Abstract:
The results of express delivery's "anti-involution" are accelerating. As the peak season is approaching, a new round of regional price increases has begun. On September 20, The Paper learned from people familiar with the matter that express delivery companies including ZTO, YTO, STO, Yunda and Jitu have recently issued notices stating that starting from 0:00 on September 20, 2026, the express service fees (in Jiangsu area) for all outlets and cooperative customers will be uniformly increased by no less than 0.1 yuan per ticket.
The above notices all pointed out that with the arrival of the peak season, in order to ensure the stable operation of the delivery network and maintain a healthy and sustainable operating order, the price of express collection services will be increased. The operation decisions are mainly based on the operating costs of the outlets themselves and the need for network stability.
In addition, the express delivery service prices of the above-mentioned companies in the Anhui region will also be raised starting from 0:00 on September 20. Based on the original execution price, the single ticket will be raised by a minimum of 0.15 yuan. This adjustment applies to the delivery services of all shipping customers.
Industry insiders pointed out to reporters that the increase in express delivery service fees is for outlets and cooperative customers and will not affect the price of individual express delivery.
Specifically, STO, YTO and Jitu pointed out in the above-mentioned price adjustment notice in Anhui that in recent years, the express delivery industry has been in a state of loss for a long time, front-end prices have been lower than service costs, and "price-for-volume" is unsustainable; in order to promote the industry to return to a rational, healthy and high-quality development track, and ensure the service quality of the entire network and the stable operation of the network, the company has made appropriate adjustments to express delivery prices.
STO also pointed out in the notice that before filling the order, please confirm with the local outlet for price inquiry, and all inventory orders will be compensated for the price difference. The price adjustment is small, aiming to alleviate rigid cost pressures and gradually improve the long-term problems of low terminal delivery fees and difficulties in operating outlets caused by low-price competition, so as to ensure that express shipments can continue to receive stable and efficient distribution services.
Zhongtong and Yunda pointed out in the above-mentioned notice of price adjustment in Anhui that in recent years, due to the continuous increase in labor, transportation, site and equipment maintenance costs, the operating costs of the express delivery industry have continued to rise. In order to ensure the healthy and stable operation of the service network, the shipping price will be adjusted after the company's research and decision.
This round of price increases is not the first increase in express delivery service fees this year. According to a research report recently released by Guosheng Securities, on September 9, franchised express outlets in Zhengzhou, Xuchang, Luoyang, Nanyang, Zhumadian and other places in Henan Province announced the launch of express price adjustments. Each ticket for 0-3KG outbound express shipments will increase by 0.2 to 0.3 yuan. After the price adjustment, the cooperation price will not be lower than the company's lowest cost line.
Express delivery expert Zhao Xiaomin told The Paper that the express delivery industry has been mired in low-level price competition for a long time, and the problem of volume-price inversion is prominent. This round of express price adjustments in many places is a continuation of the industry’s “anti-involution” since last year. Anhui and Jiangsu have officially issued price adjustment notices, while Yiwu currently only has internal verbal notices and has not yet formed a public document.
Regarding the ongoing price war in express delivery, an insider of an express company once told The Paper, "The price war continues, which is equivalent to front-line staff doing 20% more work, but the wages are only 5% more or the same. The headquarters transmits the pressure to the front-line, and the front-line can either bear it themselves. Or quit. In addition, the decline in income may also affect the further decline of service levels. "Some branch managers of express delivery companies once told The Paper that prices continue to decline, and the wages of front-line employees in provinces and regions will not be low, but the profits of branches will not be higher year by year.
“Low-level price competition itself has reached a critical point of development. Even without the acceleration of the ‘anti-involution’ policy, this model of relying on low prices for scale will be unsustainable.” Zhao Xiaomin said that “anti-involution” cannot just stay at the phenomenon level. The core is to force companies to complete fundamental changes in their business philosophy. The true competitiveness of an enterprise should be reflected in network construction, employee benefits, channel operation capabilities and end-user stickiness.
This year’s National Postal Work Conference clearly proposed “comprehensive rectification of ‘involution’ competition.” According to the reporter’s incomplete review, since this year, Jiangxi Provincial Postal Administration, Jiangsu Provincial Postal Administration, Qinghai Provincial Postal Administration and Anhui Provincial Postal Administration have all held work symposiums to promote the industry’s “anti-involution”. In August and September, the State Post Bureau also went to Henan, Jiangsu and other places to conduct special research on "involution" competition. It was clear that the industry was in a critical stage of transformation from incremental expansion of scale to improvement of quality stock, and required enterprises to abandon extensive scale competition and improve compliance management systems and democratic consultation mechanisms.
The results of express delivery's "anti-involution" are also accelerating. In the first half of this year, the performance of listed express delivery companies has experienced substantial growth, and single-ticket revenue has also generally increased. Among them, Yunda Express mentioned in its semi-annual report that the average single ticket price in the express delivery industry in the first half of this year was approximately 7.68 yuan, a year-on-year increase of approximately 2.3%. The average single ticket price in June reached 7.77 yuan, a year-on-year increase of 3.8%. The latest August operating data shows that the industry’s single-ticket revenue increased by 4% year-on-year in August. Several brokerage research reports pointed out that the "anti-involution" policy may increase the boost to industry profit expectations.
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