Standoff over data may delay parcels

The pursuit of lucrative customer data has put the nation's top courier and largest logistics network on a collision course, potentially delaying tens of thousands of parcel deliveries in the short term, according to industry experts.

The standoff came as express delivery companies and internet firms upped the ante for data tracking and analysis capabilities to vie for a bigger share of the country's courier market.

The shutdown of data sharing and connection since Thursday between SF Express and Cainiao Network Technology, in which e-commerce giant Alibaba holds a 48 percent stake, has hindered parcel tracking by SF via Tmall and Taobao, popular shopping sites run by Alibaba.