The Race to Kenya’s Super App — The App that does it all!
We have been closely following the digital disruption and transformation caused by the COVID-19 Pandemic. This article is part of a series documenting the various observations.
We all have heard about the mystical WeChat, Go-Jek, AliExpress and other such (mostly Asian) apps that have everything under one roof, you go in there to buy hot noodles, order a cab, buy some tickets for an event, pay your laundry lady and landlord etc. The possibilities are endless. I hope you get the point.
There has been an attempt to bring some of these platforms to Africa, with no wide uptake and eventually crash and burn, the only people our research showed using the Asian ( read Chinese) super apps, were conducting trade with China, which is pretty cool. Most of these people are traders or individuals who get products from China for personal use or for reselling.
So what is a Super Platform? A platform that provides a single seamless experience to the user, allowing access to a plethora of services and products. These types of platforms are multifaceted and maximize on daily activities. They are everyday applications. They focus on following a user as they go about their day, offering solutions at various touchpoints.
Some observations
Over the past few months ( thank you C-19!), as many businesses turned and continue turning online for continuity, there has been a shift, and some businesses are ‘pivoting’ to becoming ‘Super Apps’ or to a model related to that.
The team at Little, a taxi hailing app, have now introduced an option to order food, drinks and fresh groceries and have them delivered in addition to their ride offering.
Sendy, well known for logistics has introduced a home delivery service SendyGo which offers a storefront for greengrocers, gas vendors, butchers, supermarkets and access to various other household supplies.
Tingg formerly Mula, a product by the payments company Cellulant has been offering a 360-degree lifestyle experience for some time now. You can manage bills, shop online, send and receive money and overall get access to financial services on one stop.
Why has this not worked in the past? We ask, like many other tech failures in Africa, this has often been blamed on things like smartphone penetration, internet and such technical challenges. However, in actual sense, we think the answer is found in behavioural science, our culture, customs, and our heritage in conducting business in Africa. Across Africa, we don’t buy from the establishment, we buy from people. How many times do you hear people refer to Haco as “ company ya Kirubi” or “Wambo wa Edenville”? We are always looking for a human hook-up to establish trust, before we buy products or services.
Some thoughts
While we are really excited about seeing this race, here are some key things we need to consider, take it as a cautionary advice. After the initial knee jerk innovation in response to COVID-19, we need to go back and bring in user-centricity. Essentially focusing on building these platforms based on user needs on the ground. We foresee winners being those who create the best experience. Those who work to eliminate the friction in the users everyday interaction and meet the users where they are.
These winners will not need to offer everything all at once. They will need to improve their current offering,make that seamless and move to the next thing. There is a need to be effective in what they currently offer and introduce new capabilities to supplement this.The one that ties their engagement and experience to the users environment, emotions, values and principles will be a win!
Have you used these type of apps? What was your experience? What are your thoughts on these types of platforms? Let us know by leaving a comment below or engaging us on twitter at https://twitter.com/QhalaHQ
