On Monday, May 28, ride-hailing company Grab officially announced that it would offer GrabFood in Singapore, and the food delivery service will likely be available “this quarter” in five other Southeast Asian markets.
Asked to comment on Indonesian rival Go-Jek’s upcoming expansion into Singapore and other regional markets, she also said it was already ahead of the curve.
In conjunction with the launch of the GrabFood app in Singapore, the corporate said it has signed up 1000’s of merchants to make use of its service platform, including A Poke Theory, Hock Lam Beef Noodles, Ji De Chi, McDonald’s, Wing Zone and Yum Cha restaurant.
Asked for details on the variety of vendors and suppliers available, James Ong, head of GrabFood Singapore, said during a media briefing that there should be a balance between each. Too few suppliers and consumers will get their food late, and too many will mean there won’t be enough jobs, he explained.
“As demand increases, we will increase supply,” Ong added.
He also mentioned that buyers is not going to have a minimum order requirement – a feature much like the now-defunct Uber Eats service. This is a “powerful lever” in shaping consumer behavior, but because the service evolves it might be offered to certain customer segments while others receive other targeted promotions, he explained.
GrabFood may even be connected to its GrabRewards loyalty platform, with Grab saying it would offer five GrabRewards points for each dollar spent on a GrabFood order.
Other regional markets where GrabFood will likely be available include Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia and the Philippines, the corporate added in its press release.
INSURANCE FOR DELIVERY EMPLOYEES
In addition to consumers, the corporate also said it might insure all on-the-job delivery staff at no additional cost to “protect them within the event of an accident.”
People delivering products for GrabFood may even not need to book delivery slots upfront, and all earnings for a given day may be paid on the identical day, the corporate added.
The GrabFood app is currently available in beta, which Ong explained is to let users know that the corporate will likely be making various changes to the app to enhance the service based on the feedback received.
As Grab Singapore CEO Lim Kell Jay said in the course of the same briefing, it replaces the Uber Eats app, which was officially shut down at 11:59 p.m. on Sunday. Ong added that almost all of GrabFood’s staff worked at Uber Eats, but declined to disclose exact numbers.
The company acquired Uber’s Southeast Asian and Uber Eats operations in March this 12 months, although regulators within the region, including Singapore, are still reviewing the deal.
“COMPETITION IS ALWAYS”
When asked what impact Go-Jek’s upcoming entry into the market would have on the corporate, Mr Lim said “competition is all the time there” and the corporate has faced competitors up to now but still prevailed.
“We are very focused on what our customers want… and we believe this is the only sustainable way to maintain our position in the market,” he explained.
Last week, Go-Jek announced that it would enter the passenger transportation market in Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand and the Philippines over the following few months, investing $500 million in its international expansion.
Chief executive Nadiem Makarim said on the time that individuals in Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore and the Philippines “do not feel they’ve enough (alternative) relating to air transport.”
Source: Channel NewsAsia
