InDrive: The Super App Strategy and Global Market Expansion

Launching the Super App Strategy: InDrive, the leading ride-hailing platform with a unique bidding model in Asia and Latin America, intends to launch its "Super App" strategy. This expansion aims to offer a wide range of integrated services to its users in promising markets, moving beyond just taxi services to include daily essential deliveries.

Definition of a Super App: A "Super App" is a mobile or web application that integrates multiple services such as messaging, payments, e-commerce, and food delivery, becoming a comprehensive platform that meets diverse user needs in one place.

Expansion Plans and Achievements: InDrive has already started grocery delivery in Kazakhstan and plans to strengthen this direction by expanding into other vital sectors within the next 12 months in its key markets such as Brazil, Colombia, Egypt, Pakistan, Peru, and Mexico. This strategic shift is supported by over 360 million app downloads and 6.5 billion transactions globally, affirming its position as the second most downloaded ride-hailing app worldwide after Uber since 2022.

Importance of Customer Loyalty: In an exclusive statement, Andres Smet, InDrive's Chief Business Growth Officer, explained the importance of the Super App strategy, stating: "When customers use our services frequently, they stay with us longer, which increases their value within our ecosystem and strengthens their overall loyalty to the platform."

Expansion Towards Grocery Delivery as a First Step

Growth of the Delivery Sector: InDrive's choice of grocery delivery as the first step in its expansion towards the Super App concept came after its delivery sector achieved tremendous growth. Over 41 million completed orders were registered globally in 2024, and more than 14 million orders in Q2 2025 alone, highlighting grocery delivery as one of the fastest-growing categories within the company's diverse service portfolio.

Launching the Service in Kazakhstan: The Mountain View, California-based company launched its innovative grocery delivery service in Kazakhstan. This service offers over 5,000 products with a commitment to fast delivery within 15 minutes.

Results of Pilot Tests: Initial pilot tests in this strategic Central Asian country showed impressive results, with a net promoter score of 83%, reflecting a high level of customer satisfaction. The service also recorded an average of five grocery orders per user per month, according to company data.

Dark Stores Model: Smet informed TechCrunch that InDrive relies on a "Dark Stores" model for grocery delivery in Kazakhstan. Dark stores are small warehouses or distribution centers optimized for fulfilling online shopping orders and are not open to the public.

Strategy to Enhance Loyalty: This model focuses on providing ready-to-eat meals and about 10% fresh produce, as part of an integrated strategy to enhance customer loyalty. Smet indicated that this model may adapt in other regions, as the company is open to local partnerships, especially in markets characterized by a wide network of small stores. Smet also revealed that InDrive has added 30% more dark stores in the country since August, without disclosing further details.

Kazakhstan: A Strategic Hub for Digital Growth

InDrive's Global Reach: InDrive operates in 982 cities across 48 countries worldwide and holds market leadership in eight of them. But the question arises: why was Kazakhstan chosen as the first market to launch this Super App strategy?

Reasons for Choosing Kazakhstan: Smet explained to TechCrunch that the company's decision came in response to the accelerating digital growth witnessed in Kazakhstan, which is the largest economy in Central Asia. Additionally, Kazakhstan hosts the largest number of InDrive employees, making it a pivotal center for the company's research and development and operations.

InDrive's Growth in Kazakhstan: Although InDrive has not disclosed detailed growth metrics for its operations in Kazakhstan, a recent report by Dealroom, in collaboration with the government-backed Astana Hub technology park, indicated that the company achieved significant growth of 44% in the country over the past twelve months.

Value of the Technology Ecosystem: The report also estimated the value of Kazakhstan's technology ecosystem at approximately $26 billion, representing a massive 18-fold leap since 2019. This explosive growth reflects the significant boom in local startup formation, increasing funding opportunities, and the expansion of digital services, affirming Kazakhstan's position as an emerging digital hub in the region.

Competition and Consumer Challenges in Grocery Delivery

InDrive's Competition Strategy: Despite the presence of other grocery delivery apps in Kazakhstan that meet part of the demand, InDrive seeks to capture a significant market share by offering competitive and affordable prices. The company aspires to be the "Aldi" of online grocery delivery services, thereby solidifying its position as a preferred choice for value-seeking consumers.

Challenges of Access and Inequality: Smet emphasized the challenges consumers face, stating: "Markets show problems with accessibility and inequality, as well as difficulties in reaching some grocery stores. Our cost-conscious consumers often find themselves forced not to buy from the right places or not get the goods they want, despite being aware of it, because they feel there are no available alternatives."

Lessons from Global Super Apps and the Role of AI

Successes and Failures of Super Apps: Many global companies have sought to adopt the "Super Apps" model, but the success of this approach varies from player to player. While apps like WeChat and Gojek have achieved tremendous success in Asia by offering a wide range of integrated services to users, other companies, such as Meta (formerly Facebook), have faced challenges in gaining the desired momentum in this field. It is noteworthy that the failure to replicate WeChat's success is partly due to factors such as the peak of smartphone penetration in many regions, app store crowding, and strict restrictions on targeted advertising imposed by regulatory bodies Source.

