James Phang

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What is a Super App?

The younger generation born in the age of smartphones demands a mobile-first experience that is powerful and easy to use. Super apps contain a suite of mini-apps that users can use and remove when needed, similar to a Swiss army knife, similar to apps like WeChat.

What Do Super Apps Offer?

Super apps is an application that provides common services such as messaging and payment. Super app users can create a personalised user experience by selecting and installing chosen components (mini-apps). There is no separate app store or marketplace for the miniapps but they can be activated by the super app user which can be removed anytime. Super apps can be expanded to support chatbots, the Internet of Things and immersive experiences.

How Do Super Apps Work?

Internet development teams and external partners can build and deploy modular miniapps to the super app which the user can download and increase the value of the super app by providing a broad range of services. The app can track app usage and user preferences for teams to know how users use the miniapps. The superapp can be encrypted by using simple user authentication such as single sign-on.

What Are Super Apps Used For?

Super apps are created to consolidate separate apps' services, features and functions into one app. Consolidation of app functions will allow developers to provide a more engaging cohesive experience between mini apps. The most important aspect of super apps is to improve user experience by enabling users to activate their miniapps and services.

Problems with Super Apps

Integrating several different services such as banking and saving will originally come from financial institutions which means removing those institutions one step away from their customers.

Building an app that can provide many services for users will allow businesses to capture a wide range of data on users. Capturing a high amount of data on a user from a superapp will mean one company will capture and handle a lot of data of one user, which can be risky if a data breach occurs.  

Super apps can pose a risk to brand competitiveness as super apps will hold power and control of what service providers to use and will limit the number of choices on offer for super app users. Businesses could use a payment tier system which will mean users might have to pay high fees to access certain services or open up more choices for the user to choose from.

Summary                                             

Super Apps such as WeChat have been dominating their region and displaying the benefits of offering many services in one app enabling users to access services more efficiently. Super Apps can provide an improved user experience as users can install mini-apps/services they use and remove them when no longer needed. Super apps do pose a problem regarding data privacy as they have the potential to capture huge amounts of data from users when using the services of the super app. Implementing a payment tier system will restrict the freedom of users to have access to all services when needed. If businesses take the route of building and implementing super apps, they will need to build with the user in mind and ensure that everyone can access all services when needed and through a payment tier system. Super apps may be prevalent in developing regions such as East Asia and South America, and developed regions such as Europe and the U.S may see the emergence of super apps. The likes of Meta are pursuing the superapp area with their Facebook, Instagram and Whatsapp apps combining together so their users only need one app.

List of Super Apps

  • Alipay - China

  • We Chat - China

  • Omni - Central America

  • Revolut - Russia

  • PhonePe - India

  • Rappi - México, Ecuador, Colombia, Costa Rica, Argentina, Perú, Chile, and Uruguay y Brasil

  • Grab - Singapore

  • Tata Neu - India

  • Clap Messenger - India

Video: What is a Super App by CNBC