Chinese e-commerce and delivery platforms' shift to drones could result in laggards among players that fail to adapt, S&P Global Ratings said in a recent release.

Major players have already pivoted to airborne delivery with different goals, including Meituan (HKG:3690) which sees the innovation as a key extension of its on-demand delivery efforts, S&P said.

Meanwhile, JD Logistics (HKG:2618) considers drones as an efficiency and cost reduction driver, in S&P's view.

The rating agency sees the advancement as a positive business risk that offers efficiencies and brand improvement.

Failure to adapt drone efforts could sideline other players to commodity services, with no service differentiation other than reduced prices, S&P credit analyst Sandy Lim said.

Revenue in the segment could more than double to 3.5 trillion yuan yearly by 2035 from 1.5 trillion yuan last year, with services possibly expanding from drone deliveries to more special means such as flying taxis, S&P said.