InDrive's Benefit from WeChat's Experience and Artificial Intelligence: Smet, who worked with WeChat in 2016, benefited from his direct experience with the effectiveness of the integrated experience offered by the Chinese app. He told TechCrunch that InDrive plans to leverage this expertise, in addition to harnessing advanced artificial intelligence capabilities, to ensure the success of its Super App strategy.

Artificial Intelligence and Inclusivity: He explained that the integration of artificial intelligence will not only contribute to providing personalized and unique user experiences but will also make services more accessible to people with disabilities and those with low digital literacy levels, thereby enhancing inclusivity in app usage.

InDrive's Investments and Entry into New Markets

Establishing a Venture and Acquisition Arm: In November 2023, InDrive announced the establishment of a dedicated venture, acquisition, and merger arm, aiming to invest up to $100 million over the next few years. Smet informed TechCrunch that approximately 30% of this investment has already been directed to support the Super App strategy, underscoring the company's commitment to this major transformation.

Investment in Pakistan's Krave Mart: As part of this investment project, InDrive invested last December in the Pakistani grocery delivery company Krave Mart. However, a clear timeline has not yet been set for the direct launch of InDrive's grocery delivery services to users in Pakistan.

Competitive Challenges and InDrive's Performance in India

Competition with Uber: On the competitive front, Uber, InDrive's main competitor, has expanded its service portfolio to include additional sectors such as food delivery through Uber Eats in specific markets. However, Smet confirmed that InDrive targets a distinct segment of customers, often underserved by Uber, despite some overlap in certain geographical areas.

InDrive's Focus on the Cost-Conscious Consumer: Smet further affirmed: "Generally, our efforts are focused on supporting and serving the consumer who prioritizes cost."

InDrive's Performance in the Indian Market: In addition to its focus on promising markets like Kazakhstan, InDrive has also been operating in India for some time, where it faces fierce competition from Uber and prominent local players such as Ola and Rapido. However, the company has not been able to achieve the desired success in this South Asian country. Interestingly, Uber itself has tested a version of InDrive's unique bidding model in India, seeking to replicate this competitive approach.

Decline in Downloads in India: Data from Appfigures, shared exclusively with TechCrunch, reveals that InDrive witnessed a decline in downloads by 1.07 million this year compared to the same period in 2024, representing a 22.6% drop. In contrast, Uber achieved an increase of 8.02 million downloads, growing by 60.6%, while Ola added 1.55 million new downloads, an increase of 13.2%. Rapido emerged as the fastest-growing player, recording an astounding 14.9 million additional downloads, with an impressive 80.9% growth.

Smet's Comment on the Indian Market: Smet commented to TechCrunch on the situation in India, saying: "India remains an enigmatic market for us. The Indian market continues to grow, and we are focusing our efforts... We have made a decision to focus intensively and quickly on the key cities where we believe we can make a strong impact."

Bidding Model and its Development: InDrive is known for its unique bidding model, which allows passengers to negotiate fares directly with drivers. Despite this core model, the company is currently testing various operational models, particularly in the freight sector. These models include new payment mechanisms for drivers to enable them to receive their wages daily, and even a shift to a fixed commission system, according to Smet.

Success in Difficult Markets: In its early days, InDrive faced significant challenges and achieved limited success, even in markets like Pakistan. But over time, the company managed to establish itself as the leading ride-hailing platform in Pakistan, especially after Uber's withdrawal from the market, reflecting its ability to adapt and grow.

Growth Strategy in the Face of Competitors: Smet pointed to the company's strategy in difficult markets, stating: "We had markets that seemed dormant where activities declined, then for various reasons, perhaps a competitor stumbled, which opened up opportunities for us to grow."

Safety Concerns in India: More than a dozen passengers and drivers in India informed TechCrunch that safety concerns are a major obstacle to their preference for using InDrive. Some drivers mentioned that the app's bidding model has been exploited by passengers, and in some cases, by other drivers impersonating passengers to harass their colleagues through aggressive bargaining practices.

InDrive's Commitment to Safety: Smet affirmed that the company prioritizes safety and customer service. He added: "We need to intensify our efforts in addressing this perception of safety, and providing more education and awareness to both our drivers and passengers."

Future Outlook: Financial Services, Micro-mobility, and Strategic Partnerships

Advanced Financial Services: InDrive is moving towards expanding the horizons of its "Super App" by launching innovative services specifically designed to meet local market demands. Smet revealed to TechCrunch that these services may include advanced financial solutions. In markets like Brazil and Mexico, a system is already available that allows drivers to easily obtain small loans through the ride-hailing app.

Expanding Financial Inclusion: The executive added that the company is currently exploring ways to extend this feature to include passengers, and perhaps small businesses operating in the delivery sector, thereby enhancing financial inclusion.

Micro-mobility Service: The company also intends to explore a new micro-mobility service, which will enable consumers to connect and access local businesses and public transportation services efficiently, providing broader and more flexible transportation options.

Strategic Partnerships for Service Delivery: Smet concluded by saying: "Our goal is to be city-specific, offering a diverse range of services. We aim to target key sectors where we possess capabilities and expertise, and which align with our core business. But if we lack expertise in managing certain types of services, we will certainly resort to partnering with the right partner to ensure the best possible user experience."