JD.com Inc. said Oct. 18 that it is launching a parcel delivery service serving mainland China that uses the online retailer's in-house logistics network.

Customers in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou can use the JD.com app to arrange for packages to be picked up by the company's staff for shipping around China. They can choose from service options that include same-day, next-day and two-day deliveries, as well as JD.com's white-glove luxury delivery.

Parcel pickups can also be arranged through a mini-program and JD delivery team account in WeChat, the popular multipurpose Chinese app operated by key JD.com stakeholder Tencent Holdings Ltd.

The company said it plans to expand the service to eventually include luxury products and high-end consumer electronics, offer more delivery options and provide residential and business shipments between any two locations within mainland China.

The move falls under JD.com's "retail as a service" strategy to make the company's technology and infrastructure available to third-party businesses. Other recent initiatives include Unilever PLC using JD.com's logistics network for distribution of its products in China.