The Market Monitor Minding the Nation's Business
With the demand for mobility among the shoppers this Christmas skyrocketing in the final two months of the year, Grab Philippines had already prepared to take it head-on by boosting its service reliability and accessibility.
The leading hail-riding superapp ramped up its efforts to better manage the balance between supplies of vehicles with passenger demand this holiday season, and to also effectively serve the rise of on-demand deliveries. Part of the efforts includes a range of new features to ensure safety and reliability without compromising on affordability.
Grab Philippines country head Ronald Roda, together with director for mobility EJ Dela Vega and director for deliveries Greg Camacho shared their strategies to offer a better experience for app users during a media conference last week in Makati.
“Our data and studies all lead to a singular insight: Filipinos just wish to be present this Christmas – fully engaged with families and friends as they celebrate the most beloved holiday. The yearning to be together every holiday is underpinned in Grab’s Holiday Trends study, indicating that Filipinos attend an average of four gatherings in celebration of Christmas and New Year,” said Grab Philippines country head Ronald Roda.
He added that the brand emphasizes that being a reliable and accessible platform is no easy task. “For some, the holiday season lasts two or three months. For Grab, it is a journey that spans over 10 months when you consider all the preparations done leading up to the season. We have been preparing since January of this year – working with our regulators towards a more balanced demand and supply, and launching a series of technologies to provide our consumers with a better holiday experience,” Roda said.
Historical Grab Philippines data shows that at least a 19% increase in daily transacting users for its ride-hailing services every last quarter of the year, with the number of ride bookings growing by up to 45% in the second and third weeks of December. For its deliveries business, demand rises by 20% on key holiday dates, with a recent survey by the brand revealing that 44% of Grab Philippines users rely on the app for their festive meal deliveries.
Grab also expanded the coverage of its GrabUnlimited subscription service which now includes an everyday 8% discount on GrabCar rides, launched GrabCar Saver – an affordable mobility solution that is cheaper than a standard GrabCar ride, launched its Group Rides feature, which not only maximizes the utilization of its fleet through the carpooling model, but also efficiently lowers down fares by allowing groups of four to share their ride’s base fare, introduced several new features that include Advance Booking, which guarantees on-time rides to the airport that can be booked up to seven days in advance—a perfect solution for holiday travelers.
The GrabFood Group Order feature facilitates collective meal orders for families and friends, offering escalating discounts that can go as high as 15% as the number of participants increases, GrabFood Saver helps users save on delivery fees, while the Large Orders option allows for ordering larger quantities of food and essentials for group celebrations, complete with special deals.