Founded by Oppo’s creators, J&T Express is now the leading express delivery company by market share in SEA
E-commerce has made almost any product available at our fingertips, from groceries and gadgets to fashion and furniture. In Singapore, 80% of households shopped online last year, spending an average of S$707 each month—a clear sign of how deeply digital shopping has become woven into everyday life.
Powering this instant convenience are delivery platforms that bridge the gap between online checkout and our doorsteps.
With a myriad of delivery options available, the expectation from consumers is simple: fast, reliable, and seamless delivery. One company that has consistently delivered on that promise is J&T Express, which touts itself as the “leading express delivery company by market share” in Southeast Asia.
Though it wasn’t founded in Singapore, J&T has quickly made its mark here. To understand how the company established a strong presence thousands of kilometres from its origins, we spoke to Tagore Zhao, Group Operations Director of J&T Express, about the company’s journey, innovations, and role in shaping Singapore’s logistics landscape.
From Jakarta to the world
J&T Express was founded in 2015 in Jakarta, Indonesia, by the former CEO of Oppo Indonesia, Jet Lee, and Tony Chen, Oppo’s founder and CEO. The company takes its name from the initials of its two co-founders.
The brand’s early expansion was undoubtedly aided by Oppo’s strong regional network, which provided J&T with a solid foundation to quickly extend its reach across Southeast Asia.
J&T benefited from Oppo’s existing distribution network across Southeast Asia, including retail partners, transport routes, service points, and market knowledge. This gave the company a head start that most new logistics firms don’t have, providing the experience and connections needed to expand quickly and meet the growing demand for e‑commerce.
Since then, J&T has grown into a global logistics powerhouse.
Tagore shared that J&T now handles more than 80 million parcels daily, with peak volumes exceeding 100 million. In the first half of 2025 alone, total parcel volume grew 27% year-on-year to reach 13.99 billion, driven largely by strong performance in Southeast Asia, where volumes surged nearly 58%.
As of Jun 2025, it operates around 19,200 outlets and 239 sorting centres in over 220 countries and regions worldwide, supported by 337 automated sorting machines and over 12,100 line-haul vehicles.
Entering the Singapore market
J&T only entered Singapore in 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. By then, it had already established a presence in Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Cambodia.
According to Tagore, Singapore was a “natural choice” for the company’s regional expansion, thanks to its strategic location, world-class infrastructure, and strong e-commerce ecosystem. The surge in online demand during the pandemic also made the timing ideal.
From the start, J&T’s vision in Singapore went beyond just last-mile delivery. Over the years, the company has invested heavily in infrastructure, technology, and partnerships to build an end-to-end logistics ecosystem here that supports merchants while enhancing the consumer delivery experience.
That said, Tagore highlighted that expansion in Singapore required a different approach compared to larger markets.
In places like China, Indonesia, and Malaysia, J&T focuses on scale by building sorting hubs, expanding fleets, and handling high parcel volumes across diverse geographies.
However, in Singapore, where advanced infrastructure already exists in such a small country, the company’s long-term strategy focuses on service quality, innovation, and precision, rather than geographic expansion.
“We focus on enhancing reliability and strengthening e-commerce partnerships for fulfilment and cross-border delivery solutions,” Tagore shared.
Digitalisation & innovation are key priorities to optimise operations…
In Singapore’s crowded logistics scene, competition is intense, from local delivery startups to established global players. Yet J&T’s expansion strategy appears to be paying off.
The company currently operates over 400 delivery points, two sorting hubs, and a fulfilment centre which offers international delivery services to customers locally and regionally, including Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, Cambodia, and China.
To optimise operations, its fulfilment centre is equipped with a digital e-commerce warehouse management system, which streamlines everything from inventory and order management to transport flows and last-mile deliveries.
Digitalisation and innovation remain key priorities for the company. It has continued to invest in automation, including smarter routing systems, AI-driven sorting, and real-time parcel tracking—all aimed at improving delivery speed and consistency while keeping costs low.
Thanks to these ongoing investments and operational best practices adapted from its China operations, J&T has managed to reduce its cost per parcel by 16.7% year-on-year in Southeast Asia as of mid-2025.
