中國電商發(fā)展的關(guān)鍵：快遞員

1、中國電商發(fā)展的關(guān)鍵：快遞員李先生(David Li)有吃苦耐勞的精神，愿意在北京如此折磨人的交通狀況下騎著電動車穿梭在大街小巷。對于中國這個價值數(shù)十億美元、苦于如何將商品交到挑剔客戶手里的電子商務(wù)產(chǎn)業(yè)來說，李先生這樣的人實在是難能可貴。2011年，李先生離開了老家邯鄲市，離開了妻子和還在襁褓中的兒子，也離開了中學(xué)數(shù)學(xué)教師這一工作，到北京京東世紀(jì)貿(mào)易有限公司(Beijing Jingdong Century Trading Co.)做了一名快遞員。該公司是購物網(wǎng)站京東商城(360)的運營商?？爝f公司說，大城市里那些專門跑高檔寫字樓的快遞員每月收入能超過950美元，比工廠工人200美元至650美元

2、的收入高多了。那些寫字樓的訂單流量很大，貨物遞送也方便快捷。談到和家人的分離，李先生說，挺難的，但我是有抱負(fù)的。在工作了僅五個月后，去年初他被提升為一個配送中心的主管，手下有20個快遞員。隨著越來越富裕的中國消費者開始熱衷網(wǎng)購，電子商務(wù)近年來在中國內(nèi)地呈爆炸性增長之勢。據(jù)弗雷斯特研究公司(Forrester Research)統(tǒng)計，預(yù)計未來幾年中國網(wǎng)上銷售總額將超過美國，有望從去年的1,694億美元增至2016年的3,561億美元。同期，預(yù)計美國網(wǎng)上零售額將從2,260億美元增至3,270億美元。有鑒于此，互聯(lián)網(wǎng)零售商和物流公司都在努力以白手起家的姿態(tài)在中國內(nèi)地建立復(fù)雜的配送系統(tǒng)，將偏遠(yuǎn)地區(qū)的

3、消費者在網(wǎng)上購買的東西送到他們手里。電子商務(wù)公司阿里巴巴集團(tuán)(Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.)創(chuàng)始人馬云說，糟糕的物流正在減緩中國互聯(lián)網(wǎng)零售增速。知情人士說，運營著淘寶網(wǎng)(Taobao)和天貓商城(Tmall)的阿里巴巴集團(tuán)打算加入銀行、快遞公司和相關(guān)行業(yè)實體的行列，欲投資人民幣1,000億元（約合150億美元），用于在未來10年加強中國的物流業(yè)。近來發(fā)生的一些事凸顯出該行業(yè)面臨的挑戰(zhàn)。去年，在接到客戶投訴后，中國郵政部門以郵件丟失、“野蠻分揀”等違規(guī)操作為由，注銷了116家快遞公司的經(jīng)營許可證。去年10月，中國南方航空公司(China Southern Airlines

4、 Co.)一架航班落地后，一個裝有防風(fēng)火柴的包裹突然起火。中國國家媒體報道，在那架飛機上還發(fā)現(xiàn)了兩個快遞公司托運的另外兩件違禁物品。合肥機場警方和官方媒體表示，有關(guān)部門去年11月查獲了若干枚炮彈殼，一家快遞公司當(dāng)時試圖將這些炮彈殼通過民航托運。在世界銀行(World Bank)去年發(fā)布的物流基礎(chǔ)設(shè)施排名中，中國排名第26位，比韓國落后五個位次，剛好排在土耳其前面。排名第一的是新加坡，美國排名第九。物流專家說，中國缺乏大量貨物流動所需的復(fù)雜倉庫。他們說，中國許多城市不愿向物流公司或電子商務(wù)公司出售土地用于建設(shè)倉庫，因為這類經(jīng)營活動產(chǎn)生的稅收不如購物中心或?qū)懽謽?。在物流公司中通速遞(Zhongto

5、ng Express)位于北京東部郊區(qū)的一個倉庫里，工人們最近徒手處理包裹，有時他們把包裹堆成堆。寒風(fēng)從露天的裝卸碼頭和倉庫門吹進(jìn)來，為了抵御寒冷，工人們穿得有些臃腫。經(jīng)理于美娜（音）說，業(yè)務(wù)的迅速增長超出了倉庫的處理能力。她說，公司計劃不久后搬到更大的地方去。如何留住員工是一個挑戰(zhàn)。于美娜說，這里沒有足夠的畢業(yè)生，很難吸引到他們。許多工作很復(fù)雜，比如協(xié)調(diào)進(jìn)入華北地區(qū)的包裹的增減。但她說，受過良好教育的人多數(shù)不愿意做這種工作。企業(yè)正在增加支出以彌補人才的不足。北京京東世紀(jì)貿(mào)易公司自從2009年以來一直在擴(kuò)大物流體系。最近剛剛從快遞員的職位獲得晉升的李先生就在京東工作。該公司雇傭了大約1萬名快遞

