In 2021, Gojek Singapore's Focus Remains on Driver Acquisition

After officially launched in Singapore in late 2018, Gojek is said to experience significant growth in terms of drivers and users - although they avoid revealing the precise number. This year, the local decacorn  has some plans to be launched soon, with the same goal, to continue increasing the number of its driver-partners.

Gojek representatives revealed to DailySoial that Singapore has been a strategic market for Gojek. Of all the plans, one is to launch new transportation products to provide more benefits for users and drivers, including a convenient transportation platform for companies, as well as special features for ordering taxis and large vehicles.

In the future, Gojek intends to explore new potentials to launch relevant products and services to the Singapore market, both independently developed services and in partnerships with other startups.

Previously quoted from ChannelNewsAsia, Gojek's Co-Founder & Co-CEO, Kevin Aluwi said Gojek has a goal of making a lasting impact in Singapore for the years to come and making "strategic investments" in developing the business this year.

Since its arrival in Singapore, Gojek has focused on ride-hailing services to provide new options to users. "We are also the first vehicle booking operator in the country to offer multi-purpose features for up to three destinations," said a Gojek representative.

In Singapore, there are existing legacy players. The latest data from DBS Group Research, as of 2019 there are three key players in the Asia Pacific, including Grab (estimated number of active drivers: 2.8 million partners and trips: 2.4 billion times), Gojek (1 million partners/1,2 billion times), and Ola Cabs (1 million partners/1 billion times).

According to data from Google, Temasek Holdings, and Bain & Company, in 2020 there was a decline in GMV for ride-hailing services in Southeast Asia, from $13 billion in 2019 to $11 billion in 2020 due to social restrictions amid the pandemic. However, it is projected to grow beyond $42 billion by 2025. Indonesia was the highest contributor in 2020 valued at $5 billion, followed by Singapore at $2 billion.

By comparison, the global ride-hailing market value according to MarketsandMarkets reached $75.39 billion in 2020 and is expected to grow to $117.34 billion by 2021.

Gojek and digital talents

Before its operational launch, Gojek had already explored Singapore for its office base, especially to accommodate the data team. The office has been official since 2017.

Although based in Singapore, Gojek's data science office supports all targeted markets in Southeast Asia. Its function is quite important to improve the efficiency and user experience on the Gojek platform, from improvements across automatic customer service, pricing algorithms, routing tools, and allocations.

To date, Gojek has made the office a data science hub because of the talent and existing technology infrastructure. Within three years, Gojek claimed the team had increased by over three times. Currently, the team has been developing some innovations, from data analytics, data science, machine learning, and others.

"We are expanding our Singapore-based technology talent, particularly in cybersecurity and data analytics, to support the growth of our business across the region. We will continue to promote Gojek's dynamic values ​​and culture through various channels, including social media, as well as ecosystem players such as a university - to reach, train and recruit the best talent."

–Original article is in Indonesian, translated by Kristin SiagianGambar Header: Depositphotos.com