A personal business advisor for everyone: Meet Grab’s Merchant AI Assistant

Grab Product Team

. April 8, 2025 . Regional

AI-powered tools became very good at processing natural language and taking in a variety of data sources, giving rise to a new class of AI Assistants.

At Grab, we want to make these advancements in AI available to millions of merchants on Grab—including the small businesses like hawkers and local food stalls which can be found all over Southeast Asia.

That’s why we created AI Merchant Assistant, a dynamic, context-aware tool designed to drive growth and streamline operations for merchants within the Grab ecosystem.

By taking in various data sources, the Merchant Assistant understands exactly what the individual merchant needs and can give tailor-made, practical advice, for example on business growth opportunities or effective marketing strategies. It’s like a 24/7 business advisor, or COO, CFO, and CMO rolled into one!

We believe we can empower small businesses with this technology and help them thrive in Southeast Asia’s competitive landscape.

Daily tips and smart advice

AI Merchant Assistant will soon be accessible from anywhere within the Grab Merchant App through the AI icon. Clicking it opens the AI Merchant Assistant hub, which offers customised recommendations designed to help merchants grow their business in many helpful ways.

For instance, the AI Merchant Assistant can detect how many of your menu items are still lacking photos. It may prompt you to add photos to these items and guide you through it step-by-step.

AI Merchant Assistant will also show prominent recommendations on the homepage and main features pages of the Grab Merchant App occasionally. These are designed to nudge merchants into action with relevant and timely suggestions.

For instance, it may come up with ideas for new menu items—based on what’s trending in your area, or offer advice for effective marketing strategies. If competitors are boosting sales through promos, the Assistant might suggest trying similar campaigns.

Merchants converse with the AI Assistant through a chat interface, making the interaction flow naturally.

The tech powering AI Merchant Assistant

Grab’s AI Merchant Assistant leverages cutting-edge technology, including Large Language Models (LLM) with their foundational knowledge and Grab-specific domain expertise.

Furthermore, it processes merchant-specific operational and transactional data, making it a highly personalised tool for business growth, tailor-made for the individual merchant.

Benefits to Grab Merchants and Consumers

Grab’s AI Merchant Assistant is set to become an indispensable tool for small businesses. We believe it can boost their topline growth, and help more merchants adhere to Grab’s marketplace best practices, bringing them closer to fulfilling their potential.

For consumers, this translates to a richer, more diverse marketplace with engaging promotions and innovative menu offerings.

We will continue to refine and expand the capabilities of the AI Merchant Assistant, in line with our mission to make the benefits of AI accessible to small business owners.

GrabX 2025