UPDATE: Alibaba to cut delivery time to Russia to week from 2 months
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HANGZHOU, China, Aug 8 (PRIME) -- Chinese Internet giant Alibaba will cut the time of order delivery to large Russian cities to five–seven days in the next two years, Vyacheslav Savin, the company’s project manager for logistics, told reporters Monday.
“We are shaping smart logistics. Delivery takes four days on some directions, like Moscow and St. Petersburg. We’ve reached very good results thanks to our Russian and Chinese partners. In contrast to what we had two–three years ago, we’ve moved forward a lot,” Savin said.
At present, delivery can take up to two months, according to Alibaba’s clients.
The company will also open logistics hubs in Russia. “We are thinking about it, and we will invest huge resources in Russia this and next year. Hubs will most likely work either on the basis of our resources or those of our partners,” Savin said.
On the whole, Alibaba intends to deliver orders worldwide within 72 hours and 24 hours across China.
“We plan to expand our presence in Russia in various directions. In particular, we are going to cooperate more with local, Russian companies,” Mark Zavadsky, general director of Alibaba Group in Russia, told reporters.
The company’s local strategy comprises three parts. “The first phase is delivery from China to Russia. We’ve succeeded here a lot. The second phase is delivery from Russia to Russia. These are Russian goods and Chinese goods imported business-to-business to partner warehouses and then carried further across the country. The third stage is delivery from Russia to other countries,” the executive said.
Alibaba is thinking of offering a wider range of payment options. Last year it launched payments via a mobile phone account, cash in advance through offices of retailers Svyaznoy, Euroset and postal operator Russian Post.
“We are in Russia with serious intentions and for a long time,” Zavadsky said.
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