InDrive’s $100M Pakistan Play: How Ride-Hailing’s ‘Super App’ Dreams Collide with Grocery Wars

InDrive’s $100M bet on Pakistan’s 'super app' gamble: Can groceries and ads outpace Uber’s shadow?

InDrive is expanding advertising and grocery delivery in Pakistan, part of a 'super app' strategy to diversify revenue beyond ride-hailing.

The company has invested heavily in the region, allocating $100M over multi-year plans despite investor caution.

Grocery delivery targets 20-30 minute delivery times with over 7,500 products, leveraging inDrive’s existing user base. A free delivery threshold of PKR 499 is currently operational.

Advertising will focus on in-app placements during ride wait times and travel, with tests generating hundreds of millions of impressions.

Andries Smit, inDrive’s chief growth officer, emphasized operational focus on digital ad formats due to challenges in on-vehicle advertising:

"When you look at customer engagement, it is not necessarily focused on marketing teams..."

For small business owners in Pakistan, inDrive’s grocery delivery service competes with local alternatives by combining ride-hailing integration with a curated product catalog.

While delivery speed matches local players, the free delivery threshold and ad revenue potential create a unique value proposition.