Go-Jek unveils local brands for its Thailand and Vietnam launches
Jack Ellis · 25 Jun 2018
Go-Jek is getting a new look. In Thailand and Vietnam, at least.
The Indonesian ride-hailer has unveiled the names and branding for the “autonomous” units that it’s establishing in the two countries as part of its US$500 million regional expansion plan.
In Vietnam, Go-Jek’s services will be provided by Go-Viet. It will begin beta testing in July before a full launch in the following months, Go-Jek said in a statement.
In Thailand, on the other hand, Go-Jek’s local unit Get is still in “consultations” with “various local stakeholders including the government, driver-partners, and consumers.”
Both new companies will initially offer ride-hailing and logistics services, with food delivery and digital payments set to follow at a later date, Go-Jek said.
A risky gamble
What’s striking about the Go-Viet and Get brands is how much they appear to diverge – in a visual sense, at least – from Go-Jek’s own branding.
When the Indonesian firm announced plans for its first international expansion effort last month, it said operations in new markets will be run by local founding teams. Go-Jek itself would provide technological support and expertise to these “local companies,” which would be free to “determine their own brands and identities to ensure good traction in each new market.”
Go-Jek co-founder and CEO Nadiem Makarim told Channel NewsAsia at the time that the firm would “put a lot of trust in the autonomy of the local teams and have them make autonomous and critical strategic decisions about where to go.”
However, analysts have expressed some concern over this “autonomous” approach, noting that it could dilute or damage the Go-Jek brand if anything were to go awry in its new markets.
Go-Jek’s archrival Grab has also pursued a partnership model in order to tap into Singapore’s bike-sharing market. Earlier today, its key partner in the space, oBike, announced a halt to its operations in the city-state as it has decided not to attempt to obtain regulatory approval to continue its service.
The knock-on effect of this for Grab is that it had to suspend new sign-ups to its GrabCycle bike-sharing marketplace due to a lack of available bicycles. Grab’s headache here may provide Go-Jek with food for thought as it pushes on with its own “autonomous” partnering strategy in the region.
https://www.techinasia.com/gojek-get-goviet
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Go-Jek tests Go-Bike, Go-Send in Vietnam’s HCM City ahead of official launch
Quynh Nguyen, July 18, 2018
Indonesia’s ride-hailing giant Go-Jek will conduct a five-day trial of two of its services, Go-Bike and Go-Send, in some districts of Ho Chi Minh City on July 18, local media reported.
In June, Go-Jek launched two locally founded companies in Vietnam (Go-Viet) and Thailand (GET) to mark the first wave of its international expansion. Both companies will be run by local founding management teams with Go-Jek providing expertise as well as technology and investment.
Go-Viet will officially launch in Ho Chi Minh City in early September. After the testing, Go-Viet will be widely deployed in Ho Chi Minh City and quickly expanded to Hanoi as well as other provinces in the country.
“Our strategy is to combine the world-class technology developed by GO-Jek, with the in-depth market knowledge and expertise of the local teams, to create local businesses that really understand consumers. We believe that these in-country teams have the knowledge and experience to make the businesses in Vietnam and Thailand a huge success,” said Go-Jek CEO and founder Nadiem Makarim.
With the aim of becoming the largest multi-service platform in Vietnam, Go-Viet will start with the service of transport and goods delivery first, then food delivery, e-payment and other services, Nguyen Vu Duc, CEO of Go-Viet was quoted as saying by local media Cafe.vn.
In October last year, Go-Jek founder and CEO Nadiem Makarim announced plans for the startup to operate in four other member countries of the Association of the Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) but did not specify the targeted countries.
Apart from Indonesia and the Philippines, Southeast Asia comprises Malaysia, Singapore, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Brunei, East Timor and Myanmar.
Vietnam would be the third market overall for Go-Jek as it already holds a stake in Bangladesh’s ride-sharing app Pathao.
Go-Jek’s competitor Grab, meanwhile, is continuing to expand its foothold in the region. By the end of June, it launched GrabPay mobile wallet with GrabPay Credits in Malaysia and is eyeing more partnerships with local service providers.
https://www.dealstreetasia.com/stor...ams-hcm-city-ahead-of-official-launch-102114/
@Viet @Viva_Viet .. A new alternative, guys.
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