InDrive, identified for its bidding-based ride-hailing type throughout Asia and Latin The us, is rolling out a “super-app” technique geared toward frontier markets — increasing past cabs to ship day by day necessities to its customers.
Starting with grocery deliveries in Kazakhstan, InDrive plans to amplify into a couple of verticals over the following one year throughout its most sensible markets, together with Brazil, Colombia, Egypt, Pakistan, Peru, and Mexico. The shift comes at the heels of greater than 360 million app downloads and six.5 billion transactions globally, cementing its place because the global’s 2nd most-downloaded ride-hailing app, at the back of Uber, since 2022.
“If consumers use you extra continuously, then, in fact, they keep longer, they’re extra precious within the ecosystem, and so they’re simply extra unswerving total,” mentioned Andries Smit, leader expansion trade officer at InDrive, in an unique interview.
InDrive selected grocery supply as its first growth transfer after seeing fast expansion in its supply phase — with over 41 million orders finished international in 2024 and greater than 14 million in Q2 2025 on my own — making it one of the vital fastest-scaling classes within the corporate’s portfolio.
The Mountain View, California-based corporate has introduced its grocery supply carrier in Kazakhstan, providing over 5,000 merchandise with a 15-minute supply promise. Early pilots within the Central Asian nation yielded a web promoter ranking of 83% — signaling top buyer pride — and a median of 5 grocery orders in keeping with person monthly, the corporate mentioned.
Smit informed TechCrunch that InDrive is the use of a gloomy retailer type for grocery deliveries in Kazakhstan, with maximum pieces inquisitive about ready-to-eat foods and round 10% consisting of unpolluted merchandise — a part of a method to spice up buyer retention. He added that the type will range in different areas, the place the corporate is open to partnering in the community, in particular 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 marketplace?
InDrive these days operates in 982 towns throughout 48 nations globally and leads in 8 of them. However then why has it picked Kazakhstan as the primary marketplace for its super-app transfer?
Smit informed TechCrunch that the corporate determined to take action after seeing a “massive uptick” in shoppers going virtual within the nation, which is the most important financial system throughout Central Asia. InDrive additionally has its biggest headcount in Kazakhstan, serving as a central hub for its R&D and operations.
InDrive didn’t expose particular expansion metrics for its operations in Kazakhstan. On the other hand, a contemporary document via Dealroom, revealed in collaboration with the government-backed tech park Astana Hub, famous that the corporate noticed a 44% expansion within the nation during the last one year.
The document additionally valued Kazakhstan’s tech ecosystem at $26 billion — an 18-fold leap since 2019 — suggesting a pointy upward thrust in native startup formation, investment, and virtual products and services.
Kazakhstan already has grocery supply apps to satisfy one of the vital call for. Nevertheless, InDrive needs to win the marketplace predominantly with reasonably priced pricing — aiming to be the Aldi of on-line groceries.
“There may be get entry to and inequality, or even get entry to problems with one of the vital groceries,” mentioned Smit. “A few of our cost-conscious shoppers finally end up now not purchasing from the fitting puts or now not purchasing the fitting items, and so they acknowledge that, however they really feel they have got no different selection.”
InDrive’s super-app: a differentiator or déjà vu
Many corporations have attempted to be successful with large apps. Whilst some, like WeChat and Gojek, have discovered luck, others — together with Meta — have struggled to realize traction.
Smit, who labored with WeChat in his former position in 2016, skilled how the built-in enjoy at the Chinese language app labored neatly. He informed TechCrunch that, via leveraging his experience and using AI features, InDrive plans to make its super-app technique a hit. The AI integration would assist convey personalization to customers and make products and services obtainable to other folks with disabilities and the ones with decrease literacy, he mentioned.
In November 2023, InDrive introduced a project and merger and acquisition arm to make investments as much as $100 million over the following couple of years. Smit informed TechCrunch that of that project, about 30% has already been deployed at the super-app technique.
The corporate invested in Pakistan’s grocery startup, Krave Mart, in December as a part of that project. On the other hand, there’s no concrete timeline on when InDrive’s app will be offering grocery deliveries to customers in Pakistan.
InDrive’s arch-rival Uber has additionally expanded its carrier portfolio, including verticals like meals supply via Uber Eats in make a choice markets. Smit mentioned InDrive goals a unique buyer phase — person who Uber usually doesn’t serve — regardless that there’s some overlap in positive areas.
“By way of and massive, we in point of fact make stronger and play right into a cost-conscious client,” he mentioned.
India as a “puzzle” marketplace
Along with frontier markets together with Kazakhstan, InDrive has been running in India for a while, competing with Uber in addition to homegrown avid gamers equivalent to Ola and Rapido. On the other hand, the corporate has now not picked up within the South Asian country. Uber even piloted a model of InDrive’s bidding type in India, making an attempt to duplicate the method.
Information from Appfigures solely shared with TechCrunch presentations that InDrive noticed 1.07 million fewer downloads year-to-date in comparison to the similar length in 2024 — a 22.6% decline. By contrast, Uber added 8.02 million downloads, up 60.6%, whilst Ola won 1.55 million, a 13.2% building up. Rapido emerged because the fastest-growing participant, with 14.9 million further downloads — an 80.9% surge.
“India is a puzzle for us,” Smit informed TechCrunch. “India continues to be rising, and we’re targeted… we’ve determined to focal point in no time on key towns the place we in point of fact assume we wish to perform strongly.”
The corporate is checking out other fashions, particularly within the freight trade, regardless that it’s identified for permitting riders to haggle with drivers. Those come with other cost mechanisms for drivers to receives a commission day by day or even cross with a particular take price, Smit mentioned.
InDrive confronted early demanding situations and noticed restricted luck to start with — even in markets like Pakistan, the place it later turned into the main ride-hailing platform following Uber’s go out.
“We’ve had sleeper markets the place the markets kind of drifted, after which for no matter case, possibly one of the vital competition falters,” Smit mentioned.
Greater than a dozen riders and drivers in India informed TechCrunch that protection considerations have been a key explanation why they now not favor the use of InDrive. Some drivers mentioned the app’s bidding type were exploited via riders — and, in some circumstances, even via fellow drivers posing as riders to bother their friends via aggressively haggling.
Smit mentioned that the corporate prioritizes protection and customer support.
“Sure, we wish to do much more in chatting with this protection belief and in educating and instructing our drivers and passengers,” he mentioned.
Subsequent verticals in plans
InDrive plans to amplify its super-app providing via launching new products and services adapted to native marketplace wishes. Smit informed TechCrunch that those may come with monetary products and services. One instance is already reside in markets together with Brazil and Mexico, the place drivers can get entry to small loans throughout the ride-hailing app. The corporate is exploring techniques to increase this to passengers — and doubtlessly to small companies curious about deliveries, the chief added.
The corporate additionally plans to discover a carrier that permits micro-mobility, permitting its shoppers to connect to native companies and public transportation products and services.
“We wish to be city-specific, and it generally is a bouquet of various products and services,” Smit mentioned. “We wish to seize the important thing verticals that we have got capacity for, that we all know and are very as regards to our core… But when we don’t have any enjoy in operating, for the ones types of products and services, we can for sure simply spouse with the fitting participant.”
