Our everyday e-hailing application, Grab has gained a popularity boost for its diverse services among Malaysians.
In previous years, this application only provided a car riding service. However, Grab developers gradually expand Grab’s services to solve Malaysians’ daily needs.
Now, the application owns multifarious services such as car riding, grocery shopping including food and package delivery. These services are reasonably priced.
Grab is a worthy e-hailing application; downloadable directly from the two biggest platforms App Store and Google Play, free, and user-friendly.
Grab users; young or elderlies can use this app easily due to its clear-cut icons and classic theme.
Grab popular service, Grab Car, benefits both riders and drivers. It collects GPS and accelerometer data for safety purposes.
This telematics data serves Grab driver’s behavior and assists the users to pinpoint a pick-up location.
Grab application shows an astounding result. It expands by providing many services to assist our daily difficulties.
Therefore, this article will deploy in-depth about Grab application and GrabCar’s prestigious performance throughout the years.
Grab, The Everyday Everything App
The founders of the Grab application, Anthony Tan and Tan Hooi Ling had invented a safer booking taxi application in 2011.
Anthony Tan had the idea of creating an Uber-like application due to his classmate’s complaint regarding the taxi-hailing difficulty in Malaysia.
His idea of creating a booking taxi app has secured him second place in Harvard Business Plan Competition.
He has been granted US$25,000 from Harvard Business School. In 2012, he launched a taxi booking application named MyTeksi in Malaysia.
MyTeksi, however, was rebranded as GrabTaxi a year after its launching.
The app soon received wide-range recognition from other countries such as India, Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam, and Indonesia.
Grab Services
It is not a surprise that the e-hailing application, Grab recently provides many services.
These services are made to ease our everyday routine; trivial or urgent matters.
1. Location-sharing system
There is always an absolute reason why we need to own a smartphone.
Advanced, high-mobility, and fully equipped with Internet services; what else could we ask for?
Phone tracking might creep out most smartphone users. Exposing our destination to strangers in the digital world is a bad move.
But, phone tracking can be your lifesaver.
It notifies your family members or authorities if you encounter unpleasant circumstances such as falling unconsciously and missing.
Thus, activating the location-sharing system is one of Grab’s safety precautions to both parties; drivers and passengers.
2. GrabFood
Having GrabFood as our daily food delivery service is a convenient helper.
GrabFood indeed brings temporary happiness to our empty stomachs, but it does more than that.
It acts as a link to connect local restaurants or food stalls to satisfy one’s craving. Queuing in a beeline for a bowl of a meal can be tedious especially at times of Covid-19.
With the existence of GrabFood service, we can place an order with just a few taps in the application.
3. GrabExpress
On-demand Grab service, GrabExpress equips with booking deliveries.
A service where Grab users can deliver items like documents, parcels, or gifts for beloved ones.
Also, you can benefit from GrabExpress to send gifts to your business partners. It is a great alternative to sustain business relationships in the long run.
4. GrabAssistant
GrabAssistant is a service that allows you to request a Grab rider to buy items that you need.
You can request them to buy the items from a pharmacy, supermarket, or convenience store.
Here are the details that you have to prioritize before placing an order on GrabAssistant:
- Choosing a known supermarket or pharmacy to ease the driver’s navigation.
- Estimation of the total amount that you have to pay might be more than you expected. Parking fees, plastic bags, and tolls are included in the payment receipt.
- The rider will buy the items immediately after you have confirmed the order.
- You have to give the rider a call if you wish to change your order.
5. GrabMerchant
The latest service by the e-hailing firm namely GrabMerchant is digital assistance for business owners.
Grab launched the service in January 2021 as an alternative to assist business owners in handling their business.
It is more convenient as the they can overlook the automated and incoming orders from the smartphone screen.
GrabMerchant is an astounding service because it has features that are beneficial to business, such as:
- Unique booking IDs to prevent miscommunication between customers and business workers.
- Driver location tracking to track delivery partner present location.
- GrabMerchant provides an estimation of food arrival time.
- Business owners can mark the unavailability of an order or items.
How Grab Car Actually Surpassed Our Expectations From Just Ride-hailing Service?
Who thought that GrabCar accomplishes a prestigious performance throughout the years?
We had almost zero significance of using the GrabCar service in 2012. Public transportations, for instance, taxis, public buses, and trains were our top choices.
Were these public transportations adequate for us?
Surprisingly, yes.
The options might seem ineffective in providing us with ways to be more mobilized from one place to another.
Yet, we had more freedom than the present days.
No movement restrictions or regulations while going out. Also, there was not much Internet advancement during those days.
So, how did GrabCar manage to soar its business in a constant-changing world?
Here are 3 major reasons that contribute to GrabCar’s success until today’s time:
a) Grab vs Uber
Uber is a worldwide e-hailing application.
