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€ $ “Y ou can talk about the miracle of e-commerce in China or in the world but the logistics industry is where China’s real great miracle has been over the past decade… You are the greatest heroes in my heart,” said e-commerce giant Alibaba’s Jack Ma of the logistics fraternity at the recently concluded Global Smart Logistics Summit. From tracking, packing, and loading consignments to managing returns and facing unprecedented delays due to natural calamities and man-made hindrances, every stakeholder in the e-commerce supply chain is on the edge of the seat until all the delivery promises are kept. Now with the festive season almost knocking on the doors, e-commerce companies as well as their logistics counterparts are gearing up with their plans for the high-volume shopping period, which is the most critical for retailers. Last year during the peak season, FedEx delivered more than 350 million packages, and the 2016 holiday season is expected to drive another record peak shipping season, T. Michael Glenn, president and CEO of FedEx Services, told analysts during FedEx’s earnings call for the fiscal first quarter 2017 ended August 31. “The intensity for demand on Monday has accelerated in recent years, as more and more retail locations have started serving as fulfillment centers for e-commerce orders. We expect each of the four Mondays during the upcoming peak period to be among the busiest in our company's history,” he said. The shipping company said that it is ready to handle the onslaught of ecommerce deliveries. “We've added 19 www.stattimes.com | OCTOBER 2016 3