Unlocking the potential of super apps: A comprehensive guide for executives

Super-apps have taken the Asian tech market by storm. AliPay, WeChat, and Gojek are a few of the frontrunners in this space. 

Forward-looking companies can capture this relatively new tech phenomenon to extend their customer base, enhance customer experience and loyalty, and build all new revenue streams. To replicate the success of super apps in your arena, it’s imperative for you first to understand the formula for super app development.

What is a super app?

Think of it as a superhero in the jungle of mobile/web applications. 

Much like a superhero, a super app possesses extraordinary qualities - Whether it’s the need to book a ride, make an online payment, shop for groceries, purchase an insurance policy, or tell the world what you are up to on social media, a super app is the place to do it all. 

A super app or super application combines the functionalities of multiple specialized apps (financial management, fitness tracking, shopping, etc.) into one powerful platform. 

Users can seamlessly access and utilize these mini-apps without leaving the super-app environment. Unlike independent app suites, mini-apps are designed to complement the super app's core features and create a unified user experience. This often includes a central payments system that facilitates transactions across various mini-apps within the super app, allowing users to pay for goods and services and track their expenses efficiently.

Examples of successful super-apps

Gojek: Gojek is crucial for Indonesian consumers. It’s a super app - people everywhere in Indonesia use it for online payments, hailing a cab, commerce, dining, hyper-local delivery, and whatnot. 

The app has been downloaded more than 125 million times - and this says a lot about how deeply it has integrated into the lives of ordinary folks living in Indonesia. 

Grab: Grab started as a ride-hailing app/service back in 2012. Today, it has evolved into an all-in-one platform for deliveries, mobility, and financial services. Whether a customer wants to book a ride, pay for insurance, or want to invest or shop online, he can do it all without leaving the Grab app. 

Grab’s mission is to contribute to Southeast Asia’s progress by creating sustainable economic development for everyone. 

Paytm: A super app called Paytm from India changed the face of the digital payment system in the country. Its mobile wallet was originally what Paytm was known for, but today, other services are offered, like online ticket booking, bill payments, mobile recharges, and online shopping. 

Paytm is now a versatile platform that offers various financial and lifestyle services, thus enabling millions of people to transact using one user-friendly application alone. 

WeChat: WeChat is not just a Chinese super app - it’s a global phenomenon. Developed by Tencent, a Chinese tech giant, WeChat is a one-stop solution for everything you’d need to carry out your daily life in China - messaging, social media, commerce, or payments; everything has been strategically bundled together in WeChat. 

Oh, and we forgot this: This super application has over 1 billion monthly active users. 

Why focus on super apps 

Superapps can help your business on many levels. 

• Improved User Experience (UX): An average phone user has over 40 apps on his phone. However, most of these apps are not used after the first few interactions. Moreover, the user has to constantly switch between these apps to get things done.
   
  Super apps change the entire user paradigm by consolidating all the apps into one central location. The consolidation, in a very powerful way, streamlines the entire digital life of the user. Now that the user does not have to use multiple apps, his experience improves, and so does his loyalty towards the brand.  
• Increased user engagement: Super apps are meant to inspire users to stay involved longer by offering them multiple services within one app. 
  
  Users remain in the app ecosystem more often, where they find other features and spend more time with the company. More engagement also suggests opportunities for businesses to extract valuable user data for decision-making.
• Cross-selling and upselling opportunities: Superapps collect troves of customer data. Companies can generate new insights from this data and make their products and services more relevant to the customer. 
  
  With a deep understanding of customers and when they are more likely to buy something, super apps can make a fortune by running cross-selling and upselling campaigns. All of these exercises further help improve customer retention and customer lifetime value. 
• Competitive edge and market presence: Think about it. How many of your competitors offer something like super apps? Chances are there are few. If you succeed in building something like a super app, you are more likely to set yourself apart from the competition and attract a more extensive customer base at the same time. 

If you have stuck with us so far, you have some level of interest in super app development. Let’s see how you should ideally approach the super app landscape. 

Approaching the super app landscape

A clear strategy is the foundation of a super app development project. To ensure a seamless and rewarding experience, approach the super app development landscape with the following steps:

Determine your core offerings: Do not worry if you do not have much to offer. In fact, many super apps started with just one or two functionalities. Just identify a few core services that are likely to resonate with what your potential customers can not live without. 

Adopt a modular development approach: Slowly build on your ecosystem with new mini apps and services built either in-house or by third-party service providers. An ever-evolving ecosystem will help your business deliver more compelling user experiences and help improve customer lifetime value (CLV). 

Build a robust payment system: This is often the soul of a super app - the ability to help users pay for services they demand and consume, such as commerce and commuting. 

Act on customer data: Super apps tend to collect massive amounts of customer data. Use all that data to deepen your customer needs and further refine and personalize your services. 

How Kellton can assist

Kellton helps businesses across fintech, retail, insurance, manufacturing (and more) innovate and build new digital products and services. 

To build future-proof solutions - whether a super app or a migration - we leverage our global talent pool and a robust ecosystem of partners and technologies. We are already in the process of developing super apps for a few of our clients. 

Whether you want to explore the possibility of developing a super app with us or need an extended IT partner, we can help. Please speak with our experts here for more information on our web and mobile app development services.

Recommended Reading: Mobile App Development: An essential guide for business executives