The Asian on-demand app market is buzzing, and there’s one significant reason for it – Super apps. Take a look at the Chinese or the Indonesian app marketplace, and you’ll find one app encompassing numerous services in it. These umbrella apps have the potential to replace 50 or more apps on a smartphone. If you’re a person from the West, you probably have heard about these all-in-one Super apps but never got a chance to use one. The Super app wave is transcending boundaries at a tremendous rate. It is nearly time for the US and European markets to gear up for a change.
With the market poised to accommodate Super apps, who are the ones creating the change? Is it the existing giants or emerging entrepreneurs? If you’re the one who has the burning desire to revolutionize the on-demand business market of the West, here’s a blog that provides you quality insights to develop a Super app like Gojek in the West.
An All-inclusive Wonder
Before stepping into development, have a clear visualization of what Super apps are. Let’s take some classic examples of Super apps like Tencent’s WeChat, Gojek, Grab, etc. They all rose to prominence as a single service app like social messaging, ride-hailing, etc. The emergence of digital payment systems paved the way for these apps to integrate an in-app wallet. As customers were more convenient with using the e-wallet, these apps began to introduce numerous third-party services, transforming into a multi-service app.
Accommodating numerous services in a single platform can backfire as customers cannot instantly find the services they desire. Having an app design that is captivating yet simple is vital to enhance convenience and user experience.
Factors that instigates Super apps’ success
Here are specific factors that skyrocketed the growth and success of Super apps. They worked the best in the Asian market; they can do wonders in the West as well.
- The mobile-first users: It was only a decade back smartphones and the Internet have become an integral part of people’s lives. Most millennials and a considerable number of adults aren’t familiar with the desktops or PCs. A portable device was the first gadget they laid hands on. This smartphone culture made people connect easily with applications. What’s more convenient when they can have one app to access numerous services?
- The population factor: The Asia-pacific region is considered one of the fastest-growing areas for on-demand apps. With countries like China and India, each having more than 1.3 billion people, the market is vastly expanding with each passing day. Besides, the easier availability of smartphones, coupled with reliable Internet service providers, contribute to the success of Super apps.
- The emergence of digital payments: The question is as simple as it can be – how do customers pay? And what do customers pay for? You can have it the other way round as well. Either way, the emergence of e-wallets sparked the rise of Super apps to a significant extent. WeChat Pay and AliPay have become synonymous with credit/debit cards in Asian countries.
The Super app force awaits the West
When looking at development-wise, Western countries like the US and a predominant part of Europe are familiar with on-demand apps and smartphones.
Are people in the West missing out on the Super app experience? Let’s shed some thoughts on this discussion,
- Aggregation is becoming common: With Facebook and Uber actively working on aggregating services, we cannot deny the rise of culminating services under one roof. Facebook’s CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, has himself stated his ambition to launch a Super app. All it takes is building effective partnerships with third-party service providers. For tech giants, this part of partnering can be a piece of cake. However, that doesn’t mean budding startups face difficulty. Reach out to the right service providers with the right vision and experience the magic.
- User-centric approach: On-demand apps are themselves proving to be a challenge to customers in the current scenario. The situation worsens when users have to remember a dozen usernames and passwords, leading to a drip in user engagement rates. App interaction can lead to sustainability. You cannot expect a single service-specific app to top the charts if the user accesses the app once in a blue moon. With the intense competition among giants and emerging startups, Super apps can be a possible way to gain an irreplaceable position among customers.
Things to focus before exploring
Being a relatively new chapter in the on-demand app market, you need to take care of certain aspects before rolling out your Super app.
- The privacy-convenience conundrum: Super apps have a distinctive advantage of single-step registration for numerous services. While this propels convenience, privacy to user details can become a matter of concern. Storing and encrypting a large number of user data comes with an added responsibility of respecting user privacy. Discuss and focus a dedicated time to work on the app’s back-end.
- Complying with regulations: The US and the European Union’s stringent rules and regulations raise entrepreneurs’ stake in building the Super app. Aggregating personal data, partnerships with giants of the sector, etc., are some of the many regulatory frameworks that need the utmost care and attention.
Super apps come with numerous services and PERKS!
Entrepreneurs are keen on two aspects – coming up with crazy ideas and transforming them into profitable business ventures. Super apps come with lucrative benefits. Here are a few,
- Humongous customer base: You get to retain customers even if they’re looking for individual services. Imagine a typical day of a commoner – books a cab, orders food, establishes a social connection, pays bills, shop groceries, and returns in a taxi. A single app can act as a repository for all these services. Similarly, some customers access the app specifically to pay bills or order food—a massive customer base with just a single Super app.
- Your ARPU goes through the ceiling: Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) is a term used to denote an app’s economic value. Super apps are better poised to have a higher ARPU, considering that customers can access numerous services. Just so you know, WeChat’s ARPU stands at $7 per user, seven times greater than WhatsApp’s ARPU of $1.
- Access to tons of data in an AI-driven world: With customers preferring personalization, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) are becoming inevitable. Having access to tons of user data can open the floodgates for personalization and identifying customer trends in real-time. Your app gets to evolve with customer trends, boosting sustainability.
Looking ahead into the future of Super apps
The future holds so much on the cards for the rise of multi-service apps. The need to penetrate hugely populated regions and the ability to compete with the giants of the individual sectors are fueling the need to develop Super apps.
- Focus on introducing hyper-local services: One significant advantage of multi-service apps is that you get to streamline your activities within a specified region, yet generate huge profits. Having an app that satisfies a local user’s entire service activity can help you establish a firm position.
- Introduce services based on your customer needs: Staying ahead of your rivals is equivalent to reaching one step closer to your target audience. Conduct market research, customer surveys, etc., and analyze what your customer expects from the on-demand app market. Providing a complete package with the multi-service app that satisfies customer expectations can simultaneously boost your visibility, performance, and revenue.
Gain the right technical assistance
Building a robust Super app like Gojek isn’t any easy feat. An app should withstand massive user traffic and align in tandem with the industry-specific back-end protocols. You’ll need a dedicated team of technical experts by your side to develop the app.
At Brillmindz, our team has strived hard to create an impeccable Gojek clone app, capable of encompassing over 60 services in it seamlessly. The app’s latest tech-stack & feature-rich front-end, matched with the unparalleled back-end, makes our iteration of the Super app the most sought-after among entrepreneurs.
Conclusion
With the craze for Super apps surging massively with each passing day, western entrepreneurs are wary of introducing a multi-service app in the US and Europe. With even tech-giants like Uber, Facebook, and many more eyeing into the Super app market’s scope, you needn’t wait any longer. We hope this blog provided you an all-round experience regarding multi-service apps and the idea of introducing them in the US and Europe.
Reach out to us, and we’ll help you build a Super app empire, capable of shaping the future of on-demand businesses in the West.
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