Grab : how to drive user action the right way 🚘

Here are 3 ways to activate users (ethically) that Grab relies on

Jan 14, 2023

Bonjour, I’m Allison and welcome to bowl of tech 🍜 ! Each month, I humbly break down the growth strategy and product experience of the top apps in Asia.

Today’s post is featuring Grab ride-hailing app using 3 tactics to drive user action (ethically).

Summary

Here’s your 1-minute digest of this post inspired from my user journey on Grab mobility app 👇

Why I used Grab ?

Grab is one of the most prolific company in Southeast Asia. From ordering take-out, shopping, booking taxi rides to sending money - Grab is the supper app offering essential everyday services for everyone in the region. When I moved to Singapore 🇸🇬, Grab was the first super-app I encountered. It quickly became my “app buddy” in my daily activities.

I’ve always had a terrible sense of direction and the on-demand transportation service was my favorite app to get around the city. Let me show you how the Grab ride-hailing app drives user action in a clever way.

3 tactics to drive user action (ethically)

#1 - A reliable hero banner to build trust & increase engagement

When booking a ride on Grab, the first thing you notice is the hero banner giving up-to-date information about the weather, the traffic jam, the fares etc. This was my first AHA moment 🤌 with Gab rides. And, let me explain why.

In addition to being the user’s first impression, the hero image/banner of an app is a key element in building trust. By incorporating these real-time information Grab rides enhance the user experience, since it :

provides instant value (ie. I know my driver may take longer to arrive due to the rain);
creates a sense of human connection with the user 🔗 which gives the feeling that Grab is caring about you and your riding experience.

While most of the app banner are listings features to encourage a behaviour, Grab is avoiding users to pain by providing meaningful and reliable information (ie. waiting more time for a ride or paying higher fares than usual).

A proper and transparent messaging is what helped Grab rides to build trust in Southeast Asia and hence, increase engagement.

#2 - Remove repetitive steps to retain users

Still on the Grab home feed, you can notice that all the previous places I went to are already there.

As a user, I don’t waste time rewriting the location I would like to go to. Indeed, the app is showing me the way forward and eliminate distractions that could interrupt my user journey.

When you remove repetitive actions using historical data, user will retain better on your platform because their experience will be smoother.

#3 - A human way to use behavioural retention trigger

Now, it’s time to type in where I am headed.

Once done, a small alert is showing up : “Beat high fares! Set an alert for 15 min”. I’ll definitely activate the alert as 1) I am not in a rush, 2) I want to save money on my trip. A few minutes later, a notification is popping up, letting me know that the fare dropped. That was another AHA moment for me 🤌.

In this tactic, what is 💎 is how Grab rides are :

using time-sensitive push notification. If you are booking a ride, you are likely interested to pay less for your trip. So, the prompt is well timed.
providing human context. The alert is only focusing on this interaction and what it can do for you. It sets clear expectation for the user.
offering value. Again, the benefit I will get is clear. And a few minutes later, I received a push notifying me know that the fare had been dropped, so I can immediately act on it and book a ride.

Notifications are key to retain but 50% of users blocked them.

Hence, using behavioural retention trigger is a great method to engage or re-engage users with meaningful notifications. In this case, it’s the right way for Grab to show again that they value their users and respect their attention span. Interestingly, LinkedIn is using a similar strategy to retain users.

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