Similar to Grab, Uber offers many services including freight transportation and couriers. Most countries use this application as their first-pick car booking service.
In 2013, Uber once entered Southeast countries. Uber tried its best to perform in an amazing market here.
Nevertheless, the result did not seem appealing.
Malaysians tried the apps once or twice but they did not show any interest in using this app further. The main reason was due to Uber’s incompetence in providing more payment options.
Therefore, Uber failed to make its reputation in Malaysia because of the clash of common routines among the Malaysians.
b) Grab Car Understands Its Passengers
Compared to Uber, Grab Car was a relatively new ride-sharing application in Malaysia. Malaysians were unaware of its existence and rarely used the app.
It was an understandable circumstance, given that Grab Car was just operating in 2012 and bringing a new concept to Malaysia.
In previous days, people had to “book” a taxi manually; spreading one hand out at the side road to stop a taxi.
But, how did Grab overthrow Uber?
Despite its big success and wide recognition in foreign countries, Uber could not win Malaysians’ hearts. Uber applied a different approach because it followed foreign procedures.
For instance, Uber only provided cashless transactions per car ride.
This transaction method had caused a hindrance; a minority of Malaysian passengers had online banking or a credit card during those days.
Grab, on the other hand, allowed the passengers to pay for the ride using cash. It seemed like a traditional transaction, but it was more secure and transparent than the cashless method.
This circumstance proves that understanding one’s custom is important. It is a major factor in contributing to GrabCar’s success in Malaysia.
c) We Like Cash And Grab Knows It
Malaysia is a perfect epitome of other Southeast Asian countries. These countries are still using cash despite the advancement of the Internet and technology.
Does this scenario perceive that Southeast Asian countries are backward?
Using cash in one’s daily transaction is a part of local custom. Hence, it is neither a backward reality nor a trend.
Unlike Grab Car, Uber optimized the cashless payment to its passengers. It is a portrayal of Uber’s origin custom among the Americans.
Although it was ahead of time, Malaysians were not ready to adapt to a new lifestyle.
How does Grab Win Malaysians’ Hearts?
Understanding one’s customs and culture is vital to sustaining the business’ name in the digital world.
It is an introductory step to gain attention from new customers. With this, business owners and firms will be having loyal customers.
The loyal customers provide continuous support and optimize both; application and business to the fullest.
So, how does the Grab application win Malaysians’ hearts throughout the year?
Below are the answers to the question appointed:
1. Trust
The e-hailing application, Grab builds trust between the Grab workers and customers.
Grab provides a safety precaution which both parties; Grab workers and customers have to activate GPS location tracker.
Location tracker functions to track down the parties’ current location.
It sounds creepy but the company can take legal actions against those who are wronged.
Aside from that, Grab drivers and riders are familiar with the locals’ housing area. Finding a house address does not cause them a major challenge while fulfilling their duty.
Great service and performance by Grab drivers slowly build trust in the customers’ hearts.
2. Payment Flexibility
Grab provides multiple choices of setting up the payment methods; cashless and physical transactions.
Cashless payment methods include online banking, GrabPay Wallet, and credit card. These payment methods are safely secured.
Nonetheless, Grab acknowledges most Southeast Asian countries are cash-based regions.
Therefore, they are still implementing both transaction methods to ease their customers’ difficulties.
3. Easy-to-use
Regardless of its modern functions, Grab is a convenient application.
The icons are classic and straightforward which are beneficial to the customers.
We are fully aware that the Grab application offers helpful services such as GrabFood and Grab Car.
Customers can differentiate the services by looking at the icons.
4. Any-Language Friendly
Grab has prepared an alternative for the Grab drivers or riders to communicate with the customers.
The application has a feature; GrabChat which allows them to notify their order or ride current status.
This feature eases the customers to reach their pick-up destination.
Even more interesting, GrabChat allows the Grab drivers and riders to write messages in their language.
Hence, both parties can avoid any misunderstanding or unnecessary disputes in the chatbox.
5. Everything Everywhere App
Grab application provides many services; from common daily ones to tedious ones.
Ordinary services such as food delivery, car riding, car renting, and grocery online.
Who has thought that Grab would offer additional services as well?
The services include online payments, hotel booking, and insurance. The services offered are comprehensively broad and can be used by Grab users.
Thus, people can be dependent on one application; Grab. Downloading many applications that only serve a single purpose can be a waste in your smartphone.
In conclusion, Grab is a universal and amazing e-hailing application. It offers services such as car riding, food delivery, car renting, grocery online and many more.
These services are made to fulfill customers’ requests in everyday life.
Malaysians have witnessed an unexpected circumstance years ago; the fall of Uber as an e-hailing service in Malaysia.
Uber had lost its recognition among the Malaysians due to its incompetency in providing suitable payment methods for Malaysian locals.
Grab gradually expands its business that suits Malaysians’ preferences.
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