Thread by @kavinbm

1/ A thread on Super Apps

👇

2/ Broadly 3 types of SuperApps:

1. Multi Core (App with unrelated items in one app - News, Games, Payments etc) 🙃

2. Extension of Core (Think transactional SuperApp - “We have cab bookings so let’s do food delivery”) 🤓

3. Extension of Product (Think Instagram Commerce) 👌

3/ In a world with cheap 4G, very good smartphones, the need for ‘Multi Core’ SuperApps is gone 👎

The smartphone is the Super App.

Building a ‘Multi Core’ Super App in today’s world is a business first, not a customer first strategy. Those almost always implode 💥

4/ ‘Extension of Core’ Super Apps are fascinating. The thinking usually is - “We have distribution so let’s extend it to similar behaviours.” 🤓

People book taxis, so they’ll also order food and maybe even buy plane tickets ✈️

Again a business first strategy so🤞

5/ ‘Extension of Product’ Super Apps. These apps aren’t Super Apps. It’s natural user behaviour on the platform that the company builds around 👌

Instagram a great example for fashion related commerce. Building payments and commerce into the product is just following users 🙌

6/ Probability of Success 💭

1. Multi Core (Zero. Long term implosion) 💥
2. Extension of Core (Market dependent. Long term low) 🤞
3. Extension of Product (Long term highest) 🤘

7/ Only exception is China 🇨🇳. Market is closed off to global competition allowing culture to evolve very differently though longer term guess is a similar trend.

• Multi Core (WeChat)

Though new companies:
• Extension of Core (Meituan)
• Extension of Product (TikTok)