About the company
Link City was launched in Mexico in September 2023. Since the start of 2024, they’ve achieved a 7x increase in the number of monthly orders. Their rating on App Stores is 4.9 and their ride frequency per customer is an impressive 6 rides per month. In less than a year, the app became a popular alternative to both Uber and inDrive targeting both locals and tourists
How did Link City grow so quickly?
Focusing on driver management during launch
Link City focused on having enough drivers to launch successfully and never leave customers waiting. To ensure that, they found influential drivers within driver groups and offered them formal contracts. Drivers were given around 1.5% of the commissions earned from trips. This approach encouraged the initial cohort and other drivers in driver groups to start working for Link City.
Building a team of professionals
Link City founder secured investment funds from local entrepreneurs and found individuals with experience in key areas of ride-hailing. By the time of launch, their team included taxi drivers, website developers, image editors, leaders of driver groups from other applications, and marketing consultants.
Launching in a small and vibrant city
Link City first launched in Morelia. The company’s strategy was to target small cities with populations between 200,000 and 1,000,000, where they could influence drivers more quickly. The small size of the city allowed them to communicate directly with drivers and negotiate agreements, choosing the most fitting rates and service types. Additionally, the required budget for small cities is lower than it is for larger cities.
Having started in Morelia, the company has already expanded to nearby cities Lázaro Cárdenas and Uruapan.
Morelia, Lázaro Cárdenas, and Uruapan are all vibrant cities: Morelia is a tourist destination, Lázaro Cárdenas has its seaport, and Uruapan is a major agricultural production region.
Soon, the service launches in two nearby small towns within the same state, each with over 200,000 inhabitants. Their long-term plan is to launch in Costa Rica.
Beating Uber and inDrive
Morelia’s ride-hailing market is competitive, with Uber and InDrive both operating there. Link City managed to carve out its market share by focusing on drivers and offering them better conditions: higher fares and lower commissions so drivers can earn better per trip.
The app also became popular among tourists due to two reasons:
- Limited driver availability on Uber and InDrive pushes tourists to look for alternatives.
- Link City negotiated with drivers to place their logos on drivers’ cars and distribute printed materials in vehicles.
Link City also has impressive customer frequency statistics, with an average customer making 6 trips per month. The company ensures that customers have good conditions: air conditioning, speedy arrival, customer service, cleanliness, and user-friendly, safe, and glitch-free apps provided by Onde.
In-house marketing + Onde marketing services
Link City uses push notifications and promo codes to encourage both customers and drivers to make more rides.
Driver push notifications are sent with messages such as "Earn more right now" and "Orders available now" when the driver availability is low.
Customer push notifications promote referral discounts, new features, payment types, and specific services such as "exceptional".
Link City also uses push notifications to send referral and discount codes: 10% of their monthly orders are made using promo codes.
With Onde’s assistance in App Store Optimization, Link City improved its visibility in App Stores, making sure users alongside Uber and inDrive easily discover their apps.
Key points of success:
- A comprehensive launch plan with a focus on drivers;
- Professional team of specialists instead of a single-person approach;
- Clear market positioning and differentiation: focused on demanding users and tourists, allowing for higher rates with fast arrivals and quality vehicles;
- Launched in smaller but vibrant cities;
- Active promotion: online and offline, push notifications, referral codes, and App Store Optimization (ASO).
