Inside the cross-border warehouses of Cainiao and AliExpress in Dongguan, a wide variety of goods such as action figures, holiday decorations, wigs, and makeup brushes are lined up, ready for dispatch and to board international flights heading to global markets.

This year’s "Black Friday and Cyber Monday" event saw explosive sales on AliExpress, with several core markets reporting impressive growth. According to Cainiao International Express, order volumes in key AliExpress markets such as Germany, the United States, and Mexico saw double-digit growth during Black Friday. The UK emerged as the biggest surprise, with a triple-digit increase in peak order volumes. Thanks to the combined boost from Double 11 and Black Friday sales, AliExpress even reached the top of the UK shopping app download charts.

This year, AliExpress has significantly increased its investment for the Black Friday season. Since November, large-scale advertisements have been displayed at major metro stations and landmarks in countries like the UK, South Korea, and Spain, positioning this as the biggest growth opportunity for cross-border merchants in the year.

With platform support such as warehouse delivery benefits and super-sale days, some sellers, like an auto parts company from Shenzhen, have seen massive surges in orders. One of their best-selling products exceeded its normal monthly sales volume in just a few days, far surpassing expectations. The company is now urgently restocking. “Despite the large order volume, Cainiao has handled it smoothly, and the shipping times are almost the same as usual,” said Mr. Chang, the logistics manager of the company.

As a key partner for global expansion, Cainiao International Express has set up special task forces after Double 11 to perform stress tests for Black Friday orders. In response to the surge in cross-border orders, Cainiao has worked with AliExpress's supply chain to conduct precise inventory planning, combining big data algorithms with sales forecasts to guide sellers in efficient stock management. This helped merchants plan their inventory, personnel, and delivery resources, significantly improving dispatch efficiency. Thanks to Cainiao's global cross-border parcel network, Black Friday packages were delivered to consumers in core markets within as little as 5 business days.