Richard Liu, CEO and founder of China's e-commerce company JD.com, fastens his helmet before leaving a delivery station to deliver goods for customers to celebrate the anniversary of the founding of the company, in Beijing, June 16, 2014. [Photo/Agencies]

With an iron grip, JD.com Inc founder Richard Liu has dragged China's number two online retailer from a Beijing backwater to a rich New York listing.

Beyond the wealth that brought him lies Liu's next target - beating Jack Ma's Alibaba. Like Amazon.com Inc, JD.com has a logistics-focused e-commerce business. The company, whose delivery staff outnumber Alibaba's 22,000 employees, promises same-day delivery in 43 of China's biggest cities. >>>

JD.com announced a jump of 100 percent year-on-year in order intakes on its annual promotional campaign on June 18, the first major sales event after its listing in the US in May. About 40 percent of the orders came from mobile devices. >>>