BrandWikiReturn

Cainiao

Cainiao Smart Logistics Network Limited, formerly known as China Smart Logistics Network, is a Chinese logistics company launched by Alibaba Group, jointly with eight other companies, on 28 May 2013.[1] On March 26, 2024, Alibaba, which holds approximately 64% of Cainiao's shares, said it would acquire the remaining 36% of Cainiao's shares.[2] As of May 2018, Cainiao was one of the largest unicorn companies in China, valued at 100 billion yuan.[3][4]

Cainiao ensures delivery within 24 hours to any region of China. The company also shares resources with other logistics companies.[5]

Etymology

The name Cainao combines the Chinese words and, as part of a metaphor meaning "the bird that only eats legumes." An animal like this would be considered weak, clumsy, or underdeveloped (unlike a meat-eating, strong, and experienced bird of prey). Thus, "Càiniǎo" could be translated as an inexperienced, novice, or beginner entity,[6] which in the Chinese context has a positive connotation of humility and willingness to learn.

Services

Cainiao Station

Cainiao operates a network of courier pick-up points known as Cainiao Stations across the Chinese mainland. These stations are strategically situated in residential neighborhoods and on university campuses, serving functions akin to traditional post offices. When a courier package is destined for a location within a Cainiao Station's service area, it is rerouted to the station and stored there. Recipients are notified to collect their packages, which are organized on numerical shelves and assigned a unique 4-digit code as they enter the station. Customers can locate their package using this code, and after finding it, they scan it at a self-service checkout machine to complete the pickup. Additionally, some Cainiao Stations provide services for sending packages.[7]

Cainiao Express

Cainiao Express is a courier service. Customers can ship packages and documents by requesting a pickup through the Cainiao app. Cainiao can also be used as one of the shipping methods when selling items on Xianyu, a classified ads and online shopping app for used goods.[8] Cainiao also provides return shipping for items bought on Taobao.

External links

References

  1. Cainiao Bloomberg, retrieved 2018-10-01^
  2. Alibaba to buy Cainiao stake for up to $3.75 billion as it drops IPO plan Reuters, March 26, 2024^
  3. China's 12 highest-valued unicorn firms China Daily, 2018-05-10, retrieved 2018-10-01^
  4. Cynthia Liu. One Platform to Rule Them All: The Brains Behind Cainiao Network (PI) E Commerce Asia, E COm Asia, retrieved 17 December 2018^
  5. Yijing Han, Jing Gan. Icte 2015 2015-09-21^
  6. Alibaba’s $20 Billion Logistics Arm Gears Up for Hong Kong IPO Bloomberg.com, retrieved 2025-11-17^
  7. 菜鸟驿站官网^
  8. 环球网. 菜鸟裹裹联合闲鱼上线"隐私寄" 寄件可隐藏地址 tech.sina.com.cn, 2019-10-16, retrieved 2024-03-11^