Alibaba is looking to make drones deliveries for its major online marketplace Taobao and has also started the testing phase of by drone; and is working in partnership with Shanghai YTO Express to run a test program from February 4 to 6.
450 customers will get the chance to have their goods delivered by drone, however the offer is limited to just a specific brand of ginger tea which contains brown sugar and is used to treat menstrual cramps.
Packages, which must weigh less than 340 grams, will be delivered within one hour. Customers must live within a certain radius of specific distribution sites in Guangzhou, Beijing, and Shanghai.
SF Express, another major logistics firm in China with its own fleet of scooters, vans, and airplanes, has also conducted internal drone delivery tests since 2013. However, Taobao and YTO’s pilot program looks to be the first public campaign.