春节期间快递大增

Many Chinese factories have stopped production during Spring Festival to allow employees to return home. But express companies are busier than ever, as online shopping takes no holiday.

The courier Zhang Jiating is responsible for deliveries to an old residential neighborhood in Hangzhou. He is about to meet one important customer – a Taobao shoe-seller. The small flat is fully occupied by these shoe-boxes, which can be delivered to customers across the country in three to five days.

"I collect at least one hundred parcels of shoes from here every day. I come here to collect parcels twice a day -- the morning and afternoon," Zhang said.

Buying something new for the Chinese New Year is an old tradition. But now the festival sales boom is switching to online shops. The young entrepreneur Wu Yuanlong has been running an online shoe shop at home for two years. He has made great progress.

"Sales double for the Spring festival. I sell over one hundred pairs of shoes every day. This recent month I sold thousands of pairs of shoes," Wu said.

Zhang Jiating gets incentives for the number of parcels he delivers. He can earn up to 10,000 yuan a month during peak season, a quite high salary in China. Starting at 7.30 in the morning, he very often has to work until 10 in the evening.

"Most parcels are from Taobao online shops, like clothes and shoes. Also many parcels are return or exchange products from Taobao," Zhang said.

Thanks to the rapid growth of E-commerce, China's express delivery sector saw a revenue growth of over 40 percent in 2014. It's now an over-30 billion US dollar business. Sto Express has a 25 % share of Hangzhou's delivery market. Over 70% of parcels delivered here are online goods. The company has increased investment for expansion.

But China's express companies are still facing one big challenge – last kilometer delivery.

"Parcels can't be delivered to certain residential places in remote areas or enclosed boarding schools. We are working on solving the problem. For example, to install mail boxes for express parcels, set up delivery receipt centers in residential areas or convenient stores," said Xu Meng, Operating Manager from STO Express Hangzhou.

To earn customer trust, many delivery companies pay employees a bonus during the Spring Festival to keep business moving. The express industry in China is very promising , it is also very competitive.