Recently, in the factory of Shandong Dezhou Braised Chicken Co., Ltée. (hereinafter referred to as “Shandong Dezhou Braised Chicken”), SF Express courier Zhang Dianchao from the University Road Business Department has been so busy that he can barely lift his head. “During the Mid-Autumn Festival, the daily shipment volume of Shandong Dezhou Braised Chicken has been rising, nearly tripling in one day,” Zhang Dianchao said happily while busy packing Dezhou Braised Chicken gift boxes for delivery. “In addition to braised chicken, our outlet has also received and sent many mooncakes, tea, and other gifts recently.”
Every year during the “Double Festival” period, the volume of courier packages sees a significant increase, and this year is no exception. According to the Dezhou Postal Administration Bureau, since September, the postal and courier industry in Dezhou has entered its peak season. “Monitoring data shows that the delivery volume of Dezhou Braised Chicken has been rapidly increasing in recent years. As the ‘Double Festival’ approaches, the delivery volume of various postal and courier companies has reached new highs,” said Liu Wenyong, a member of the party group and deputy director of the Dezhou Postal Administration Bureau. Au cours des dernières années, the Dezhou Bureau has deeply explored local specialty agricultural product resources, promoting the integration of courier companies with e-commerce and specialty agricultural product processing enterprises, helping local specialties transition from “able to go out” to “able to go out well,” thereby aiding local economic development.
Dezhou Braised Chicken is a classic dish in Shandong cuisine, and its preparation technique is a national intangible cultural heritage. In Dezhou, there are several braised chicken brand enterprises, including Shandong Dezhou Braised Chicken, Xiangsheng, Yongshengzhai, Shaxiaoer, and Liji. Shandong Dezhou Braised Chicken is a well-known traditional Chinese brand and the first braised chicken production company to move its livestreaming room into the production workshop.
On the afternoon of September 19, in the logistics workshop of Shandong Dezhou Braised Chicken, staff were busy packing various braised chicken products and attaching courier labels to the outer packaging.
“Currently, we have official flagship stores on e-commerce platforms such as Taobao, Douyin, and Pinduoduo. Our sales peak during e-commerce promotions like ’618,’ ‘Double 11,’ and traditional holidays such as Spring Festival, Dragon Boat Festival, and Mid-Autumn Festival. Every year, we send out 700,000 à 750,000 packages of braised chicken through major courier companies like China Post, SF Express, STO Express, YTO Express, and ZTO Express,” said Zhang Shanshan, manager of the e-commerce department at Shandong Dezhou Braised Chicken. During peak seasons, the company processes and produces 100,000 chickens daily, sending out 5,000 packages per day via courier.
Reflecting on the development of their e-commerce journey, Zhang Shanshan mentioned that the requirements for express delivery services on major e-commerce platforms have been increasing in recent years. “Previously, as long as the delivery was received, it was fine. Now, every step from placing the order to receiving it is time-sensitive,” she explained. “Initially, with small online sales volumes, couriers would package the products themselves and send them from their outlets. Now, with increasing online business, our partner courier companies have gradually improved their services. Since we started on-site courier collection, couriers visit our factory once a day, and during peak seasons, they are stationed here around the clock, with delivery trucks directly connected to the production line for continuous shipping. Actuellement, STO Express and YTO Express handle the majority of our shipments.”
Liu Wenyong stated that Dezhou Braised Chicken is a gold-standard project for modern agricultural courier services. To ensure service quality, the Dezhou Bureau promotes various service models and products from courier companies like SF Express, JD Logistics, and the “Tongda System” to meet different product delivery needs. En plus, the Dezhou Bureau actively encourages courier companies to deeply explore local industry resources and innovate in integrated development. “Recently, SF Express and Shandong Dezhou Braised Chicken jointly held an online direct sales competition, which has accelerated the promotion of excellent products from Dezhou,” he added.
On the afternoon of September 20, in Dezhou Braised Chicken Food City, piles of Dezhou Braised Chicken gift boxes formed small mountains, and four SF Express couriers were busy packing, loading, and transporting the parcels back to their outlets. This temporary collection point was set up by SF Express in Dezhou specifically for the peak delivery season during the “Double Festival,” with four couriers collecting parcels throughout the day.
“During holidays, customers who buy braised chicken from our store often want to send it to other places. Cette année, these SF Express couriers came to provide door-to-door service. Customers buy and leave the packages at the door, and the couriers take care of the packing and shipping, saving us a lot of trouble,” said a staff member at Dezhou Braised Chicken Food City.
Dezhou has many direct-operated or specialty stores selling braised chicken and local specialties. In the three weeks leading up to the Mid-Autumn Festival, SF Express in Dezhou upgraded its services to meet shipping and delivery demands by setting up fixed collection points and mobile operations personnel at braised chicken direct-operated or specialty stores, providing on-site packing and collection services to facilitate store deliveries. Zhang Caiwang, business manager for the Lingcheng area of SF Express, said, “This year, we established 32 collection points in the area. In regions with a high concentration of direct-operated or specialty stores, braised chicken accounts for at least 30% of the parcels in the local outlet. Compared to the off-season, the delivery volume has increased nearly tenfold.” He also mentioned that the couriers use special packaging materials, including boxes, bubble wrap, and ice packs, to prevent damage and spoilage of the products.
Holiday gift deliveries require high efficiency, raising the demands for instant delivery and end-to-end fulfillment capabilities. Tan Yingying, head of SF Express Jinan District in Shandong, said that SF Express, leveraging its efficient flexible network and transportation capacity, uses a “forward warehouse + instant home delivery” service model to ensure the “last mile” in cities, achieving “half-day delivery” and even “hourly delivery” to get holiday gifts like braised chicken to consumers as quickly as possible.
“In addition to the ‘Double Festival,’ we are also well-prepared for major promotions like ‘Double 11′ and ‘Double 12,’ and we look forward to doing a great job,” Zhang Caiwang added.
