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The China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing reported that eight of the index’s nine sub-indices advanced in September, including the total business volume index which reached 129.1 points to set a new high for the year. Rural business volume also climbed to a fresh peak of 128.4 points after a 0.8-point gain, while inventory turnover, logistics timeliness, fulfillment rates, satisfaction, personnel availability and actual load factors all improved. The cost index was the sole decliner, falling 0.4 points as increased activity helped ease operating pressures for logistics providers.
Seasonal shifts combined with holiday spending to lift online orders, with autumn apparel, travel gear, festival gifts and consumer electronics among the categories seeing accelerated demand, a federation assessment found. Gift-giving tied to upcoming holidays emerged as a notable growth driver alongside back-to-school purchases that further supported e-commerce volumes. These factors contributed to a broad-based recovery that halted several months of softening in central region activity and produced even stronger rebounds in western and northeastern areas.
Regional business volume showed a tiered improvement, with the eastern region advancing 0.4 points and the central region gaining 0.9 points to end five straight months of declines, according to the federation’s breakdown. Western and northeastern regions posted larger increases of 3.4 points and 1.3 points respectively, underscoring uneven but generally positive momentum across the country. The federation noted that both urban markets and lower-tier rural areas achieved their strongest readings of 2026, highlighting the breadth of the demand recovery.
Supply-side conditions mirrored the demand uptick as idle capacity and labor were redeployed, pushing the personnel index and actual load rate higher while delivery efficiency improved, the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing stated. Lower costs for operators reflected better utilization rates that helped offset earlier pressures from weather disruptions and softer summer activity seen in August, when the overall index stood at 111.5 points. The federation’s data placed the September performance as consistent with a gradual stabilization in the broader logistics sector.
China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing Vice President He Hui said September e-commerce logistics exhibited simultaneous improvement on the supply and demand sides, with business volumes in both urban markets and rural areas hitting yearly highs. He noted that distribution efficiency continued to optimize and enterprise logistics costs declined, signaling that online consumption vitality is strengthening steadily. The remarks came as the federation also released its wider logistics prosperity index, which stood at 51.5 percent in September, up 0.6 percentage points and remaining in expansion for a fifth straight month.
New orders within the broader logistics gauge rose for a seventh consecutive period to 51.2 percent, with 10 of 12 sub-indices advancing and eastern region activity providing much of the lift, according to the same federation release. Equipment utilization returned to expansion territory for the first time this year while inventory turnover extended a five-month improving streak, pointing to tighter supply-chain coordination. Market expectations also brightened, with the business activity anticipation index climbing 1.8 points to 56.2 percent as firms expressed greater confidence heading into the final quarter.
