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| Alibaba chairman Jack Ma |
Alibaba Group Holding, China's internet giant, said it plans to test a three-hour delivery of healthcare goods--including OTC drugs purchased online--in 5 China cities now and another 14 by the end of the year.
The deliveries are to be made to more than 1,500 drug stores near its customers, beginning with health-care products such as OTC drugs, later to other types of products as well. Although a towering giant, Alibaba ($BABA) faces competition by JD.com, which provides a delivery service similar to that of Amazon ($AMZN).
The Alibaba service is called "Ji Su Da," meaning "fast delivery," and promotes itself as an ideal service for customers who need non-prescription drugs or other healthcare products quickly, according to Reuters.
By delivering directly to a drug store, it does not matter whether that store even has an online connection, thus expanding access to Alibaba's network.
- here's the story from Reuters