Right from physics to James Bond gadgets, the world has always been
focusing on the concept of convergence. There has always been a continuous
endeavor to bring together multiple utilities into a single entity. A mobile
phone is a good example of that direction of progress. Today, the camera, the
video player, the video recorder, the voice recorder, the music player, the
word processor, the communicator, the assistant, and of course, the telephone
have effectively been replaced by a single handheld device.
If we extend the same notion to the world of mobile applications, super
apps would be an appropriate representation of this progress. As the name
implies, the super app is the Swiss Army knife of mobile applications. They
offer multiple utilities within a single app.
Super apps provide multiple on-demand services like ride-hailing, food
delivery, service professionals booking, grocery delivery, etc.
Why go for Super apps?
Developing
Super applications present quite a lot of advantages for both
the user and the business owner.
The most obvious advantage for the user is that they will not need to
download multiple apps that provide multiple utilities. With a single app, they
can be assured that they get all that they need. The advantage does not stop
here. It also would mean that they will not have to provide their payment
information to multiple apps which might be a bit of a compromise on security.
They will also not need to remember their login information or entrust their
legacy credentials to multiple third-party apps.
Needless to say, a super app also saves a considerable amount of disk
space. It makes it easy for the user to maintain a record/history of all the
transactions across multiple streams of services. Incorporating artificial
intelligence into the app can even give smart suggestions on activities like a
grocery order and food delivery.
It is a completely different ballgame for businesses altogether. It
cannot be denied that almost every business struggles with onboarding/acquiring
the first set of users. However, with a super app, you start with a set of
already existing users. This saves a huge chunk when it comes to marketing and
promotion costs. We cannot limit our perspective to just acquiring users. We
also need to take into consideration that a brand has already been built for
the service.
It also diversifies the prospects of revenue. It was felt during the
COVID-19 crisis. When the world had to go through a lockdown, transportation
services were not used by anyone. This meant that services like Uber and Ola
had to suffer irreplaceable losses. However, super apps have rightly balanced
the situation by offering grocery and food delivery services at the same time
when transportation was at an all-time low. It coincided with the change of
consumption patterns of grocery and food. People were no longer intent on going
to supermarkets and restaurants, and this translated into higher revenue for
these stupid apps through these specific segments of services.
The services provided
When we say “super apps,” it encompasses a wide range of services and
is theoretically unlimited. However, for an app to transition to that space, a
few services are typically provided. It is to be noted that even some of the
most popular super apps might not provide the services listed here.
Transportation: Most super apps provide transportation either by car or by bike
taxis. Some of them even provide specialized transportation services like
corporate carpooling, shuttling, and self-driven vehicles for rent.
Delivery: Delivery is an essential offshoot of transportation. Instead of
transporting people, you transport some goods/packets from one place to
another. They could either be food from restaurants or grocery items or
medicines or even packages from one location to another within a specific
geographic limit.
Services at home: The services at home include beauty/cosmetic services, massage
services, handyman services, pet care services, and even fuel delivery at home.
The GPS is the epicenter of the on-demand revolution and while every other
segment of service can make use of this innovation, it is only right and
expected that even these services can be offered within the same super app.
Events and ticketing: While this might be a bit odd, it helps in channelizing the payment
options provided in the super app and it also massively helps in profiling
users based on events of interest.
Financial services: the services can include micro-financing and instant loans. With the
rich data that super apps have, and with the possibility of recovering loans
and even disabling/blacklisting users for certain services, it becomes easy and
convenient for super apps to provide small financial services for both
individuals and small businesses.
How to build a super app?
Launching an app requires much time and effort both in terms of
strategizing and development. In order to come up with the app idea, features
set and business model, now you would have wanted to try out the concept of
super applications. For developing the app, you can either go with the
development from scratch or try a ready-made app solution. Considering the time
and money spent, developing the app from scratch requires a huge amount of your
time and a lot of money. However, with ready-made app solutions, you can
instantly launch the app for an affordable price. Here’s the workflow of steps
you need to go through in order to launch the app successfully,
●
Try and come out with an app idea
●
Figure out the existing
competitors for the idea
●
Take a complete list of features
you want to integrate into your app
●
Go for the mockup designs for the
app
●
Checkin with your designer and do
the basic graphic design for the app
●
Take up an initial marketing plan
for the app
●
Develop the app from any of the
above two options
●
Complete the app and submit it to
the Play Store and AppStore
●
Create unique ideas to market the
app online and offline
●
Get feedback from the users and do
improvements to the app
Conclusion
Considering the growing acceptance of super apps in all corners of the
world now would be a perfect time for an entrepreneur to launch an on-demand
super app. However, it might be cumbersome to build the app from scratch.
Alternatively, you can go for a GoJek clone script. A white-label GoJek clone is easy to
customize and can be altered to bear the features of your choice. All that is
left for you to do is get in touch with the company that specializes in white
label super apps. They will understand your requirement and present you with a
perfect app, so you can launch your business in the shortest possible time.
Author Bio
Jennifer Atkinson is a growth hacker and business advisor who helps new
entrants in the business world to adapt to the changing circumstances in the
business world. She also helps the firms to best adapt to the current digital
transformation and help them setup their digital version of the company.