GrabTV envisioned revolutionizing traditional television commerce with a groundbreaking platform called Television Commerce (T-Commerce), a new product that would bring the two-way communication to the century-old industry, which traditionally has only a one-way channel.

This ambitious project required integrating several components, such as a client-side application for televisions, a mobile application, administration tools, dashboards and servers. However, transitioning from a promising proof of concept (POC) to a commercially viable product posed significant hurdles, particularly concerning scalability and attractiveness to potential investors. Executives grappled with making crucial technological choices without committing heavily to inflexible systems, fearing limitations that might hinder future growth opportunities.

To address these issues, GrabTV consulted with Dialexa®, an IBM® company with a strategic approach centered on forming a multidisciplinary team of designers, engineers and product specialists.

The team focused on building a robust yet agile framework capable of adapting to evolving requirements. By utilizing third-party services such as inventory management, payment procession and user authentication, Dialexa ensured minimal long-term obligations, thereby enhancing overall versatility. Additionally, comprehensive workshops facilitated detailed planning sessions, resulting in meticulous roadmaps, intuitive user interfaces and functional prototypes essential for securing investments.

Technologies employed include Azure DevOps, .NET 6, ASP.NET Web APIs, React, TypeScript, and Tailwind CSS, fostering seamless integration across platforms.

The tailored strategy of Dialexa’s Digital Product Engineering proved instrumental in propelling GrabTV towards achieving remarkable milestones swiftly. Despite initial obstacles, the collaboration yielded substantial advancements within nine months, culminating in a highly responsive pilot program demonstrating impressive metrics—notably a staggering 96% user engagement rate during testing phases. Furthermore, using the dynamic capabilities inherent in their newly developed infrastructure, GrabTV successfully attracted their inaugural prominent backer well ahead of schedule.

As part of continued efforts, the partnership aims to further refine features, bolster operational efficiency, and ensure sustained innovation aligned with emerging trends, thus positioning GrabTV as a pioneer in next-generation televisual retail interactions.

GrabTV (link resides outside of ibm.com) is a premier destination for interactive, informative and inspiring televised shopping experiences, providing unrivaled convenience and value while cultivating a genuine connection between brands and consumers.