(Yicai Global) Nov. 14 -- Cainiao Network plans to serve over 1,000 cities in Brazil within the next three years, as the logistics arm of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding prepares to roll out a full suite of courier services in the South American country.

Cainiao also intends to increase the number of sorting centers in Brazil to 10, up from the current one, across seven states and to set up 1,000 smart drop-off lockers in 10 major cities by 2025, according to a three-year roadmap released by the Hangzhou-based company. Cainiao has another two sorting centers in Mexico and Chile.

The logistics giant, which has had a presence in Brazil since 2018, only started to operate on the ground formerly with a full package of services, such as cross-border couriers, customs clearance and last-mile deliveries, for Alibaba’s e-marketplace AliExpress this year.

“Through the partnership with Cainiao, more Brazilian brands will be able to capitalize on the extraordinary opportunities in the Chinese consumer market,” said Augusto Souto Pestana, president of Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency.

Cainiao customers in Sao Paulo are now able to receive parcels sent locally in as little as one day, the courier said.

It will also add more Brazil-China air and sea routes. The firm currently operates eight chartered flights a week that mainly carry Brazil’s exports of coffee, nuts and bee glue to China.

Brazil is one of the most important emerging markets for e-commerce. Its turnover from online shopping was USD26.1 billion last year. And the number of people who make purchases online jumped 40 percent in 2020 from the year before due to Covid-19 and shifts in consumer spending habits, according to the 2021 eEbit Webshoppers report.

Editor: Kim Taylor