Philippines – Grab has extended GrabGifts, its in-app gifting capability to now allow users to send gifts to loved ones on-demand outside their home country. Users will now be able to send vouchers and gifts to family and friends in Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand. 

The enhanced gifting experience is powered by two new features, which is Grab’s revamped GrabGifts interface, and a new 100+ Cities Delivery feature, in BETA version, which enables users to order and send food and physical gifts from GrabFood and GrabMart merchant-partners that are available in the recipient’s city within an hour 

Grab said that the enhanced feature is in response to the current travel restrictions that continue to be unstable amid new Covid variants. The platform said its survey among Grab users in Southeast Asia revealed that more than half intend to send gifts on-demand to loved ones in other cities. 

Grab’s CMO Cheryl Goh said that while Grab was primarily marketed to answer to personal needs, the platform has eventually grown to be “a powerful vehicle” for building and maintaining connections between loved ones. 

“But with many countries yet to fully open their borders, we wanted to do more. We are so excited to now be able to bridge even longer distances between loved ones. We hope this will bring a festive cheer to all our users in Southeast Asia,” said Goh. 

The voucher categories under GrabGifts span Grab’s food, mart, express, and transport services. As part of the new interface, users will be able to send their recipients up to three voucher options to choose from. In addition, users will also be able to select from a range of designs and add in a personalized message.

Beijing, China – As consumers are now migrating to online channels to respond to their daily shopping needs, the greater specificity of Chinese consumers patronizing e-commerce channels for their shopping needs have risen exponentially, with a greater interest in hyper-local e-commerce providers, a new joint report by Chinese e-commerce JD.com and Dada Group shows.

In their latest report, they state that on-demand consumption among Chinese online shoppers is here to stay, noting that fresh food is, by far, the largest segment of the on-demand delivery, accounting for 70% of daily consumption among the report respondents. Other areas have shown exponential growth in on-demand consumption this year, such as dairy (+120%), personal hygiene (+114%), snacks (91%), and maternity/baby care (90%).

Consumer-wise, millennials are still the most prevalent consumer group, making up 50% of the on-demand economy, with female consumers born after 1980 as the most dominant consumers, representing 67% of the on-demand market. That said, the market is attracting an increasingly diverse group of consumers, by both age and region. 

On other demographic factors, the report details how the number of male consumers has jumped by to 33% in 2021, up from 25% in 2018, while the proportion of middle-aged and elderly users who are more than 40 years old has increased to 28% in two years, up from 22% in 2019. 

Driven by easing lockdowns and an increasing focus on connecting people with a wider array of products, post-pandemic on-demand consumption in China has experienced a shift from households (74%) to workplaces (8%) and educational institutions (3%), which is further extending to recreational venues, including fairgrounds, tourist hotspots, and parks. 

There is also significant demand for 24/7 on-demand services, and those businesses serving late-night, usually at 12 am to 2 am, customers are reaping the benefits from a new wave of customers who want reliable delivery service outside of traditional business hours.

“China is leading the way in omnichannel retailing. A new wave of transformational change of omnichannel retailing is underway, fuelled by the integration between traditional e-commerce, offline retailers, and on-demand retail platforms to meet the customer demands for a more diversified shopping experience. In the era of hyperlocal e-commerce, one-hour delivery has become the new normal and it is quickly emerging as a major channel for supermarkets and grocery chains to win business,” both companies said in a press statement.

Huijian He, vice president at Dada Group stated that the unprecedented growth of China’s on-demand economy in recent years, particularly its accelerated momentum through COVID, is revolutionizing consumer behavior across China. He also added that the rise of on-demand, hyperlocal one-hour delivery of goods, has transformed the retail industry and increased consumers’ expectations for a best-in-class shopping experience.

“With significant consumer demand in first- and second-tier cities, and large and rapidly growing demand in lower-tier cities, retailers, on-demand retail platforms and delivery services are increasingly competing for higher speed, flexibility and convenience across the on-demand economy,” He stated.

Meanwhile, Hui Liu, chief data officer at the JD Big Data Research Institute, commented, “We look forward to leveraging this data to continue to drive innovation across our platform as we deliver the speed, flexibility and convenience that consumers are increasingly demanding and realize the numerous growth opportunities in China’s on-demand economy.”

Los Angeles – OTTera, global white label OTT service, has announced the appointment of its director of business development for India operations, seasoned media and communications Sumit Rastogi

The appointment comes at a time when on-demand and live stream videos are at their peak demand with audiences looking for digital channels of entertainment in the middle of lockdowns. 

Headquartered in Los Angeles, OTTera provides an all-in-one platform for content developers with solutions for cross-platform development, distribution, and monetization. It allows companies to launch highly customized OTT services at speed, one that would normally take several years and a massive investment to build. According to the company, it currently manages over 70 linear channels and more than 50 OTT services globally.

Stephen Hodge, co-CEO and chairman of OTTera, said that the appointment of Rastogi, who has built a broad leadership and network within the country, will help the company accelerate its growth and tap the many opportunities in the Indian sub-continent.

Rastogi boasts of over 18 years of experience in the area of media sales, content acquisition, and content syndication, and most importantly, in partnerships and affiliate business. Prior to joining OTTera, he was general manager at U2opia Mobile and has also worked for Times of India, Locovida Digital Solutions, and 9.9 Media & Dainik Jagran.

For his new role, Rastogi is charged to grow OTTera’s client base and operations in India. He will be exploring business opportunities from Indian content creators to showcase their content diaspora on leading connected TV and OTT channels and platforms globally.

Rastogi commented that the OTT viewership in India is at an all-time high now and has become the primary mode of entertainment for consumers across Tier II and III cities.

“Regional content, gaming sports, fitness, education will be key drivers in India’s OTT growth and I realize that I have a big opportunity to introduce OTTera services to all the OTT players [and] linear channels and content creators in India. I’m thrilled about working with the talented & experienced OTTera team,” he said.