[Video] Alibaba Tests Drone Delivery Service In China

Chinese online retail giant, Alibaba, has taken a page out of Amazon’s playbook, launching a three-day drone delivery pilot program.

The company’s online marketplace, Taobao, partnered with Shanghai-based logistics company YTO Express on the project which planned to make 450 deliveries via drone, according to TechinAsia.

Customers had to pick from a pre-set list of products such as a ginger tea with brown sugar meant to treat menstrual cramps (see the video below) and all packages, each weighing less than 340 grams, were delivered within one hour of ordering. Deliveries were limited to customers who live nearby distribution sites in Guangzhou, Beijing and Shanghai.

Though Alibaba has operations in Vietnam, we’ll probably have to wait a while before drones replace motorbike deliverymen.