GrabUnlimited: How one plan benefits consumers, merchants—and drives spending

It’s been a year since Grab launched GrabUnlimited. The subscription plan struck a chord with consumers.

In Southeast Asia, one out of two of Grab’s top spenders are now GrabUnlimited subscribers. Think of GrabUnlimited as an access pass to various benefits, after paying a monthly fee.

The most important benefit is discounted delivery on food orders. Frequent Grab users know deliveries can add up to a significant amount, making this benefit a real cost-saver. Subscribers can see the amount they saved in their profile. There are other benefits in the bundle too, like basket discounts and exclusive perks.

(Read more: A round-up of our new, affordable options for Grab users)

The subscription plan offers great value to consumers, and it’s driving loyalty and increased spending on Grab. In the third quarter of last year, GrabUnlimited subscribers spent 4.2 times more in food deliveries, relative to non-subscribers. They had average 6-month retention rates that were approximately two times higher than non-subscribers.

GrabUnlimited: one plan for many benefits

Prior to GrabUnlimited, the company’s experiments with a subscription-based discount-and-deals package resembled a digital voucher book.

But this concept had its shortcomings, says Ashish Piplani, senior manager for loyalty and omnicommerce strategy at Grab.

The deals were always changing, which meant Grab users couldn’t predict how much they could save through the subscription. In merchants’ eyes, the voucher book didn’t lead to a consistent stream of new and returning customers.

Grab solved these problems by changing the programme’s focus. “We shifted the value proposition towards offering a single basket of benefits that gives you the best of Grab. The focus is now on the savings and the value you get from the programme itself,” says Head of Product, Consumer Experience Shweta Padmanaban.

Instead of getting a limited number of vouchers—say, 10 vouchers to use in a month—GrabUnlimited users simply need to pay a single subscription fee to access the popular unlimited discounted delivery fee benefit.

“If we look at the data, you’ll see that, across markets, consumers always complain about the delivery fee and unpredictable savings on offers. They think, why should they pay extra beyond what they’re already paying for their food?” says Piplani. 

“When you think of Amazon Prime, you immediately think of its primary perk: free, fast shipping,” continues Padmanaban. GrabUnlimited aspires to the same level of immediate association with its primary perk.

In addition to the “hero benefit”, GrabUnlimited subscribers also enjoy benefits and perks across Grab’s ecosystem. Grab rolled out the GrabUnlimited programme across all its major markets in 2023.

How GrabUnlimited optimised for user acquisition and retention

Users have expressed their approval of GrabUnlimited with their wallets. “With a streamlined GrabUnlimited membership that unlocks the best of Grab, we have a record high number of active subscribers, more than we ever had with numerous plans and packages earlier,” says Piplani. 

How did Grab convert users, and keep them subscribing month after month?

At the time Grab launched the new GrabUnlimited programme, many consumers were still reeling from the economic uncertainty in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic. Getting customers to pay more for a digital service was a challenge.

This changed when Grab rolled out a free trial period, which ranged from one to three months, depending on uptake in each market. This was “quite effective in driving adoption,” says Padmanaban.