Astro, a leading quick commerce platform in Indonesia, promises ultra-fast delivery of daily essentials—often within minutes. As the company scaled, Astro needed to ensure reliable communication between drivers and customers and robust privacy protections.Â
That's when Astro turned to Stream.
"Previously, we didn't have a chat interface inside our app," said Wildan Anky, Senior Product Manager at Astro. "Communication happened on WhatsApp, and we couldn't monitor the content or protect our customers' privacy."
Astro needed a solution that could be:
- Integrated easily into their mobile apps
- Scalable for a fast-growing user base
- Secure with robust moderation tools
- Flexible with support for future use cases like in-app voice calling
"We looked at several solutions, but ultimately chose Stream because of the pricing, SDKs, documentation completeness across platforms, and ease of integration," Wildan shared.
By integrating Stream's chat SDKs for iOS and Android, Astro brought driver-customer messaging directly into its mobile platform—gaining better visibility, moderation tools, and most importantly, trust.
A Risk to Customer Privacy
Before integrating Stream, communication between Astro's delivery drivers and customers happened on external platforms like WhatsApp. This created several issues:
- Lack of visibility: Astro couldn't monitor the conversations.
- Privacy concerns: Drivers had direct access to customers' personal phone numbers.
- Post-delivery contact: Astro needed to ensure that customer interactions stayed within the bounds of the transaction and respected their privacy.
"We care deeply about our customer's privacy," Wildan explained. "With the old system, drivers could contact customers directly on their WhatsApp. We had limited oversight into conversations conducted through the third-party app, which raised concerns about data protection and customer experience."
Stream's in-app messaging made it easy for Astro to restrict communication to the platform—protecting user data while keeping delivery interactions fast and efficient.
Why Astro Chose Stream
When evaluating solutions, Astro considered a few options, but Stream stood out for several key reasons:
- Robust documentation and SDK coverage
- Ease of integration across iOS and Android
- Transparent chat pricing
- Room to grow into voice callingÂ
- Advanced content moderation features
"We ultimately chose Stream because of the pricing, SDKs, documentation completeness, and ease of integration," said Wildan.
Chat moderation was non-negotiable for Astro. Stream's out-of-the-box tools, like blocklists, gave the team the confidence they needed to launch safely.
"We wanted to make sure that if anything inappropriate happened in the chat, we could catch it and act. Stream's moderation tools help us prevent miscommunications and flag bad behavior," said Wildan.
Fast Integration with a Phased Rollout
Astro's engineering team was able to move quickly, thanks to Stream's developer-friendly tools and clear documentation.
"The integration took about a month," Wildan shared. "Our engineers reviewed your site and the API documentation, and it was all very easy to follow. There were no roadblocks."
Rather than flipping the switch all at once, Astro opted for a phased rollout to minimize risk and monitor performance across different user cohorts. After validating functionality in QA, they rolled out the new messaging feature to 10% of users, then scaled to 50%, and finally to 100% of the platform.
This staged approach allowed the team to fine-tune the user experience and ensure stability at each level of scale—critical for a real-time logistics platform where reliability is non-negotiable.
"We wanted to be sure the chat experience felt fast and reliable, even during peak delivery hours," said Wildan. "The phased rollout gave us the confidence that it would hold up under pressure."
Messaging that Moves the Needle
Since rolling out in-app messaging powered by Stream, Astro has seen a measurable shift in both user behavior and customer sentiment, including:Â
- A 40% decrease in customer complaints
- 60% fewer issues with post-delivery contactÂ
- Stronger customer trust around privacy
In a space like quick commerce—where most interactions happen between people who've never met—creating that layer of digital trust is critical. By embedding secure, fast messaging directly into their app, Astro gave users a better alternative to SMS or WhatsApp: one that's contextual, seamless, and fully owned by the platform.
This wasn't just a backend upgrade—it was a front-line experience change that directly impacted how people interact with the Astro platform.
"Our customers really appreciate that their personal information isn't shared anymore," Wildan said. "They feel more protected and confident using our platform."
The takeaway? Messaging isn't just a feature. For Astro, it's become a core part of the brand experience—delivering real operational wins and deeper customer loyalty.
Astro's Next Phase of In-App Communication
Astro's next step is integrating in-app voice chat. Text-based chat is already transforming courier-customer interactions, so the team aims to bring low-latency, in-app voice calling to their platform using Stream's SDK in Q2 of 2025.
"We're currently using landlines for calls. But we plan to integrate Stream's voice calling features this quarter," Wildan shared. "It's part of our continued focus on creating a seamless, private, fast customer experience."
For a quick commerce on-demand platform like Astro, the benefits are twofold: it protects users' privacy and enables instant, contextual communication between parties—whether to clarify an address, handle a delivery hiccup, or confirm a special request.
With Stream, they can offer real-time, secure audio calls directly within the app—no dial-outs, no personal phone numbers, and no delays. The voice API provides all the essentials:
- WebRTC-powered infrastructure for crisp, reliable audio
- Low latency calls powered by a global edge network
- Audio track redundancy that sends the track twice to reduce the odds of it being lost
"This isn't just a nice-to-have," Wildan noted. "Voice will make the interaction more human. That's important when you're delivering something personal or time-sensitive. And with Stream, we can own that experience end-to-end."
Finding a True Development Partner in Stream
From the first contact with Stream's Enterprise APAC Account Executive, Sachin Sharma, to ongoing support via Slack, Astro has found Stream a true partner.
"The support team is fast and helpful. We've raised issues on Slack and always get timely solutions," said Wildan. "And Sachin was incredibly helpful in proposing solutions that matched our needs."
Migrating Astro's customer communication from third-party apps to in-app with Stream's Chat API helped the company:
- 30% increase in user engagement
- Protect sensitive customer data
- 50% increase in delivery efficiency
- Build a foundation for faster communication with voice calls
"The integration with Stream has been smooth, and it aligns perfectly with our product strategy of protecting customer privacy and delivering groceries with velocity," said Wildan. "The team has been great to work with—from technical documentation to customer service. It's been a good experience overall."
As Astro continues to expand, its partnership with Stream ensures they're building a communication experience that's fast, secure, and trusted by customers.