A Grab driver delivers food to customer in HCM City. A new Grab report says delivery remains necessary though the pandemic has passed. — Photo courtesy of Grab Vietnam

HCM CITY — Delivery remains a permanent aspect of post-pandemic life in Southeast Asia including Việt Nam, Grab’s Southeast AsiaFood and Grocery Trends 2022 report says.

Seven out of 10 consumers in Southeast Asia said delivery is here to stay, and eight out of 10 merchants said delivery is a must-have for their business. 

The report combined survey results from over 60,000 food and grocery delivery users in the region, including more than 7,000 Vietnamese, and data from Grab’s platform. 

The results also showed consumers increasingly depend on delivery apps as their “search engine” to discover and try merchants they have never visited in person. 

Mã Tuấn Trọng, head of country, commercial, Grab Vietnam, said: “Deliveries continue to be a prominent part of Vietnamese consumers’ lives, and we are seeing consumers shifting more and more of their food journey online. This change in behaviour would benefit various players in the industry.

“Brands are able to reach and better engage with consumers online. For our merchant-partners, these consumers’ insights from GrabFood and GrabMart would be useful for them to grow their business by improving menus and offers to capture more demand.”

Consumers regard food and grocery delivery services as a new way of life rather than the necessity it was during COVID-19 pandemic and indulgence before that. 

They are not only ordering more but also spending more per order. 

In May 2022, the monthly food and grocery delivery expenditure was 1.3 times the November 2021 figure. 

In Việt Nam, the largest single GrabFood order was almost exactly VNĐ2 million (US$90).   

In Việt Nam, the biggest delivery users are young families. Three-quarters of food delivery users in the country are married with kids and they order at least seven times a month.

In the case of grocery deliveries, a similar proportion of users are married with kids and they use the service 14 times a month.

According to Grab, Southeast Asian delivery users are shifting more of their food journeys online. 

Nine in 10 merchants in Việt Nam said delivery platforms are essential for their business, slightly higher than the regional average (8 in 10).

Across the region, merchants on average saw a 15 per cent increase in sales after joining delivery platforms. 

Along with the report, Grab also unveiled some new features to capture evolving delivery trends.

They include a revamped rating and reviews experience, a new self pick-up toggle and a saver delivery option to offer more convenience and help consumers save more. — VNS