The first express delivery company invested by Ali actually lost money to sell itself, and the "argument" between Ma Yun and Liu Qiangdong came to an end!
As china's two largest e-commerce companies, the competition between Ali and JD.com has always been very fierce. From the very beginning, Ali has done all categories, is a bazaar-like sales platform, and has everything. Jingdong started with 3C electronics and home appliances, and then expanded to all categories. In terms of business model, JD.com is mainly self-operated and third-party buyers, and there are still some differences with Ali.
However, the profitability of the two companies is very different, Ali has been in a profitable state, and the profit is growing rapidly, but Jingdong has lost more than ten years, the same is selling goods, why is the difference so big? The difference is in logistics.
Logistics is a very important part of e-commerce, the logistics is done well, the service is improved, the customer is satisfied, and it is natural to look back. Liu Qiangdong believes that logistics is a continuation of e-commerce platform services, which should be done by themselves, so that they can grasp it well. Therefore, since 2007, Jingdong has built its own logistics and invested a lot of money, resulting in losses for more than ten years.
Ma Yun does not agree, he feels that logistics is too heavy, if you do it yourself, with the continuous improvement of order volume, the future may have to hire 1 million couriers to serve, it will not be managed at all, it will only kill the company. In 2015, the two also "argued" in the air, and Ali insisted on taking the "asset-light" model and handed over logistics to a third-party company.
Nowadays, the argument between the two has come to fruition, and Jingdong has not only not been killed, but because of the advantages of logistics, it has developed in full swing and has a super good reputation. JD Logistics has also been successfully listed, and has also achieved profitability, the number of employees has not exceeded one million, and the management is also well organized and the efficiency is very high.
According to the data, in the first half of 2021, Jingdong Logistics achieved a total revenue of 48.5 billion yuan, an increase of 53.7% year-on-year, operating 1200 warehouses across the country, which can achieve same-day delivery and next-day delivery, and in rural areas can achieve 24-hour delivery. For such logistics services, it is simply not comparable to the three links and one reach.
On the other hand, looking at Ali, although he promised not to do logistics by himself, he had already punched himself in the face. The advantages of JD Logistics make them feel pressured. Therefore, it set up Cainiao Logistics, and then "incorporated" Baishi, three links and one reach these express deliveries, or want to do their own logistics. However, after all, it was purchased from outside, and it did not count when I said it, and I fought for myself, and the effect was not good.
Just recently, the first express delivery company invested by Ali, Best Express, actually sold itself. According to the data, as early as 2008, Ali invested in Best Express, and then became the largest shareholder through increasing its holdings.
However, even with the support of Ali, Best Express is still in a state of loss, with a total loss of 4.006 billion yuan in the past four years. Such poor performance caused its stock price to plummet, and its market value fell from $4.33 billion to $630 million.
By 2021, Best Express really can't stick to it and sells it to the latecomer Jitu at a price of 6.8 billion. As a major shareholder, Ali can only give up helplessly, which is lamentable.
In addition to Baishi, the other express delivery companies of the Ali department are not very good, Shentong Express lost 237 million yuan in the third quarter of 2021, and the other three are also in the price war, the cost is increasing, in the face of the turmoil of the pole rabbit, it can only follow the battle.
After Ma Yun was not optimistic about self-built logistics, Ali gradually realized the importance of logistics, so he wanted to build his own logistics alliance by acquiring express delivery companies, thereby improving efficiency and services. However, from the sale of Baishi, we can see that Ali's logistics dream has gradually failed.
Liu Qiangdong's persistence is not only right, but also has a good return. Jingdong Logistics performance is getting better and better, this year's revenue is expected to exceed 100 billion, profitability is also increasing. Millions of employees are also not needed, with the development of artificial intelligence and other technologies, drones, unmanned warehouses, unmanned vehicles continue to be applied, machines can replace people, a warehouse can use only a few employees.
I have to say that in terms of self-built logistics, Liu Qiangdong gambled correctly, and now it has become the core competitiveness of JD.com. In addition, JD Logistics has also helped JD.com develop into a "new type of entity enterprise", which was praised by people's dailys. JD Logistics' nearly 400,000 employees, distributed throughout the country, contribute to the efficiency of national transportation, and are indeed no different from a physical enterprise.
Whether the e-commerce platform should build its own logistics, the answer is already very obvious, Liu Qiangdong won!