It is a bustling Tuesday morning in sunny Singapore, and the atmosphere inside the JW Marriot’s Grand Ballroom is no different. Hundreds of media correspondents from across Southeast Asia have gathered here today for Grab’s inaugural product event, aptly titled GrabX, and I was one of them.
Hence, when emcee Joakim Gomez stepped onto the stage to start things off, it soon became clear that we weren’t there to hear about bug fixes and UI tweaks. Instead, we were about to witness Grab’s landmark rollout, a bold shift in how they’ll serve riders like you and me moving forward.
So, join me as we discover how Grab’s latest lineup of innovations—designed For Every You—aims to support the different roles you juggle in life, moment by moment.
For the Family You
Gatherings Made Seamless
After a rousing speech by Grab CEO and Co-founder Anthony Tan about what it means for Grab to adopt an “AI-First with Heart” philosophy in the company’s pursuit to serve and uplift Southeast Asia, the product showcase starts with the Family You, where Chief Product Officer Philipp Kandal asks us to imagine a scenario.
“What if you’re hosting a large family gathering, but the food is either cold, not here yet, or even worse: it’s not coming at all?” In those special moments where everyone is brought together, he admits, Grab “can absolutely not let you down.”
Thus, to solve this issue, Grab has introduced a number of behind-the-scenes improvements to ensure large orders arrive reliably, making gathering seamless.
Here’s how it works: when an order comes in through the Grab app, the company uses a tailored Large Language Model (LLM) to determine if it’s a large one by estimating the weight and size of its items.
If Grab’s algorithms determine that the order is too bulky or heavy for one delivery person to handle, it’ll try to find a 4-wheeler to deliver it to you. However, if there isn’t one, the order is split into two and assigned to two separate motorbike delivery partners. Don’t worry, though–the order will be dispatched in a way that ensures both halves arrive promptly one after the other, all with no extra cost to you.
These improvements are currently live and continuously improving across Southeast Asia because you should never have to worry about food not arriving, especially when it matters most.
Grab for Family | Teens
Additionally, regarding family, Grab is also introducing Grab for Family | Teens, a safe and reliable way for teenagers aged 13 to 17 to travel independently whilst giving parents and caregivers peace of mind. With their Teens account linked to your Grab for Family account, your teens can book rides on their own or have rides booked by you.
Plus, Grab for Family | Teens has been designed with extra safety features built in to protect them, because as Lead Product Manager for Grab for Families Bern Jalocon explains, “Teenagers deserve to move around freely and safely. And parents deserve the peace of mind to let them.”
These features include prioritised assignment to top-rated driver-partners with proven track records, ride pin verification to make sure teens don’t get into the wrong car with the wrong driver, and always-on AudioProtect, which will soon be able to use GenAI to detect in real-time if anything dangerous happens in the car so that Grab can intervene immediately.
Finally, all Grab for Family rides will feature trip monitoring that will allow parents to track their teenagers’ journey from beginning to end. Utilising Grab’s technology, you will also be immediately alerted if there is any unusual activity on a trip, such as a deviation, unplanned stop or premature termination, letting you look out for your teen’s safety.
With that all said, look out for the Grab for Family | Teens experience launching across markets, starting in May.
For the Solo You
GrabFood for One
Next, it’s time to switch gears to the Solo You, where Head of Deliveries Xin Wei Ngiam takes over to explain two new solutions for those moments when you’re on your own.
When you’re ordering alone, be it because you’re cramming for exams or pulling a late night in the office, it can be hard to find single-item options that are both a complete meal and meet the minimum order value. Moreover, with the delivery fee added on, who could blame you if you gave up and went to make cup noodles?
Fortunately, with GrabFood for One, food delivery just got a lot more accessible–and tastier too! While Grab has been working closely with its merchant-partners to curate (and in many cases create) special meals for solo diners, all it takes is a tap on a tile on your GrabFood homepage for you to dive into the menu.
Now, not only can you enjoy single portions of your local favourites, you’ll also get them at affordable, all-in prices with no small order fees—just one low, fixed delivery fee.
And yes, I really do mean now. GrabFood for One is currently live and available in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam, so wherever you are, this is the perfect excuse to carve out some well-deserved me time.
Shared Saver
After sharing about GrabFood for One, Ms. Xin Wei Ngiam moved on to Shared Saver orders, a feature that’s designed for all the times you wanted a cup of bubble tea or a midday snack even though ordering a small item felt wasteful and you didn’t have anyone to share the order with.
With Shared Saver, you can discover and join live orders near you by adding your own item—no matter the cost—to share a portion of the delivery fee. It’s kind of like joining a Group Order, but with complete strangers (or perhaps friends you haven’t met yet!)
Just fire up the app, scroll through the carousel of options to see which Shared Saver merchant you want to tag along with, and most importantly, make sure to place your order before the timer runs out!
