transported 5,772 tons of e-commerce goods, sent 15.25 million pieces of e-commerce express goods, and completed transportation revenue of 43.01 million yuan, winning the first battle. If we look at it from the current utilitarian mentality, although the railway achieved good economic and social benefits during the "Double 11" in 2016, it was not the same as the entire express logistics industry. From November 11 to 16, the 1.12 billion express shipments undertaken within 7 days failed to win. Judging from the e-commerce logistics cost of approximately 14.336 billion yuan, the logistics volume completed by the railway in the 10 days of the "e-commerce golden week" is only one thousandth, and the e-commerce logistics revenue only accounts for three ten thousandths, which is incomparable with the large cost expenditures invested by the railway. Not proportionate. More importantly, during the "Double 11" period, the railway cooperated with well-known social logistics, e-commerce, and manufacturing companies in the "Double 11" period, which not only promoted these companies to achieve higher production and sales benefits, but also enabled these companies to compete in the capital market. Gain greater benefits, and what the railways gain more is extensive social influence and reputation. However, looking at the railway with a development mentality and once again leaning forward to participate in the "Double 11" is undoubtedly of great strategic significance and demonstrates the ambition of railway development in the new era.

From the perspective of market operations, participating in "Double 11" is an inevitable choice for the development of railway market operations. The e-commerce logistics market brought about by "Double 11" is greatly expanding, spreading from the region to the whole country, and from the country to the world. The market "cake" is very huge. It is predicted that the transaction volume of the entire network on "Double 11" in 2017 is expected to exceed 200 billion yuan, and the national mail and express business volume from November 11 to 16 will exceed 1.5 billion pieces, an increase of 35% over the same period in 2016. Based on this data, it is estimated that "Double 11" in 2017 will generate e-commerce logistics costs of 19.2 billion yuan. In the face of the already formed market, railways, as the backbone of the comprehensive transportation system, are also the most important support for the logistics industry. Actively participating in "Double 11" can be with the market and society, reduce the social costs of e-commerce logistics, and promote e-commerce logistics. Healthy business development, expansion of railway market share, and improvement of railway operating efficiency and quality.

From the perspective of logistics development, participating in "Double 11" is an important way for railways to speed up the improvement of modern logistics systems. At present, the passenger transport segment, one of the two main products of the railway, is centered on the business travel economy. The product and service system has been very clear, the services have been continuously improved, and the market share and efficiency benefits have been very significant. Compared with passenger transport, railway freight is limited by a variety of reasons. There is a lack of marketable logistics products, the entire system is imperfect, and the market share is showing a downward trend. In the face of the continued rise of the scattered "white goods" logistics market, in the market Insufficient responsiveness, price flexibility, and operational flexibility lead to a lack of competitive advantage. Taking the initiative to enter the "Double 11", the railway can understand and familiarize with the market, update its ideological concepts, identify the target market, change the publicity model, explore the operation model, develop new business formats, use market-oriented means to force the railway to self-pressure, and test the internal operation of the railway Quality and efficiency break through the bottleneck of integrated development with society and occupy a leading position in the market in the development of express logistics.

From the perspective of supply services, participating in the "Double 11" is a concrete manifestation of deepening the supply-side structural reform of railway transportation services. By participating in "Double 11", railway enterprises strive to solve the contradiction between the people's growing needs for a better life and the unbalanced and inadequate supply of transportation services, and actively explore and build a railway express service system that matches the world's most modern railway network, which can be called Resonate the "high-speed rail express" brand, innovate service products, demonstrate new achievements in railway logistics development, and shape a new good social image of railways.

On the "Double 11" in 2017, the railway not only greatly improved its transportation capacity, but more importantly, it joined forces with well-known social logistics companies on the Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway, using the world-leading "Fuxing" high-speed train EMU as the core transportation capacity and innovative design With the "High Speed ??Rail Express Delivery" product, express items between Beijing and Shanghai can be delivered within 10 hours. The entire logistics chain of this product uses high-speed rail, subway, and electric vehicles to connect and transfer. It is green, environmentally friendly, and energy-saving. It has become the fastest, most stable, and best-quality express service product in the entire logistics chain. It has been widely recognized by the society and has successfully opened up logistics in China and even around the world. A new era of "same-day delivery" for land transportation to different places. This is a welcome progress in exploration.

Currently, the railway is standing at the starting point of a new era, a new journey, and a new development, deepening reform and development, accelerating market exploration, surging with new development energy, and glowing with new development vitality. By fully participating in "Double 11", the railway will deeply integrate into the market, innovate service products, improve cooperation mechanisms, explore operating models, accelerate transformation and development, and work hand in hand with all parties to achieve win-win cooperation and promote the development of railways in the new era. , will surely better serve the sustained and healthy economic and social development.

Xie Xiaowen: commentator, writer, strategic scholar. Mainly commenting on current affairs, business, railways, and culture.