A worker sorts products for transshipment at an e-commerce logistics warehouse in Lianyungang, East China's Jiangsu Province. File photo: VCG

China's e-commerce logistics index, an indicator of logistics operations, stood at 112.3 points in August, up 0.3 points month-on-month to reach its highest level this year, according to a survey released by the China Logistics and Purchasing Federation (CFLP) and e-commerce giant JD.com on Wednesday.

The sub-index tracking the sector's gross business revenues increased 0.5 points month-on-month to 131.4 points, the data showed.

Since the beginning of this year, the e-commerce logistics index has maintained a steady upward trend, rising for six consecutive months, according to the CFLP.

"The accelerated improvement in demand and orderly recovery of supply together pushed the overall index to reach a new high for the year," He Hui, chief economist of the CFLP, told the Global Times on Wednesday.

Thanks to supportive policies such as trade-in programs and the diversification of consumption scenarios, domestic consumer willingness to spend strengthened further in August, bringing new growth drivers for e-commerce logistics, He said.

On the supply side, driven by rapidly rising demand and fewer extreme weather disruptions, e-commerce logistics firms have prioritized improving service quality, with multiple indices rebounding, including personnel, fulfillment rates, and satisfaction, He said.

At the same time, leveraging cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence, big data, and cloud computing, the sector is advancing upgrades in intelligent order matching, automated sorting, and dynamic route optimization. 

These innovations contributed to a drop of 0.5 points month-on-month in the cost index, marking the third straight monthly decline to 117.2 points - the lowest level since 2023.

The National Development and Reform Commission, China's top economic planner, said in July that a total of 138 billion yuan ($19.20 billion) of central government funds would be distributed in July and October for the third and fourth quarters to support local governments in carrying out the trade-in program.

With the peak consumption season in September and October, demand for e-commerce logistics is expected to continue rising, He said.