In the world of ride-sharing, trust and convenience are key. For BlaBlaCar — the platform that connects more than 100 million users across 22 markets — a concrete challenge had emerged: many passengers reached the booking stage of their trip but abandoned the process before completing it.
The question was clear: how could those “abandoned carts” be transformed into completed bookings?
The challenge: closing the conversion funnel
BlaBlaCar identified a drop-off point in the user journey. People searched for a ride, started the booking, but didn’t finish it.
Therefore, the goal was to create a more cohesive experience. One that would support the user at this critical moment, generating more conversions without sacrificing efficiency.
The strategy: Canvas Flow as the engine of automation
The solution came with Canvas Flow by Braze, the orchestration tool that allows teams to design cross-channel experiences quickly, flexibly, and in a personalized way.
With Canvas Flow, the product and marketing team was able to:
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Automate complex journeys, combining email, push notifications, Content Cards, in-app messages, and webhooks.
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Personalize messages in real time, using events and custom properties to adapt content to each user’s behavior.
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Experiment and optimize with action paths and experiment paths to test, measure, and adjust each communication quickly.
- Connect with paid channels through Audience Sync, automatically sending segmented CRM audiences to Google and Facebook.
The results: more bookings, more clicks, more efficiency
The impact was striking:
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+30% in bookings: The group that received abandoned cart communications converted much more than the control group.
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+48% in click-through rate: Personalized messages with dynamic data (such as trip origin and destination cities) doubled the effectiveness compared to generic messages.
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Greater productivity: Thanks to action paths and audience evaluation, the team reduced time spent on manual testing, QA, and coordination with data/engineering.
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Optimized paid media spend: With synchronized audiences, they prioritized CRM-driven conversions and re-targeted more accurately those who had not completed their booking.
The BlaBlaCar case shows that personalization and automation not only increase revenue but also make the marketing team’s operations more efficient.
Key Takeaways
Customer engagement can be efficient and cost-effective
Complex campaigns don’t require large technical teams if you have the right infrastructure.
Custom events are a cross-functional asset
The concept of the abandoned cart can be applied in any industry: retail, travel, fintech. The value lies in identifying friction and acting quickly.
Personalization is no longer optional
Users now expect immediate relevance. Adding contextual data (such as the city searched for in this case) can be the difference between a lost click and a conversion.
Fast iteration is key
With flexible tools, testing stops being a bottleneck and becomes a natural part of the process. As a result, impact comes faster and learnings multiply.
Ready to turn data into real impact?
At Minders, we help product and growth teams activate strategies like BlaBlaCar’s. By integrating tools like Braze and Amplitude, we design relevant journeys that increase engagement, conversion, and loyalty. Let’s talk!
