If the last few months of the movement control period has shown us anything, it is the fact that we are able to overcome any obstacle when we come together in solidarity as a nation. In the same spirit and in conjunction with Merdeka, Grab launched the ‘Grab ❤ Local Heroes’ initiative, offering  RM2.5 million in advertising space to help up to 500 small and independent businesses increase their visibility on the Grab platform to boost their business. With the additional exposure, these businesses have seen an increase in sales of up to 43% since the launch of the initiative.

The different merchants cut across GrabFood, GrabMart and GrabPay and showcase Malaysia’s diverse and thriving local business scene, ranging from hawkers and neighbourhood cafes to fishmongers, spice sellers and much more. As part of the initiative, Grab also sponsored the cost incurred to produce the personalised ads. 

“This Merdeka as a homegrown app, we take pride in celebrating the variety of local and independent businesses that make us proudly Malaysian. They have shown their strive and dedication in the face of adversity and we want to do our part by rallying Malaysians to come together and make a real impact in the lives of our local heroes. As smaller businesses may struggle to get the visibility they need to sustain, we decided to use the reach of our platform to let these businesses shine. These merchants were chosen based on data of their earnings via Grab during the movement control period. By doing so, we hope to help drive up their demand and expand their reach to millions of Grab users,” said Hassan Alsagoff, Country Marketing Head, Grab Malaysia.

In addition, Grab has introduced several other efforts to support small and independent businesses on the platform this Merdeka celebration: 

• Grab ❤ Local Heroes video & photo series
  Grab is featuring 14 personal stories from among the 500 merchants to showcase the wide range of businesses on the platform while shedding light on what inspired them to keep their business going, the impact the pandemic has had on them as well as what makes them proud to serve Malaysians.
  
  Get to know some of these inspiring local heroes, from John Woo who resigned from his job in IT to help preserve his family’s heritage of authentic Nyonya kuihs, to Roseline Ong whose 30 year old spice shop has truly stood the test of time to showcase Malaysia’s diverse flavours and thrift store owners, Zamir and Kira, who are inspired by the creativity of the community around them. 
  
  To know more about these inspiring stories, click HERE (video series), and HERE (photo series).

• Rallying Malaysians to share their favourite local heroes
  Grab is rallying users to share on social media their own story about their favourite local business. Apart from spreading the love for local to help them further, the top 20 most creative stories will receive RM120 worth of Grab vouchers. See more info about the contest, HERE.

• Supporting home-based sellers with deliveries
  Grab is offering an exclusive promotion to encourage Malaysians to support humble home sellers. Users in Klang Valley may use the promo code SAPOT31 to enjoy 31% off GrabExpress deliveries from a curated list of sellers, from home-cooked meals to desserts, books and more. Malaysians outside of Klang Valley can also enjoy 31% off on their deliveries by using the promo code DELIVER31.

• Spreading the love for local
  In conjunction with Merdeka, Grab is introducing a series of special edition gift cards so you can share your love for local businesses with friends and family. These can be used for Grab rides, GrabFood, GrabMart or GrabExpress and come in a variety of designs too!

Alsagoff concludes, “Through these initiatives we hope that we can get Malaysia one step closer to economic recovery while helping those most in need to stay afloat. It’s now even more vital for all of us to work together to ensure that the entire nation gets through this.”  

Need some help identifying the local heroes near you? Click HERE.

– End –