REGIONAL ride-hailing and payment service provider Grab has entered the “instant retail” sector in Malaysia via its GrabMart segment, with the aim to help retail businesses address customer expectations for safe, “instant” delivery.
This follows what Sean Goh, Grab Malaysia’s managing director, called a “clear uplift to safe, instant deliveries for food, drinks, snacks and other essential goods via GrabFood, GrabMart and especially ‘Pasar’ on GrabMart.”
However, he also noted a new challenge for retailers, saying that the “new normal” will potentially affect retailers who traditionally rely on high foot traffic and walk-ins, such as health and beauty retailers, toy shops, gift shops, florists and stationery shops.
“This is a gap where we believe GrabMart is able to step in and address, while helping to make the government’s upcoming Shop Malaysia Online initiative a success,” Goh said in a statement today.
In entering instant retail, Goh shared that GrabMart has two aims. The first is to meet customer expectations for safe, instant delivery.
“Customers are evolving into ‘on-demand shoppers’ who are already accustomed to using mobile technology for their daily needs, and increasingly expect faster speed and safety for their retail purchases,” he said.
The second aim is to enable retail stores to access consumers living and working nearby, with Goh noting that retailers typically grow by investing heavily to expand their retail footprint.
“Nevertheless, physical stores are expensive to build and maintain, even as retail traffic reduces and consumers expect more instantaneous convenience and better accessibility,” said Goh. – June 22, 2020
