Grab has introduced a suite of APIs (application programming interfaces) to allow other providers to integrate their services with its app.
Offered through its new GrabPlatform, the ride-sharing operator said Tuesday the move was part of its aim to build an "everyday superapp", from which consumers could access essential services they needed daily, including transport, food, logistics, messaging, mapping, and payments.
Third-parties would be able to access components of Grab's technology such as logistics and payments to build and integrate their own service offerings.
Grab's group CEO and co-founder Anthony Tan said: "GrabPlatform amplifies economic value for all of Southeast Asia--even more than what we could ever create by ourselves."
The company also planned to adda grocery delivery service, GrabFresh, to its offerings in Southeast Asia. Fulfilled through a partnership with HappyFresh, a regional grocery delivery services provider, Grab said customers would be able to choose from more than 100,000 grocery products from 50 supermarket chains and speciality grocery shops.
The grocery delivery service initially will be available this month as a beta service in Jakarta, before it is rolled out to Thailand and Malaysia by year-end, with other markets to follow, according to Grab.
It added that orders would be delivered, within an hour or at a pre-scheduled time, by its GrabExpress drivers and delivery partners.
"Grocery delivery is a huge opportunity in Southeast Asia," noted HappyFresh CEO Guillem Segarra. "From our research, 70 percent of grocery delivery app users shop at least once per week and they like to shop from the stores they are familiar with."
Its partnership with Grab would enable HappyFresh to improve delivery time and add more delivery time slots as well as add scale to its global operations.
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