Customer Loyalty Now Built on Exclusive Experiences, Not Just Discounts
Customer loyalty programmes in the digital era are undergoing continuous change. Where companies previously relied heavily on promotions and price cuts to attract customers, they are now introducing a range of exclusive experiences as added value to strengthen engagement and retain users amid intense competition.
This strategy was recently demonstrated by Grab through its GrabUnlimited programme, which held a fan session titled ‘Yang Member-Member Aja’ featuring the band NPD at M Bloc Live House, Jakarta. One hundred selected GrabUnlimited members had the opportunity to participate in casual chats, interactive games, a Q&A session, and listen to NPD’s latest single in an intimate setting.
Grab Indonesia Country Marketing and Communications Head Melinda Savitri stated that the activity is part of an effort to broaden the benefits of the GrabUnlimited programme, which is no longer solely focused on savings through promotions and discounts. ‘Through GrabUnlimited, we want to provide benefits that go beyond daily savings, but also open access to exclusive experiences that are relevant to the interests and lifestyles of young users,’ she said in an official statement.
According to Savitri, this development reflects the evolution of membership services from mere discount programmes into a strategy for building closer relationships with customers. With a single subscription, GrabUnlimited members not only receive various promotions on GrabFood and transport services but also gain access to exclusive programmes unavailable to non-members.
Grab’s internal data indicates that this approach has increased customer engagement on the platform. Average spending by GrabUnlimited members on GrabFood services is recorded as 4.2 times higher than that of non-subscribing users. Meanwhile, the retention rate for GrabUnlimited members is approximately twice as high as that for non-members.
Grab views this high level of loyalty as a basis for continuing to expand the programme’s benefits beyond cost savings. The company plans to introduce more collaborations and exclusive experiences tailored to customer lifestyles in the future.
For NPD, the fan session concept provided a new experience by allowing closer interaction with fans compared to typical music events. ‘Through this fan session, we got to know our fans more closely, hear what they want to see from us, and also have fun with games and singing together,’ said the band members.
Grab intends to continue developing GrabUnlimited as a subscription service that combines savings benefits, service access convenience, and exclusive experiences. This move is expected to make the membership programme more relevant to customer needs while strengthening their loyalty within the digital ecosystem.