E-commerce Morning Brief for October 28: Tmall Double 11 Food and Fresh Produce Sees 260 Brands Double; AliExpress Partners with Wildberries

Item 1: Tmall Double 11 Food and Fresh Produce Sector Battle Report: Over 260 Brand Flagship Stores Doubled GMV Year-on-Year, 6 New Faces in Top 10

According to Ebrun, as of October 25, Jiannanchun, Adopt A Cow, Yuexianhuo, Nongfu Spring, Yili, Remy Martin, Luhua, Lang, Telunsu, and Fenjiu ranked in the top 10 of the Tmall Double 11 food and fresh produce brand GMV chart. Compared with the full-cycle ranking of the same period last year, 6 brands are new entrants. This year, the number of food and fresh produce products participating in Tmall Double 11 doubled, among which orders for fresh snacks grew by over 100% year-on-year.

Item 2: Alibaba Health Launches "Nurse Home Visit" Service Covering Over 250 Cities Nationwide

Alibaba Health announced the launch of its "Nurse Home Visit" service, covering more than 250 cities across the country, directly competing with JD Health in the home professional nursing track. The service has shifted from "whether it exists" to "who covers more broadly and who provides deeper services," indicating further escalation of competition between the two major health platforms in nursing fulfillment.

Item 3: Cainiao Delivers Two Apparel Climbing Robot Warehouses Domestically in Succession

On the eve of Double 11, Cainiao delivered climbing robot warehouses to two apparel customers in Tianjin and Suzhou. The robots can operate on the ground and climb shelves to carry bins, improving warehousing and operational efficiency. Overseas, in addition to projects in Hong Kong, Spain, and the Netherlands, Vietnam's first climbing warehouse is expected to be delivered by the end of December.

Item 4: SF Express, SF Intra-city, and Meituan Jointly Build One-Stop Service Center for Hospital Riders

SF Express, SF Intra-city, together with Meituan, hospitals, and community streets, launched a "relay delivery" segmented distribution solution for hospital scenarios. Using separation of pickup and delivery, segmented relay, and fixed-point handover, it solves the problem of "food delivery cannot enter large general hospitals or be delivered upstairs," making it more convenient for users to receive meals and more efficient for riders to deliver.

Item 5: Zhongchong Shares' Net Profit in First Three Quarters Fell 45.86% Year-on-Year

Zhongchong Shares disclosed its third-quarter report. In the first three quarters, revenue was RMB 1.577 billion, up 10.49% year-on-year, but net profit attributable to shareholders was RMB 53.8146 million, down 58.69% year-on-year. Net profit after non-recurring gains and losses fell 69%, and overall net profit declined 45.86% year-on-year. The divergence between revenue growth and profit decline further widened in the third quarter, as increased brand promotion investment weighed on profits.

Item 6: Estée Lauder Trademark Enforcement Forces Tangmeike to Rename, Causing Losses of About RMB 60 Million

MAC, under Estée Lauder, initiated trademark enforcement, causing domestic cosmetics brand Tangmeike to rename, with losses of about RMB 60 million. L'Oréal's CEO responded to high-end skincare competition by saying competition is welcome. Many domestic beauty brands still face gaps in transformation, and international giants' moats in the high-end price band will be difficult to break in the short term.

Item 7: AliExpress and Wildberries Reach Further Product Interoperability, Russia-Oriented Business Changes

AliExpress recently issued a public notice on the "Global AliExpress Russia-Oriented Product Service Experience Management Rules," further confirming product interoperability with Russian platform Wildberries. Searching "AliExpress" on Wildberries brings up a collection store covering categories such as footwear, apparel and accessories, consumer electronics, and accessories and tools. The two sides have already cooperated on payment and pickup networks.

Item 8: Tencent Partners with Samsung Wallet and Woori Bank to Launch Cross-Border WeChat QR Code Payment

TenPay Global, Tencent's cross-border payment platform, reached cooperation with South Korea's Samsung Wallet and Woori Bank to advance cross-border QR code payment interconnection. South Korean users visiting China can use the e-wallet within Samsung Wallet to scan WeChat Pay collection codes, or present payment codes at tens of millions of WeChat Pay merchants, enabling cross-border mobile payment for visits to China.

Item 9: DoorDash Nears $17 Billion Acquisition of Instacart

According to sources, U.S. food delivery platform DoorDash is in advanced talks to acquire Instacart's parent company Maplebear for about $17 billion. The deal could be announced as early as this week, but negotiations may still fall apart. Instacart has hired investment banks to evaluate a sale. It previously held acquisition talks with DoorDash, while Uber withdrew. The news sent its stock up more than 9.2%, with a market value exceeding $13 billion.

Item 10: UPS Announces 5.9% Rate Increase from December 21, Cross-Border Sellers Face Last-Mile Pressure

U.S. delivery giant UPS announced that from December 21, average daily rates for ground, air, and international services will increase by an average of 5.9%, consistent with the past three years. The price adjustment coincides with the tail end of the New Year holiday shipping peak. Combined with fuel and peak-season surcharges, cross-border sellers face further pressure on last-mile fulfillment costs.

Item 11: Russian Duma Reviews Tax Code Amendment Proposing 22% VAT on Cross-Border Online Trade

The Budget and Tax Committee of Russia's State Duma determined the direction for the second reading of a tax code amendment, proposing a 22% value-added tax on cross-border online trade in Russia to create a competitive environment. It is simultaneously discussing the scope of taxpayers, tax base, and applicable tax rates. The amendment also proposes raising the tax rate on citizens' passive income from a maximum of 15% to 13% to 22%.

Item 12: Korea Consumer Agency and Google Investigate 420 Cases of AI-Fabricated Reviews and False Advertising

The Korea Consumer Agency, together with Google, investigated 420 violations on YouTube involving AI-generated fake experience reviews and advertisements impersonating experts: AI-fabricated user reviews accounted for 63.6% (267 cases), while impersonation of doctors, pharmacists, and other experts accounted for 36.4% (153 cases). Among them, food accounted for 74.3%, and cosmetics, with 72 cases, was a major affected area. Regulators have blocked all violating advertisements and revised relevant regulations.

That's all for today's morning brief. For more e-commerce knowledge and content, please stay tuned to Ebrun Audio Information.

This article was first published on the official website of Ebrun.