Snapdeal and Uber Make Getting Around in India a Snap

February 15, 2017 / Global

Snapdeal, India’s largest online marketplace, is the nation’s one-stop shop for all its consumer needs — be it products or services. Started in 2010, the e-retailer already offers more than 30 million products from over 300,000 sellers to 60 million monthly customers. To stay ahead of the country’s booming e-commerce market, the company recently launched a range of services on its platform and integrated Uber into its app using the Uber Ride Request API. This partnership is the first completely native Uber API integration in India.

Snapdeal’s service offerings include booking movie or bus tickets, hotel reservations, and air travel. Paired with one-tap access to Uber, Snapdeal is now one of the most convenient ways to book travel in India. Customers can book flights and hotel rooms and request an Uber ride to the airport or their lodging directly through the Snapdeal app.

“We are committed to building the country’s most reliable and frictionless digital ecosystem that caters to the entire range of India’s consumption needs. Our unique partnership with Uber, a global leader in smart mobility, is an important step in that direction. We are confident that this integration will further provide an exemplary experience to our customers.”

— Balaji Hariharan, Head of Product Management & Growth, Snapdeal [Twitter:@balajihariharn, LinkedIn Profile]

Meeting their customers’ unique needs

According to storage provider Sandisk, more than 70% of smartphone users have phones with low memory, and thus are reticent or unable to add new apps. Snapdeal was especially eager to integrate Uber into its own app to better serve this segment of the population. The integration allows Snapdeal’s customers to easily request an Uber without having to waste time or data on installation.

With a simple tap on their Android or iOS phones, Snapdeal customers in all 27 Indian cities where Uber operates can request any of Uber’s ride options, including uberX, uberPOOL, and uberGo (low-cost hatchbacks). Snapdeal users who had been using traditional cabs and other ride services are discovering the simplicity and magic of the Uber experience for the first time. Many of these first-timers are now all-the-timers. Some customers who previously couldn’t access Uber due to their phone’s constraints are now hailing a ride twice a day. Given the country’s notoriously dense traffic, these commuters are excited to skip the stress and leave the driving to someone else.

The numbers highlighting the value of the integration for Snapdeal and its users are compelling:

50% of all Snapdeal-Uber users book another ride within 2 weeks
Snapdeal users who also book an Uber ride retain at a 45% higher rate than other Snapdeal users.
The Uber API integration generates 10,000+ new Snapdeal users per month who take multiple Uber rides and start buying regularly on Snapdeal too.

Happy customers are speaking up

Customers love that requesting an Uber ride is now a snap on the Snapdeal app, and they’re not keeping quiet about it.

Moving forward together

Snapdeal and Uber are both committed to providing people with a hassle-free, end-to-end experience, and the partners look forward to making things even easier for riders in India. Most recently, Snapdeal launched its uberPOOL integration in October 2016, its UberMOTO, Uber’s motorbike service, in December 2016, and it’s iOS app integration in January 2017. Along with its other travel services, Snapdeal is excited to offer a seamless transportation experience to millions of users throughout the country. That the integration was super easy to build with Uber’s API’s was an added bonus.

“The integration with the Uber API was straightforward and easy. We invested three engineers, who built it in about a month. The API allowed us to offer a native experience similar to what our customers usually see on Snapdeal. We are very excited by the first phase of our Uber integration, and we’re already investing in our next phase.”

— Anirudh Krishna, Product Manager, Uber-Snapdeal Integration

Get started

Since opening up our API to developers globally, app developers around the world have been coming up with new and exciting ways to help people easily move through cities. What fresh ideas do you have? To create your own unique experience with the Uber API, check out our ride request guides and get started on your own integration today.