Everything You Need to know About Tata Super App

News 📰

Arbaz Sayed

Aug 26, 2020 — 4 min read

Tata Group is planning to launch an all-in-one super app by the end of this year or early next year. Tata Super app will bring together all the consumer-facing businesses of the Tata group. A country or a region becomes super app ready when its large base of the population uses smartphones instead of desktops, and the ecosystem of apps customized to local needs is not evolved. India has over 450 million smartphone users, which means over 60 percent of Indians are accessing wireless broadband through smartphones. Here's Everything You Need to know About the Tata Super App.

What is Super App?

A Super App is many apps within an umbrella app. The concept of the super app was first coined by BlackBerry founder Mike Lazaridis back in 2010. Smartphones are the primary internet access point for many people across the globe. A super app creates an ecosystem where there is no need for them to use a variety of apps.

The first successful super app developed was WeChat by Tencent . WeChat is a Chinese multi-purpose messaging, social media, and mobile payment app that became the world's largest standalone mobile app in 2018, with over 1 billion monthly active users.

What is Tata Super App?

Tata super app will bring Tata’s various consumer businesses under one umbrella. Tata has a reach over 200 million households in India. Soon you could order 'everything' using Tata's super app. Tata's portfolio of products ranges from tea, coffee, water and ready-to-drink to salt, pulses, spices, ready-to-eat and more.

Tata Sons chairman Natarajan Chandrasekaran told the paper, Tata's super app would eventually encompass services from food and grocery ordering to fashion, lifestyle, electronics, insurance, financial services, education, healthcare and bill payments.

Does India need a Super App?

In a developing country like India, a majority of the users have an affordable smartphone. These phones are restricted in terms of storage. Hence, the user doesn’t have the luxury to keep 20 utility apps installed for each task. A Super App can help bridge this restriction by clubbing all services in one app.

Competitors of Tata Super App

India's super app battle is expected to see a new entrant entrant, As Tata group plans to launch an omnichannel digital platform bringing together its various consumer businesses Tata Super App.

Paytm

Paytm began as a payments platform and has evolved into providing a range of services. Paytm became India's only super app by offering 200 services to its users. Paytm is heading towards becoming India's leading super app. The various products and services offered by Paytm are

Paytm Mall
Paytm Payments Bank
Paytm Money
Gamepind

Paytm Smart Retail Services
Payment systems
Digital wallets
Mobile payments
Banking
Online shopping

Facebook and Jio plan to transform India’s most popular app WhatsApp, with about 400 million users, into a Super App. It poses a new challenge to Paytm’s plan to be the leading super app in India.

Amazon

The popular perception is that Amazon is gearing towards becoming India’s first super app, but it does not comply with the core principle of super app which is services should be bundled together. Its unclear that will amazon jump on the bandwagon of super app or not.

List of products and services offered by Amazon

Retail goods
Amazon Prime
Consumer electronics
Digital content
Amazon Studios
Amazon Games Studios
Amazon Video
Video Direct
Delivery
Groceries
Amazon Business
Amazon Drive
Private labels and exclusive marketing arrangements
Amazon Web Services
Amazon Publishing
AmazonSmile
Amazon Local
Retail stores
Amazon Home Services
Amazon Cash/Top Up

Flipkart

Flipkart group is evolving into an super app by offering various services to the consumers like E commerce, Flipkart Supermart, Flipkart video and many more.

The idea of the super app sounds exciting and has worked well in China, there are concerns can it win in India’s diverse and complex market. Consumers in India want to check different options before making any purchase decision and opt to opt for the best offers before making any purchases. It will be too early to comment on anything about the success of the Tata super app but since it's from such well known and respected brand it could be a success in India.