InDrive, identified for its bidding-based ride-hailing mannequin throughout Asia and Latin America, is rolling out a “super-app” technique aimed toward frontier markets — increasing past cabs to ship day by day necessities to its customers.
Starting with grocery deliveries in Kazakhstan, InDrive plans to broaden into a number of verticals over the following 12 months throughout its high markets, together with Brazil, Colombia, Egypt, Pakistan, Peru, and Mexico. The shift comes on the heels of greater than 360 million app downloads and 6.5 billion transactions globally, cementing its place because the world’s second most-downloaded ride-hailing app, behind Uber, since 2022.
“If prospects use you extra steadily, then, after all, they keep longer, they’re extra invaluable within the ecosystem, and so they’re simply extra loyal general,” mentioned Andries Smit, chief progress enterprise officer at InDrive, in an unique interview.
InDrive selected grocery supply as its first growth transfer after seeing speedy progress in its supply phase — with over 41 million orders accomplished worldwide in 2024 and greater than 14 million in Q2 2025 alone — making it one of many fastest-scaling classes within the firm’s portfolio.
The Mountain View, California-based firm has launched its grocery supply service in Kazakhstan, providing over 5,000 merchandise with a 15-minute supply promise. Early pilots within the Central Asian nation yielded a internet promoter rating of 83% — signaling excessive buyer satisfaction — and a median of 5 grocery orders per person per 30 days, the corporate mentioned.
Smit instructed TechCrunch that InDrive is utilizing a darkish retailer mannequin for grocery deliveries in Kazakhstan, with most objects targeted on ready-to-eat meals and round 10% consisting of recent merchandise — a part of a technique to spice up buyer retention. He added that the mannequin will fluctuate in different areas, the place the corporate is open to partnering domestically, notably in markets with a dense community of mom-and-pop shops.
With out sharing specifics, Smit mentioned that the corporate has added 30% extra darkish shops within the nation since August.
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Why is Kazakhstan the primary market?
InDrive at present operates in 982 cities throughout 48 nations globally and leads in eight of them. However then why has it picked Kazakhstan as the primary marketplace for its super-app transfer?
Smit instructed TechCrunch that the corporate determined to take action after seeing a “enormous uptick” in customers going digital within the nation, which is the biggest financial system throughout Central Asia. InDrive additionally has its largest headcount in Kazakhstan, serving as a central hub for its R&D and operations.
InDrive didn’t disclose particular progress metrics for its operations in Kazakhstan. Nonetheless, a current report by Dealroom, printed in collaboration with the government-backed tech park Astana Hub, famous that the corporate noticed a 44% progress within the nation over the previous 12 months.
The report additionally valued Kazakhstan’s tech ecosystem at $26 billion — an 18-fold leap since 2019 — suggesting a pointy rise in native startup formation, funding, and digital providers.
Kazakhstan already has grocery supply apps to meet a few of the demand. Nonetheless, InDrive needs to win the market predominantly with reasonably priced pricing — aiming to be the Aldi of on-line groceries.
“There may be entry and inequality, and even entry points with a few of the groceries,” mentioned Smit. “A few of our cost-conscious customers find yourself not shopping for from the appropriate locations or not shopping for the appropriate items, and so they acknowledge that, however they really feel they haven’t any different selection.”
InDrive’s super-app: a differentiator or déjà vu
Many corporations have tried to succeed with tremendous apps. Whereas some, like WeChat and Gojek, have discovered success, others — together with Meta — have struggled to realize traction.
Smit, who labored with WeChat in his former function in 2016, skilled how the built-in expertise on the Chinese language app labored properly. He instructed TechCrunch that, by leveraging his experience and using AI capabilities, InDrive plans to make its super-app technique profitable. The AI integration would assist deliver personalization to customers and make providers accessible to individuals with disabilities and people with decrease literacy, he mentioned.
In November 2023, InDrive introduced a enterprise and merger and acquisition arm to make investments as much as $100 million over the following few years. Smit instructed TechCrunch that of that enterprise, about 30% has already been deployed on the super-app technique.
The corporate invested in Pakistan’s grocery startup, Krave Mart, in December as a part of that enterprise. Nonetheless, there isn’t a concrete timeline on when InDrive’s app will provide grocery deliveries to customers in Pakistan.
InDrive’s arch-rival Uber has additionally expanded its service portfolio, including verticals like meals supply via Uber Eats in choose markets. Smit mentioned InDrive targets a distinct buyer phase — one which Uber usually doesn’t serve — although there may be some overlap in sure areas.
“By and huge, we actually assist and play right into a cost-conscious shopper,” he mentioned.
India as a “puzzle” market
Along with frontier markets together with Kazakhstan, InDrive has been working in India for a while, competing with Uber in addition to homegrown gamers reminiscent of Ola and Rapido. Nonetheless, the corporate has not picked up within the South Asian nation. Uber even piloted a model of InDrive’s bidding mannequin in India, making an attempt to copy the method.
Knowledge from Appfigures solely shared with TechCrunch reveals that InDrive noticed 1.07 million fewer downloads year-to-date in comparison with the identical interval in 2024 — a 22.6% decline. In distinction, Uber added 8.02 million downloads, up 60.6%, whereas Ola gained 1.55 million, a 13.2% enhance. Rapido emerged because the fastest-growing participant, with 14.9 million extra downloads — an 80.9% surge.
“India is a puzzle for us,” Smit instructed TechCrunch. “India remains to be rising, and we’re targeted… we’ve determined to focus in a short time on key cities the place we actually assume we wish to function strongly.”
The corporate is testing totally different fashions, particularly within the freight enterprise, although it’s identified for permitting riders to haggle with drivers. These embrace totally different cost mechanisms for drivers to receives a commission day by day and even go along with a selected take fee, Smit mentioned.
InDrive confronted early challenges and noticed restricted success at first — even in markets like Pakistan, the place it later grew to become the main ride-hailing platform following Uber’s exit.
“We’ve had sleeper markets the place the markets kind of drifted, after which for no matter case, perhaps one of many opponents falters,” Smit mentioned.
Greater than a dozen riders and drivers in India instructed TechCrunch that security considerations had been a key cause they not want utilizing InDrive. Some drivers mentioned the app’s bidding mannequin had been exploited by riders — and, in some instances, even by fellow drivers posing as riders to trouble their friends by aggressively haggling.
Smit mentioned that the corporate prioritizes security and customer support.
“Sure, we have to do much more in speaking to this security notion and in educating and educating our drivers and passengers,” he mentioned.
Subsequent verticals in plans
InDrive plans to broaden its super-app providing by launching new providers tailor-made to native market wants. Smit instructed TechCrunch that these may embrace monetary providers. One instance is already dwell in markets together with Brazil and Mexico, the place drivers can entry small loans via the ride-hailing app. The corporate is exploring methods to increase this to passengers — and doubtlessly to small companies concerned in deliveries, the manager added.
The corporate additionally plans to discover a service that permits micro-mobility, permitting its customers to attach with native companies and public transportation providers.
“We wish to be city-specific, and it might be a bouquet of various providers,” Smit mentioned. “We wish to seize the important thing verticals that now we have functionality for, that we all know and are very near our core… But when now we have no expertise in working, for these sorts of providers, we will certainly simply accomplice with the appropriate participant.”
