Komsan Chiyadis
GrabFood delivery-partner, Thailand
AI in action
Product innovation
Tracing our impact
Marketplace principles
Inside scoop
[Watch]: How the fulfilment team connects the dots in Grab’s multi-sided marketplace
.
May 27, 2024
.
Regional
When Grab’s fulfilment team noticed that delivery-partners often had to wait around at F&B outlets until their food orders were ready, they knew the problem needed to be addressed.
It was a complex task, says Ryan Law, the head of engineering of the fulfilment team, in the fifth episode of Grab’s tech podcast Grab a Seat.
“It’s not like you can write a piece of code to track how long it takes to make this burger. This doesn’t exist. So it’s about connecting what’s offline and online,” says Law.
His team implemented tweaks to the app that allow merchant-partners to indicate when food is ready for collection. Additional bluetooth beacons helped make these measurements more precise. As a result, more delivery-partners are now able to collect orders soon after they have been dispatched to the restaurant for pick-up, and consumers receive their food in a timely manner.
(Read more: Cutting down the time delivery-partners wait at food outlets)
Finding the most efficient way to connect different users in Grab’s marketplace is at the heart of what the fulfilment team does.
For ridesharing, the platform pairs passengers with driver-partners. When it comes to food delivery, the marketplace turns multi-sided: it links merchant-partners selling food with consumers looking for a meal, and with driver-partners that will deliver the item.
“After a consumer places an order, fulfilment kicks in to find what is the most cost-efficient and reliable way to make that order happen,” Fulfilment Head of Product, Prashant Kumar shares in the podcast.
“In fulfilment, we organise our teams into problem space teams. Each of those teams can be really thought of as a startup,” says Kumar.
Each team consists of engineers, data scientists, product managers and more—all of whom have to come together to innovate and solve complex problems.
“What’s important is that within each team that owns a problem, they continue to feel empowered to question and break patterns,” Kumar adds.
Tune in to the full episode to hear more from Law and Kumar about how Grab manages its multi-sided marketplace.
About
Consumer
Merchant
Enterprise
Quick Links
Komsan Chiyadis
GrabFood delivery-partner, Thailand
COVID-19 has dealt an unprecedented blow to the tourism industry, affecting the livelihoods of millions of workers. One of them was Komsan, an assistant chef in a luxury hotel based in the Srinakarin area.
As the number of tourists at the hotel plunged, he decided to sign up as a GrabFood delivery-partner to earn an alternative income. Soon after, the hotel ceased operations.
Komsan has viewed this change through an optimistic lens, calling it the perfect opportunity for him to embark on a fresh journey after his previous job. Aside from GrabFood deliveries, he now also picks up GrabExpress jobs. It can get tiring, having to shuttle between different locations, but Komsan finds it exciting. And mostly, he’s glad to get his income back on track.
