The biggest ride-hailing service Uber isn’t leaving any stones unturned to attract more commuters to use its services. It’s now making an appearance on India’s one of the largest e-commerce platforms — Snapdeal. With this first-of-its-kind frictionless app integration, Snapdeal is now also part of the on-demand smart mobility solution.
Through this seamless API integration, Uber wants to make travel even quicker and easier for millions of Snapdeal customers. The service is currently available on Android, and will allow you to request an Uber directly through the Snapdeal app. You no longer need to download an additional ride-hailing app for booking a cab and travelling around the city.
Commenting on the partnership, Tony Navin, Senior VP, Partnerships and Strategic Initiatives, Snapdeal said that,
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.
Booking a ride through the Snapdeal is as easy as picking up the phone and dialing a number(just an example), except just one small problem that we will discuss towards the end. Once you’ve downloaded the (updated) Snapdeal application, swipe from the left to open the hamburger menu and you’ll notice the ‘Book an Uber’ option under the Services section. Just tap the Uber option and you’ll be taken to an interface similar to the official app, which proves the point of the seamless integration of the Uber API into the service.
Then provide your current location and destination and select the ride you want to take – Uber Go or Uber X. And after this step is where the problem arises. Once you’ll try to confirm your booking, the app will take you to a new screen where it will ask you to login into your Uber account. This is a small hiccup which shouldn’t be there in this process for two reasons — one, you’ve already logged in once into your Snapdeal account and second, the payment mode is Cash only. While driving traffic to the e-commerce platform, Uber is kind-of using Snapdeal to on-board more people on its platform.
Mahesh Bhalla, Head of Business, Uber India, also expresses his views on this partnership and says that,
By opening our API to developers globally, we’ve seen the creative ideas that app developers have come up with in order to make it easier for people to move around in cities.
This partnership with Snapdeal is the first completely native Uber API integration in India and we are excited about this, as we share the same sentiment of building an ecosystem where we work together with other technology companies in order to give customers a hassle-free, end-to- end experience.
To go one step beyond the traditional definition of an e-commerce platform, Snapdeal has recently been partnering with multiple companies and brands to launch of services. It has recently partnered with UrbanClap to offer 80+ personal and home services through its mobile app. Previously, it has also tied-up with Zomato, Cleartrip, and Redbus for integrating their services and offering meal, flight, And bus booking services through its platform.