Thanks to Grab’s AI, which detects when there are multiple orders in your vicinity for the same merchant, most Shared Saver orders are automatically triggered, which means that there’s no need to wait for someone else to start.
However, if your favourite bubble tea merchant still isn’t listed, don’t fret: starting your own Shared Saver order is just as easy! Simply indicate your preference in the delivery options, and once you’ve placed your order, it’ll be broadcast to nearby foodies that can join your delivery.
Shared Saver has been piloted in Singapore since April, with plans to expand to other cities by June, so go test this cost-efficient feature today!
For the Explorer You
Advance Booking (Airport Pickup)
Finally, Mr. Philipp Kandal takes back the reigns to introduce us to his favourite You, the Explorer You.
Whether abroad in new cities or right here at home in our own neighbourhoods, we’re all explorers in our unique ways, so what better way to introduce this persona’s products than by hearing from another avid traveller, Belle?
In a video about what she’s looking for good food, great places, and convenient yet safe rides. But we also learn that Belle also counts on Grab and its drivers to get her to her destination after she exits the airport and books her ride. Despite the system working seamlessly, we were then posed with a thought-provoking question to make it even smoother: What if one could book a ride out of the airport in advance, ready and waiting for them the moment their plane lands?
This question already had an answer, and right after the video ended, Mr. Philipp Kandal delivered it with enthusiasm, excitedly announcing Grab’s new advanced booking for airport pickups feature, an innovation that lets you schedule your pickup before your trip, giving you one less thing to worry about.
Of course, not every flight is without its hiccups, and I’m not just talking about turbulence! While delays do happen more times than anyone likes, what’s so great about Grab’s advancing booking feature is that it tracks your flight status in real time and adjusts your pickup accordingly based on your actual arrival time!
On the other hand, even if you happen to arrive a little early, simply hit the “I’m ready” button to notify your driver, and they’ll be with you in no time.
Grab’s advanced booking for airport pickups feature is now available today at the following airports: I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport in Bali, Soekarno–Hatta International Airport in Jakarta, Yogyakarta International Airport, Juanda International Airport in Surabaya, Kuala Lumpur International Airport 1, Phuket International Airport, and Seletar Airport in Singapore.
But don’t worry if your airport isn’t on the list, since there are more launches planned across major cities in the coming months, so stay tuned when it travels to an airport near you!
Grab Travel Pass
Speaking of travels, the next product Mr. Philipp Kandal announced was the creation of the multi-country Grab Travel Pass, which can be purchased in-app even before you leave your home country.
Available across all countries today, this pass includes various vouchers for airport rides, general transport, food delivery, and dining out options to make your travels around Southeast Asia more affordable, convenient, and enjoyable.
Moreover, if you’re also a customer of Grab’s digital banks, travelling with Grab will become even more rewarding with additional cashback and Grab reward points when you spend on Grab services overseas.
Dine Out Discovery (Powered by GrabMaps)
Last but not least, before being segued into our next product, we were reminded of what Grab does best. As one of the few on-demand platforms globally to have built its own mapping technology tailored specifically for Southeast Asia, Grab also happens to know a thing or two about food, thanks to the countless partnerships with its merchant-partners across the region.
Hence, it’s only logical that they bring the best of both worlds together, which is why they’ve launched Dine Out Discovery, powered by GrabMaps. Whether you’re a traveller looking for the best hawker stalls in Singapore, a foodie chasing the latest cafe in Bangkok or simply exploring a new neighbourhood, Dine Out Discovery helps you discover the best restaurants, not just how to get there.
This feature comes with a multitude of search filters, letting you browse by district, cuisine, food preferences, what’s popular, walking distance, and as Mr. Philipp Kandal’s shared, his favourite: trusted ratings from people who’ve actually dined at the restaurant.
Once you’ve found something you like, just tap on the merchant to view details like accurate menus, the latest opening times, photos, and whether or not they’re offering a dine-out deal. If reservations are available, you can book a table directly, and when you’re ready to go, simply use the map to navigate your way to the restaurant or just tap to book a ride.
Dine Out Discovery will be available across Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam by May, with reservations themselves to be launched in Indonesia, Singapore, and Thailand in May, so get ready to explore a city’s food scene like never before right from the Grab app!
Join the Early Access Programme Today!
And with that, we’ve reached the end of GrabX’s lineup for its riders…or have we? Turns out the company has one more thing that they’re super pumped to announce, so here’s the exciting news: if you’re an early adopter or just a FOMO king or queen, Grab would love to have you on its new Grab Early Access Programme, where you’ll be amongst the very first to try out new features from Grab in return for your feedback.
Which Product Spoke to the Best You?
Now, we’re actually truly done covering Grab’s first-ever product event, so in closing, here’s a video that brings together all these features, For Every You.
For more videos like this, check out the official Grab YouTube channel, and follow Grab Singapore and its food counterpart on Instagram for more local insights as well! With that, I got a ride to catch, so let’s meet again at the next GrabX!
Visuals courtesy of Grab.
