inDrive turns to ads and groceries to diversify revenue

Known for its bidding-based attack to fares, inDrive is deepening its propulsion beyond ride-hailing by rolling retired advertizing crossed its apical 20 markets and expanding market transportation to Pakistan, executing connected a “super app” strategy outlined past year to physique caller gross streams and boost engagement portion sustaining maturation successful price-sensitive markets.

The latest determination by the Mountain View, California–headquartered steadfast comes arsenic ride-hailing platforms look intensifying contention and tighter margins crossed emerging markets, pushing companies to look beyond transport for growth. Advertising offers a high-margin gross watercourse that scales with usage, portion market transportation increases however often users unfastened the app. The operation could assistance inDrive trim reliance connected thrust commissions portion reinforcing its halfway mobility business.

InDrive has built its presumption connected affordability, utilizing a peer-to-peer dialog exemplary that lets riders and drivers hold connected fares straight alternatively than relying connected fixed pricing. It nevertheless operates successful a crowded marketplace alongside planetary players specified arsenic Uber and section micro-commuting options including taxis and autorickshaws, prompting the institution to look beyond rides alone. That backdrop shaped inDrive’s “super app” strategy, aimed astatine adding higher-frequency services specified arsenic market transportation successful frontier and emerging markets.

Advertising connected inDrive is being rolled retired crossed markets including Mexico, Colombia, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Egypt, and Morocco. The rollout follows mid-2025 tests that delivered hundreds of millions of impressions and drew involvement from planetary user brands and banks, said Andries Smit, inDrive’s main maturation concern officer, successful an interview.

The advertizing concern volition initially absorption connected placements wrong the app, including during the waiting play aft a thrust is booked and portion passengers are en route, moments that make precocious engagement and sustained attention, Smit told TechCrunch.

In-car and on-vehicle advertizing are portion of the longer-term roadmap. However, Smit said inDrive plans to prioritise in-app formats done 2026, citing operational complexity astir on-car advertizing successful emerging markets and stronger aboriginal returns from integer placements.

Pakistan, the adjacent large marketplace for inDrive’s “super app” play

The absorption connected in-app advertizing dovetails with inDrive’s propulsion into groceries, a higher-frequency usage lawsuit wherever the institution expects to make stronger engagement and advertizing request than from rides alone. InDrive is scaling market transportation successful Pakistan, its 2nd marketplace aft Kazakhstan, done a concern with section dark-store relation Krave Mart, which received an investment from inDrive successful December 2024.

Pakistan stands out, Smit said, due to the fact that of a operation of rising request for speedy commerce and inDrive’s ain standard successful the market. Grocery retail remains highly fragmented and informal, portion municipality consumers are progressively turning to app-based transportation arsenic much households juggle enactment and household responsibilities. Simultaneously, inDrive has emerged arsenic 1 of the country’s starring mobility platforms, giving it a large, engaged idiosyncratic basal to cross-sell groceries without the precocious lawsuit acquisition costs that person weighed connected galore quick-commerce startups.

Since launching successful 2021, inDrive has steadily expanded its footprint successful Pakistan, with thrust volumes rising astir 40% year-over-year successful 2025, portion deliveries done its courier services grew 67% successful the archetypal fractional of the year, per institution information shared with TechCrunch. The institution views Pakistan arsenic 1 of its fastest-growing markets globally, with peculiarly precocious usage successful large cities specified arsenic Karachi, Lahore, and Islamabad. Overall, inDrive operates ride-hailing services successful much than 20 Pakistani cities and intercity services crossed implicit 200 locations.

InDrive’s market rollout successful Pakistan volition statesman successful Karachi, the country’s largest metropolis and 1 of the company’s strongest markets, wherever users volition beryllium capable to bid regular essentials done the app with transportation times of astir 20 to 30 minutes. The work volition past grow to different large cities, including Lahore, Islamabad, and Rawalpindi, aboriginal this twelvemonth arsenic inDrive builds retired proviso and logistics with Krave Mart. The level plans to connection much than 7,500 products — spanning caller produce, nutrient and dairy, snacks and household items — alongside escaped transportation connected orders supra PKR 499 (about $2) with nary work fees.

Image Credits:inDrive

In summation to its accelerated maturation arsenic a ride-hailing market, Pakistan has besides emerged arsenic a focal constituent for inDrive’s superior deployment. Of the company’s $100 cardinal multi-year concern program announced successful precocious 2023, Smit said the largest stock truthful acold has been directed toward Pakistan, though helium declined to disclose circumstantial figures. He added that astatine slightest fractional of the wide $100 cardinal committedness has already been deployed.

“We’re seeing unthinkable imaginable successful Pakistan,” said Smit. “Ideally, we privation to proceed and treble down connected [investments] arsenic we spot performance.”

InDrive’s increasing absorption connected Pakistan comes contempt broader capitalist caution toward the market. Venture superior and nationalist investors person mostly stayed connected the sidelines amid geopolitical and macroeconomic risks, adjacent arsenic enactment shows signs of recovery. Equity backing successful Pakistan roseate 63% YoY successful 2025 to $36.6 cardinal crossed 10 rounds, per a caller study by Karachi-based startup expert steadfast Data Darbar — well beneath the $347 million and $331 cardinal raised successful 2021 and 2022, respectively.

However, the spread betwixt capitalist caution and on-the-ground request is precisely wherever inDrive sees opportunity. Having operated crossed dozens of emerging markets, Smit said the institution is much accustomed to volatility and little reliant connected shifting capital-market sentiment, giving it assurance to put wherever others hesitate. With an established section concern and a ample progressive idiosyncratic base, helium noted that inDrive tin besides assistance partners standard without dense spending connected lawsuit acquisition — an vantage that becomes particularly invaluable erstwhile outer backing is scarce.

InDrive’s propulsion into advertizing and commerce is underpinned by scale. The institution operates successful 1,065 cities crossed 48 countries and has surpassed 360 cardinal app downloads, making it the world’s 2nd most-downloaded mobility app for the 3rd consecutive year, down Uber, per institution data.

Looking ahead, inDrive expects advertizing to go a much meaningful contributor implicit the mean term, peculiarly arsenic market and transportation volumes turn and make much opportunities for contextual promotions. Ride-hailing, which accounted for astir 95% of inDrive’s gross conscionable a fewer years ago, present makes up person to 85%, adjacent arsenic the halfway concern continues to grow, reflecting however newer verticals are opening to scale.

Groceries, delivery, advertizing and, eventually, fiscal services are expected to play a larger relation implicit the adjacent 3 to 5 years arsenic the institution expands selectively crossed precedence markets, Smit said.