SuperApp Development

The Evolution of SuperApp

Since the start of Apple App Store on 10 July 2008 and Google Play Store on 22 October 2008, the numbers of apps created have increased exponentially year after year. There are more than 5 million apps in both of the stores combined today. On a daily basis, more than 5,000 apps are released on the stores. Crazy but true. There is an app for literally anything. Omnitech has created many apps that range from payment and marketplace solutions for companies, and communities, fintech solutions for facilitation of loan application and management, regtech solutions for user registration that feature technologies like electronic know-your-customer (eKYC) and facial recognition, heathtech solutions for schools and hospitals etc.

However, over time we observed that some of these apps have evolved into something more complex. Something we call SuperApps. What is a SuperApp? Do we need it? Is it here to stay?

What is a SuperApp?

The easiest way to explain this is by providing a series of SuperApp examples. Some of the well-known SuperApps include WeChat, Grab, TnG e-Wallet, Boost, Shopee and AirAsia. The SuperApp idea first gained popularity in China with WeChat, the messaging app that essentially acts as a platform for facilitating life online. WeChat isn't just a messaging and social media platform, it even allows you to search for and buy anything from movie tickets and flight tickets to application for loans. WeChat became the pioneer of the concept of apps-within-an-app or mini-programs.

So, what is a SuperApp? A SuperApp is a mobile or web application that can provide multiple services including payment and financial transaction processing, effectively becoming an all-encompassing self-contained commerce and communication online platform that embraces many aspects of personal and commercial life. It is an ecosystem of many mini-programs (contained within a software housing or casing) that helps you accomplish a variety of tasks.

A SuperApp is an ecosystem of many mini-programs (contained within a software housing or casing) that helps you accomplish a variety of tasks.

With its economy on track to become the world's fourth largest by 2030 and a very high rate of tech-savvy population under the age of 35, South East Asia is set to become the major host for SuperApp emergence for the next few years. One of the most well-known SuperApps in South East Asia is none other than Grab. Therefore, we shall use the Grab SuperApp for the purpose of illustration.

Example of SuperApp

This illustration provides an example of the combination of multiple mini-programs contained within the Grab SuperApp. Of course, if you scroll further to the right, you would find many other mini-programs that range from finance to hotel bookings, mobile prepaid, bill payments and much more.

These apps form an ecosystem to facilitate the users' life by allowing them to perform a variety of tasks online.

Sounds pretty straight forward right? Not really. The features and functionalities must be carefully planned out. The illustration below shows some examples of features which are centralised or shared. Such examples include a search function that works across all mini-apps, a centralised or shared payment and loyalty solution, a systematic registration process which include a robust e-KYC engine, an artificial intelligence engine that track past purchases and buying behaviours and more.

The Characteristics of a Good SuperApp

The below are guidelines to building a good SuperApp:

First of all, a SuperApp must be USEFUL & PRACTICAL. It must contain complementary solutions that helps the user achieve a variety of tasks. It ought to contain solutions that solve real-life problem.
Secondly, a SuperApp must provide a good user experience. It must be ATTRACTIVE and USER-FRIENDLY. We need the users to keep coming back for more. Nothing kills an app faster than bad reviews.
Thirdly, a SuperApp must be LIGHT & RESPONSIVE. Developers should keep in mind that not everyone have access to super-powered smart phones. A slow and unresponsive app leads to bad user experience.
Last but not least, a SuperApp must be FLEXIBLE & VERSATILE. Since a SuperApp is an ecosystem of mini-programs, it must be agile enough to integrate with both internal and 3rd party apps.

3 Key Components for Development of a Great SuperApp

To ensure that a SuperApp project is successful, one must clearly understand the complete SuperApp Ecosystem. The creation of a SuperApp is only the tip of the iceberg. Unless, you have have a huge team of software developers under your roof, you would need a SuperApp Ecosystem/Framework to coordinate the development, testing and approval of miniapps and version updates. Alibaba Cloud EMAS SuperApp Ecosystem manages the entire miniapp onboarding lifecycle from development all the way to testing, approval and subsequent go-live. With such an ecosystem in place, onboarding of merchant miniapps would be a breeze. Alas, we need to tackle the inevitable i.e. the onboarding of existing mobile applications onto the SuperApp. The fact is that, organisations would normally only consider creating a SuperApp when they have multiple mobile applications. So, the million dollar question is, "What then do I do with my existing mobile applications?". Some can be repurposed as miniapps to be onboarded onto the SuperApp with some minimal efforts involved. Some however might just not make the mark and should be redeveloped or completely scrapped. There is no short cut and this complex process often involve the use of subject matter experts. This is one of Omnitech's unique area of expertise.