Why Grab bought Jaya Grocer; how NFTs can be the future of O2O commerce

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Hi there,

As a platinum Grab member, I must confess that the convenience of ride-hailing and food deliveries has gotten the better of me more times than I’d like to admit. But oddly enough, the super app’s GrabMart service just doesn’t sit right with me.

Efficiency is high on my hierarchy of virtues, but there’s just something soothing about strolling through aisle after aisle of freshly stocked produce.

Maybe that’s one reason why Grab recently acquired Malaysian supermarket chain Jaya Grocer. To demystify the deal, my colleague Emmanuel dug deep into Grab’s evolving business model and discussed how it might fare in an impending showdown of ecommerce giants.

This week, we’ll also dive into how non-fungible tokens could revolutionize Southeast Asia’s online-to-offline commerce scene.

— Tian Wen

THE BIG STORY
Making sense of Grab’s Jaya Grocer acquisition

Image credit: Timmy Loen

The deal marks a seismic shift in Grab’s ecommerce push, but its foray into the grocery space may not be smooth-sailing.

THE HOT TAKE
Will the metaverse boost online-to-offline retail?

Image credit: Timmy Loen

Here’s what happened: