Grab's AI assistant surpasses 1m merchant interactions in under five months

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Grab Indonesia is stepping up digital adoption among merchants through its GrabMerchant AI Assistant. The company said merchants have interacted with the AI-powered tool more than one million times in less than five months, generating 1,083,425 messages and achieving a user satisfaction rate of 96.1%.

The milestone comes as Grab launches its latest campaign, "Temukan jawaban untuk apa pun" ("find answers to anything"), aimed at demonstrating how AI can simplify decision-making for businesses of all sizes.

The push reflects growing demand from Indonesia's food and beverage SMEs for faster, data-backed decisions amid shifting consumer demand, menu competition, customer reviews and promotional requirements. Rather than requiring merchants to interpret raw business data themselves, the AI assistant analyses a store's internal sales data and provides instant recommendations and actionable insights.

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Melinda Savitri, country marketing and communications head at Grab Indonesia, said the company wants AI to become an accessible tool for everyday business operations.

"We want every business owner, regardless of the size of their business, to be able to leverage technology to find solutions to the challenges they face, improve their business performance, and unlock greater growth opportunities," she added.

Grab's figures suggest merchants are increasingly embracing AI as part of their day-to-day operations. By May 2026, 59.2% of all new GrabFood merchants joining the platform since the beginning of the year had actively used the AI assistant.

Merchant engagement has also remained high beyond initial adoption. Grab reported repeat usage rates of 89.9% among long-tail merchants and 97.2% among mid-market merchants, indicating that users continue returning to the assistant after their first interaction.

Beyond answering business questions, the assistant is designed to support a range of operational and marketing tasks, including interpreting store performance, refining menu strategies, generating product descriptions and recommending promotional activities. Menu strategy and business insights accounted for the largest share of usage among mid-market merchants, representing 22% of total sessions.

Among its most frequently used capabilities is the Menu Scanner, which automatically converts printed menus into digital listings within the GrabMerchant application. Merchants can then use the AI-powered Description Generator to create richer and more informative product descriptions aimed at improving their storefront presentation.

Grab also said merchants using the AI assistant have recorded an 11% improvement in advertising promotion efficiency, suggesting that AI-generated recommendations can help businesses allocate marketing investments more effectively.

The company highlighted the experience of Mie Aceh 769 Pijay owner Efa, who regularly uses the assistant's instant guidance feature to understand store performance without manually analysing business data. Grab said the merchant later used the AI tool to evaluate operating costs and identify a suitable location for expansion, with the new outlet now fully operational.

The adoption trend extends beyond the capital. While Jakarta recorded the highest usage, with more than 213,000 active merchants and around 362,000 messages submitted, cities including Surabaya, Bandung, Medan, Yogyakarta and Bali also showed strong engagement. According to Grab, merchants in these markets frequently use the assistant to optimise menus, respond to customer reviews and guide broader business decisions.

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