6、員和5,000名倉庫管理員，但是沒有披露其支出。京東的首席執(zhí)行長劉強東曾經(jīng)抱怨中國的物流管理十分糟糕。產(chǎn)業(yè)的擴(kuò)張大部分體現(xiàn)在一線員工的增加上。在中國的主要城市，每天都有大量電動車、摩托車和電動推車出現(xiàn)在街道上。2009年，30歲的徐容亮（音）從中國沿海的杭州市來到北京，騎著電動車送快遞，每月的工資僅略高于160美元。此后，他換了四家公司，最終成為北京之外一個分銷中心的客服代表，收入也大幅增長。他說：我投入了精力和時間，獲得了回報。這挺讓人高興的。徐容亮有超過100個來自浙江的朋友現(xiàn)在在北京當(dāng)快遞員。為了利用臨近阿里巴巴(Alibaba)的優(yōu)勢，這個中國東部省份出現(xiàn)了許多中國最大的物流公司。盡管

7、許多人升了職，一些人仍然冒著雨雪穿梭在中國的街道上。他說：許多人覺得這個工作很辛苦。真的，確實也是這樣。Scooters Rule as E-Commerce Grows in ChinaDavid Li possesses a can-do work ethic and a willingness to zip around Beijings harrowing traffic on an electric scooter. That makes him highly valuable to a multibillion-dollar Chinese electronic-commerce

8、industry struggling with how to deliver goods to demanding customers.In 2011 Mr. Li left behind a wife, infant son and a job teaching middle-school math in the eastern city of Handan to became a courier for Chinese Internet retailer Beijing Jingdong Century Trading Co., which runs the 360 shopping s

9、ite.Delivery companies say couriers who work the most profitable office buildings in large citieswhere order flow is high and delivery is quick and easycan earn more than $950 a month, well above the $200 to $650 brought in by factory workers.Its hard, but Im ambitious, Mr. Li says of the separation

10、 from his family. Early last year, after only five months on the job, he was promoted to manager of a distribution center that has 20 deliverymen.E-commerce has exploded here in recent years as increasingly affluent consumers have learned to love online deals. Chinas total online sales are expected

11、to eclipse those of the U.S. in coming years, rising to $356.1 billion in 2016 from $169.4 billion last year, according to Forrester Research. U.S. online retail sales are forecast to reach $327 billion from $226 billion over the same period.That leaves Internet retailers and logistics companies att

12、empting to build from scratch a complex distribution system to send goods purchased online to the distant corners of China.Jack Ma, the founder of e-commerce company Alibaba Group Holding Ltd., has said terrible logistics are slowing the growth of Internet retailing in China. Alibaba, which runs the

13、 Taobao and Tmall shopping sites, plans to join with banks, delivery companies and industry players to invest 100 billion yuan, or roughly $15 billion, to strengthen Chinas logistics industry over the next decade, a person familiar with the matter said.Recent incidents underscore the challenge the i

14、ndustry faces.China last year stripped 116 delivery companies of their permits following customer complaints, with postal authorities citing lost mail, barbaric sorting and other offenses. A parcel containing wind-resistant matches started a fire in October on a China Southern Airlines Co. 600029.SH

15、 -3.18% plane after it landed. State media reported that two other forbidden goods shipped by separate delivery companies also were found on the airliner. And in November, authorities seized empty artillery shells that a delivery company was attempting to ship on a civil aircraft, according to the H

16、efei Airport police and official media.China ranked 26th in the World Bank ranking of logistics infrastructure last year, five notches below South Korea and just above Turkey. Singapore led the list, and the U.S. was No. 9.Logistics experts say China lacks warehouses with the sophistication to servi

17、ce its large flow of goods and say many Chinese cities are loath to sell land to delivery or e-commerce companies for warehouses since such operations dont generate as much tax revenue as, say, shopping malls or office buildings.At a warehouse run by delivery firm Zhongtong Express on the eastern ou

18、tskirts of Beijing, workers recently handled packages by handsometimes tossing them in piles. Employees were bundled against the cold as freezing gusts blew through open loading docks and doors. Manager Yu Meina says fast growth has outstripped the capacity of the facility. The company plans to move

19、 to a bigger location soon, she says.Retaining workers is a challenge. Theres not enough graduates here, and theyre hard to attract, Ms. Yu says. Many of the jobs are complicated, involving coordination of the ebb and flow of packages into northern China, she says, but not many educated people want

20、to do this sort of work.Companies are ramping up spending to compensate. Jingdong Century, where Mr. Li was promoted recently from courier, has been expanding its delivery system since 2009. It employs about 10,000 couriers and 5,000 warehouse employees but doesnt disclose its spending. Chief Execut

21、ive Liu Qiangdong has complained of Chinas terrible logistics management.Much of the industry expansion comes at the end of the line, with the scooters, motorcycles and motorized carts that clog the roads of major Chinese cities daily.Xu Rongliang, a 30-year-old from the costal city of Hangzhou, made a little more than $160 a month when he came to Beijing in 2009 to ride an electric scooter as a courier.He since has switched companies four times, eventually becoming a customer-service representative for a distribution center outside of Beijing and substantially increasing his pay. Ive investe