Grab PH introduces mobile app’s bunch of new services

FILE: GRAB NEW IN-APP FEATURES. (From left to right) Grab Philippines country head Brian Cu, Toni & Guy president Vincent “Chot” Reyes, L’Oreal Philippines general manager Luis Antonio Yanga, HOOQ country manager Sheila Paul, Ninja Van Philippines country head Martin Cu, SM Lifestyle, Inc. senior assistant vice president for ad & corporate sales Wence Wenceslao, PLDT Global president & CEO Katrina Luna-Abelarde, and Grab Philippines country marketing head Ralph Joseph Cabaluna pose for a photo opportunity following the conclusion of a media townhall in Makati City on Thursday (August 29, 2019). During the program, the Grab executives and their partners discussed the upcoming features in the Grab mobile app. (Photo by Raymond Carl Dela Cruz)

MANILA – Grab Philippines on Thursday announced upcoming features of their mobile application which would allow users to book salon services at home, send packages or gifts nationwide, watch videos on demand, book hotel rooms, purchase tickets for point-to-point provincial buses, and pay online and in stores using their mobile phones.

Brian Cu, country head of Grab Philippines, said Grab, as the “leading super app,” aims to continue its innovation, use “technology for good” and improve quality of life through transportation, logistics, and lifestyle services.

“Grab has introduced a bunch of new services, and existing services have in fact grown multiple folds since we did this earlier this year. So, we’d like to share those updates with you and really tell you the story of how Grab has grown into your everyday ‘Super App’ here in Southeast Asia,” Cu said during a media townhall in Makati City.

Through a partnership with Toni & Guy, an international chain of hairdressing salons, and L’Oreal, a global leader in beauty products, Grab would bring hair salon services right at the doorsteps of its users.

Customers would be able to choose featured haircuts and hair color services and need only book these services at least two hours in advance.

To supplement its current GrabExpress service which currently gives same-day delivery to its users in limited areas such as within Metro Manila, Grab partnered with Ninja Van to extend its package delivery range nationwide.

Martin Cu, head of Ninja Van in the Philippines said their company has a network of 9,000 riders which covers 95 percent of the country’s population and would give GrabExpress users, especially those with small and medium enterprises (SMEs), cheaper nationwide deliveries, bulk pick-up of up to 30 parcels at once, and next-day scheduled pickup.

“Grab and Ninja Van’s shared vision is to be the game changers in the logistics segments. We are committed to creating solutions that will enable millions of SMEs to scale their businesses and afford Filipinos the ability to easily reach their loved ones across the Philippines,” Cu said.

In October, Grab users can expect to see a new “Videos” tile in their app made possible through a partnership with video-on-demand company HOOQ, giving users access to over 8,000 Hollywood titles, local series, and free-to-air content.

Through efforts initiated in 2018 and now fully realized, the Grab app currently lets its users book hotel rooms and other services online, made possible in partnership with Booking Holdings Inc. which operates both hotels booking websites Agoda and Booking.com.

Last July, Grab launched its Bus Marketplace in-app feature which allows users to purchase bus tickets initially limited to point-to-point operations by Tas Trans and San Agustin which includes Glorietta 2 to Nuvali and Glorietta 2 to Southmall routes.

In September, Bus Marketplace will be expanded to include bus routes servicing Olongapo to Clark, Clark to Dagupan and Makati to Noveleta, Cavite (and vice versa) routes.

To compete with other online and mobile payment services vying for a place in the country’s growing digital market, Grab bolstered its GrabPay service through a partnership with PLDT Group and SM Investments Corp.

SM malls would soon allow GrabPay users to skip regular lanes and use the malls’ ‘Express Lanes’ in SM Cinemas, and ‘Prestige Lanes’ in SM Markets and give these users double GrabReward points in every purchase.

Through PLDT Global Corp. (PGC), overseas Filipino workers in Singapore and Malaysia will be able to purchase PGC Free Bee Voice Buckets which lets its users make international voice calls.

Smart, TNT and, Sun subscribers may also soon purchase Giga Video packages in the Grab app with a five percent discount using GrabPay.