Grab opens its first merchant centre to help SMBs, sees MD step down

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Ride-hailing and food-delivery service app Grab has opened up its first physical merchant centre in Singapore to help different small and medium businesses (SMBs) looking to accelerate their growth in the digital economy through Grab’s services. According to the company, it is the first-of-its-kind merchant centre among industry players in Singapore, and the first for Grab in Southeast Asia.

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“Consumers are becoming more reliant on platforms like Grab, according to our latest Food and Grocery Trend Report. There are more opportunities for businesses to engage with them through our app,” said Wee Tang Yee, country head of Grab Singapore.

“Having a permanent space for the SMB community enables us to serve them more efficiently, and gives them the confidence that Grab is there to support them whenever they need,” he added.

The physical space initially started as a merchant registration counter in April 2020 to help SMBs sign up and activate their Grab accounts during the pandemic. The offerings that are available were created based on feedback that the company gathered from SMBs.

One of the services offered to businesses is a subscription-based hotline to provide on-demand operational assistance to merchants for their online stores. This service is set in place to help business that are experiencing manpower shortages.

Another would be business reviews for merchants that are already using Grab, to help it identify areas to improve business performance based on their sales histories and relevant industry trends. It is a data-driven consultation service with trained account managers, who also hel these merchants work out suitable growth plans for the business.

“The Grab Merchant Centre is also a place for SMBs to keep pace with the latest digital tools and practices. We will continue to develop new products to provide more comprehensive support for businesses and help them capture a bigger slice of the market,” added Yee.

Grab’s Food and Grocery Trend report is based on survey insights from Southeast Asian food and grocery delivery users as well as data insights from Grab’s platform. It provided key trends regarding consumer behaviour, as well as tips for merchants.

Shortly after the opening of the Grab Merchant Centre, Saad Ahmed, Grab Merchant's managing director stepped down from his position after five years with the company.

According to a post on his LinkedIn page, Ahmed played a part in helping build the first Business Development team for GrabFood. He also set up the group Commercial function and took charge of the Merchant team responsible for the partnerships with, and the products and services used by millions of merchants on the Grab platform across Southeast Asia.

He has also worked with various QSRs, as well as globally recognised brands all the way to the humble hawkers and everyday entrepreneurs.

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