How super apps are dominating the market in Asia
The abundance of apps available for all purposes has its benefits, but it can get overwhelming for users and devices alike. This, along with developers striving to meet user needs across various facets of life, is leading to a growing number of so-called super apps in Asia. Typically starting out offering one specific service, once established, these apps branch out to become multipurpose go-to destinations for their users.In all three major East Asian markets, the local messaging app giants have evolved into super apps. In China, Tencent's WeChat attracts over 1.3 billion monthly active users, making it the country's most-used application. With more than 80 million monthly active users in its home country, Japan's LINE is another messenger-turned-super-app that is also available in other Asian markets such as Indonesia, Taiwan, and Thailand. South Korea-based KakaoTalk serves over 50 million monthly active users. All three apps are their respective market's leading messengers and offer various additional functions, including shopping, gaming, or even contact tracing during COVID-19.
In Southeast Asia, two local tech unicorns have evolved into some of the subregion's most prolific super apps – Singapore-based Grab and Indonesia's Gojek, the country's first decacorn. Both apps are available in multiple countries and are among the biggest ride-hailing providers in Asia. Beyond the transportation segment, they offer numerous services such as food delivery, mobile payments, and online retail. The combination of ride-hailing and food delivery is tried and tested in Southeast Asia and is a multi-billion dollar market in the subregion.
Overall, consumer trends across Asia have shown the region to be a mobile-first market, with many turning to their mobile device rather than a PC, TV, or console for leisure activities like social media browsing, content streaming, and gaming.
