The jury is still out on whether a Super App could succeed in the US like in other countries. The idea of it certainly makes sense – puts everything people need to do in one place. In China, WeChat has successfully created a market where 1.2 billion users can do almost anything from the app: message each other, send and receive money, take out a loan, play games, and even date (and divorce) people!
Facebook, Google and Amazon seem like the most likely companies that will succeed in building a Super App – and perhaps you could think of them as a mini version that has all of their various ownership and management features. Facebook now offers e-commerce, neighborhood markets, event listings, messaging, and more. Last summer, Instagram head Adam Mosseri said they are no longer a photo sharing app. It’s all about live updates, shopping, messaging and video.
Given the benefits, it’s no surprise that the idea of a Super App took off quickly. The more users can do within one app, the more likely they are to reward that app with home screen status — the 20 to 30 spots that enjoy prime real estate on a phone.
Everything super always has a snag
But there is one fundamental change they should make: avoid advertising in favor of deep integrations. The reason for this is that the more services you have on your app, the less those services would want competing apps to be promoted on the same platform.
For example, WeChat works in China because it gets some of the profits from its integrations. Didi, a ride-sharing service similar to Uber, pays WeChat a “tax” to be part of its Super App. In return, WeChat uses Didi only for users who need taxis. The end result has helped Didi become the dominant ride-sharing app in China.
Now let’s assume, for example, that Facebook agreed to something similar and integrated Uber into WhatsApp or Instagram as part of a Super App. If you’re Uber, you want them to promise not to promote Lyft or other competing apps on their properties. And if you’re a company like Facebook, which is dominant because of their advertising platform, it would be a tough road to limit that business model.
So while the Super App in the US may have some hurdles, there’s still a way we can have everything we need in the palm of our hand – literally!
What a shopping center and smartphone have in common
Do you remember the mall? If it’s been a while, let me refresh your memory.
Originally in shopping centers there were a number of shops under one roof. Then they started to evolve. Shopping centers grew with arcades, food courts, movie theaters, banks and more. These sprawling marketplaces have one goal in mind: once people have gone through the revolving doors, spend more time and money.
The formula works. When you are in a mall, a haze comes over you. You may have gone in to pick up something, but before you know it, you’ll be grabbing something to eat, playing a game, or even watching a movie! It’s so convenient that you don’t realize how much time (and dollars) you’re spending.
That same magic exists on your smartphone. Once we enter our smartphone, it becomes the ultimate time waster. It has different stores (or apps) for different purposes. There are retail apps that behave like stores. Games that are arcade. Delivery apps that are like food courts, streaming apps that are theaters. And of course our banking apps when we have to pay for something.
But why do users even have to click on an app? Since the apps are already like individual stores in our portable malls, there is no reason for any of them to become a Super App when we can just have a Super Phone.
The kind of super phone already exists
Amid all the hype surrounding Super Apps, you may have missed that the Super Phone might already be built. For iPhone users, keep in mind all the things you already do on your phone:
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Pay for anything you want with Apple Pay
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Read the latest headlines with Apple News
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Listen to music on Apple Music
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Watch TV and movies with Apple TV
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Search the web with Safari
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Play games with Apple Arcade
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Get where you want to go with Apple Maps
And if you think you need to click on an app to do any of these things, think again. Siri will suggest what you want to do based on your location. News will give you the content you like in several places (just swipe right!). Ask Siri a question and Safari will display a web search. You can pay directly from Apple Wallet without opening the app, or ask Siri to play your favorite song without ever clicking Apple Music.
And Android users also have similar integrations, allowing the device to integrate with Spotify, Google Sheets, Amazon Alexa, and even location services. Users can have their Spotify play as soon as they connect to a bluetooth device. They can download all their Google Pay purchases in Google Sheets. They can ask their Amazon Alexa to play music directly on their phone. And if someone calls, you can see where they are on Google Maps. Samsung even created a separate network of Samsung apps that would also integrate with each other.
There is a reason that Apple and Android have created all these deep integrations. So you spend as much time and dollars in their properties before you even have a chance to find that app (or Super App) on your home screen.
All carriers and OEMs have the ability to build the same network of information, entertainment and services as these phones, completely eliminating the need to run multiple apps — not even a Super App. While Apple may have some terms that would make it harder for carriers to build a Super Phone (we found that the iOS version of WeChat has been scaled down in China), there certainly seems to be a clear path to a Super Phone. on android.
Are consumers ready for a super phone?
Absolute. First, Apple (and Google) have already taken steps in that direction. And think about this: carriers and OEMs already deliver a product that people find essential.
People are opening their phones more often than ever without knowing what they want. On average, US consumers open their phone 344 times a day! Which means it’s literally hundreds of opportunities where consumers are looking for something – EVERYTHING – to engage them.
And while they can certainly browse their jumble of apps, it makes a lot more sense to have their favorite distractions readily available to them as soon as they open their phone.
By adopting the Super App philosophy, carriers and OEMs can become lifestyle devices. Deliver all those same capabilities, from a Super Phone, and they can become just as entrenched in their users’ lives. Wouldn’t that be great?
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