Retail in Asia

In Trends

JD.com’s drone delivery goes into operation

JD.com Inc successfully used drones to deliver online purchases to rural shoppers in Jiangsu province earlier in June, kicking off the e-commerce giant’s trail operation of using unmanned aircraft for “last mile” distribution.

The drones developed by China’s largest online direct sales company can fly up to 10 kilometers to deliver goods from a local distribution center in Suqian city of Jiangsu province to a nearby village.

“With the help of drones, rural shoppers can enjoy the efficiency and convenience of online shopping just like those in mega cities in China. And for us, using drones can significantly reduce delivery cost,” said Xiao Jun, who is in charge of JD’s X Lab, a business unit dedicated to adopting cutting edge technology in logistics and delivery.

Rather than using drones to deliver goods directly to shoppers, JD.com employs them to transport goods from rural distribution stations to deliverymen based in villages. The deliverymen then pass the goods to online shoppers.

(Source: China Daily )