The systems that J&T has adopted are especially crucial as parcel volumes continue to grow. Tagore shared that parcel volume in Singapore rose 66.7% year-on-year from 2024 to 2025. Volumes also surge during major e-commerce events, including 9.9, 10.10, and 11.11.
A major driver of J&T’s parcel volume growth has been the continued boom in e-commerce, with Tagore noting that Singapore’s e-commerce market is expected to reach S$37.5 billion (US$28.9 billion) by 2030, growing at an 8% compound annual growth rate (CAGR). More Singaporeans are shopping online, supported by high smartphone penetration rates, mobile-optimised platforms, and rising comfort with digital payments.
Social commerce is also on the rise in Singapore, growing at a CAGR of 16% and could double to US$6.6 billion (SG$8.47 billion) by 2030. This growth has fostered new buying behaviours, particularly through livestream and influencer-driven sales, resulting in more frequent parcel orders.
…and provide merchants with an integrated fulfilment platform
Beyond helping optimise its own operations amid the e-commerce boom, J&T’s digital platform also benefits sellers, making it highly appealing. It provides merchants with full visibility to manage orders, track inventory, and monitor deliveries in real-time.
“As a partner-agnostic logistics player, we have been able to foster strong partnerships with many of such e-commerce and social commerce platforms, as well as increasingly with retailers, to support their growth,” Tagore added.
The company recently launched a same-day delivery service in Singapore for select sellers, with plans to expand gradually based on market demand. This has helped position J&T as a courier with one of the fastest delivery speeds.
“Speed is no longer a bonus—it’s the baseline,” said Tagore. “Over half of Singapore’s shoppers now expect sub-24-hour fulfilment across more categories.”
He noted that during recent sales, one of the fastest deliveries recorded in Singapore took just 2 hours and 48 minutes from purchase to doorstep—an example of how far logistics efficiency has come.
J&T’s extensive regional and cross-border network offers another key benefit for merchants. It allows Singapore-based sellers to reach customers beyond saturated markets, ensuring stable performance even during peak demand.
The company works closely with partners such as sellers on TikTok Shop, Sephora, Carousell, or even their merchants’ own proprietary platforms, providing last-mile delivery, warehousing, and cross-border fulfilment solutions.
Service requirements vary by platform, though. Some prioritise customs clearance support for cross-border parcels, while others require fulfilment and warehousing solutions to reduce lead times and provide a faster, more seamless experience to end-consumers. These nuances will impact how partnerships pan out in different local markets, Tagore highlighted.
“These partnerships go beyond just moving parcels,” he said. “They’re about building integrated, flexible systems that make fulfilment faster and more transparent for everyone involved.”
The road ahead
Looking ahead, Tagore shared that there is still considerable potential for J&T to expand more deeply into Singapore’s market.
Over the next three to five years, he foresees Singapore’s logistics sector itself evolving alongside the country’s broader digital transformation, particularly as new national initiatives drive both digitalisation and sustainability.
One example is shared digital systems like the Pick Network, which consolidates parcels to reduce repeated trips and improve efficiency.
“Things like digital mapping and route optimisation help us plan better, reduce wasted trips, and make logistics more sustainable,” Tagore emphasised.
While J&T continues to grow in Singapore, the company is also expanding its footprint beyond Asia, with new markets in the Middle East and Latin America now contributing significantly to profitability, Tagore shared.
These countries generated US$360 million in revenue in the first half of 2025, up 24.3% year-on-year, with parcel volumes rising 21.7% to 170 million.
That said, each market presents unique challenges, and as such, J&T tailors its approach to each market, embedding its operations within the local infrastructure and consumer habits.
In Brazil, for instance, the company has constructed logistics infrastructure like sorting hubs and fulfilment centres across the country to balance long-haul deliveries near the Amazon rainforest regions with dense urban routes.
Whereas in Indonesia, geography demands flexibility to accommodate the thousands of islands in the archipelago. Hence, J&T has built an extensive transport network that supports island-to-island deliveries and helps local e-commerce sellers reach customers beyond major city centres.
Tagore emphasised that this hyperlocal approach—adapting operations to each market’s geography, consumer habits, and infrastructure—has been central to J&T’s success.
- Find out more about J&T Express here.
- Read other articles we’ve written on Singaporean businesses here.
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Last modified: November 12, 2025
About the Author: Eric L.
