Superapps: all-in-one solution of the digital age

Everything the user needs in one place. That seems to be the initial concept of the so-called «superapps»: a new model that combines the features of an application, a platform and an ecosystem of mini-apps in a single interface. They are created to enable users to consolidate services, features and functions of several mobile applications. As one of the purposes of these super-apps is personalization, the user is in charge: they can add and remove tools (which are these mini-apps) as their interests and needs change.

The market consulting firm, Gartner, considers it one of the main technological trends for 2023 and states that it is an emerging technology that still has a wide margin to continue improving. Sources from the same consulting firm state that it is not a composite mobile application or a web portal with many functionalities, but a true technological evolution with features far beyond those options.

Further, it assures that the concept is expanding to include mobile and desktop enterprise experiences, such as workflow, collaboration and messaging platforms; and will eventually embrace and support chatbots, technologies that power IoT and immersive experiences such as the metaverse.

Simplifying and enhancing the experience

The goal of superapps is to simplify and enhance the user experience. Until now, different apps were needed, even to perform similar or complementary tasks. But now, superapps eliminate these barriers: the user makes a single download, does not need to learn multiple interfaces, enters his personal data only once and keeps a unified transaction history.

In Latin America, for example, we see how companies that were born as last-mile deliveries have been incorporating other features such as courier delivery, individual transportation services or even more complex and interesting functionalities, such as the possibility of requesting services from partners. In other cases, chat applications already allow money transfers and even the possibility of acquiring a property.

In some cases, the link among all the mini-applications is logical: instant communication tools and peer-to-peer payment tools, for example, are closely related. It is logical that two people who are already connected can use the same channel to send money to each other. Similarly, companies offering financial services apps can easily incorporate shopping or entertainment modules. In other cases, the link between the different mini-applications results in more innovative proposals.

Between obstacles and challenges

For companies, superapps are the start of a new challenge: they can detect opportunities to create their own integrated proposals, as long as they are aligned with business objectives. But they also have the possibility of analyzing the development of specific modules (mini-apps) to merge into existing superapps. The benefits range from achieving economies of scale and leveraging the network effect of a larger user base, to improving the experience of both external customers and employees.

Gartner warns of some obstacles that could stand in the way. One has to do with the creation of the business ecosystem underlying the superapp, especially when the mini-apps are developments from different organizations: the consultancy considers this to be a challenge even greater than the implementation of the technology itself. Another obstacle is that different users may prefer to interact differently with the applications. This is why the design of the superapp is vital and significantly impacts adoption and retention.

What we are seeing is more than incipient: there is a long way to go, but with the cases that emerge every day in different corners of the world, it is already becoming clear that the user adopts superapps naturally and quickly becomes loyal. It is reasonable: the experience obtained is more attractive and many tasks can be solved with just a few clicks.