JD.com and others are also working to incorporate airborne drones into their delivery networks. The movement could help companies reduce costs as growth rates in China's e-commerce boom begin to plateau.

"Before, everyone was all going for rapid expansion. Now the growth is gone and everyone has to focus on improving their operations," said Jason Ding, a China retail expert with Bain & Company.

"Operation is all about cutting costs and providing better service. So these automated machine technologies, in the right place, can play a role there."

Read full article on Agence France Presse here.