The term “super
app” has become a buzzword that often is used in reference to platforms that
make moves to expand beyond their original focus and to offer multiple, frequent-use
solutions for consumers.
While some of the
most common super apps are in Asia, such as Grab, WeChat and Alipay, the
concept is gaining traction in the west, in part due to the growth of apps such
as Rappi, which now has more than 30
million users across 350 cities in nine countries including Argentina, Colombia,
Brazil, Chile and Mexico.
Since its founding in 2015, Rappi has
grown to offer restaurant and grocery delivery, retail products, digital
payments, insurance and – since 2020 – travel products.
A newer entrant into super app
territory is Uber, which in recent years has expanded beyond ride-share to offer
food and package delivery, freight and - in ongoing testing in the United
Kingdom – travel content such as rail, coach and flight bookings.
So what are these two companies
learning as they expand their product catalogs into travel? How are they
working with partners to create attractive travel offerings? And how are they
convincing users – who might traditionally open their apps only at the moment they need to order a ride
or food – to turn to it weeks or months in advance to book their next vacation?
Rappi’s global head of travel, Guido
Becher, and Uber’s head of growth and new products for airports and travel, Loren
Kosloske, answered those questions and discussed their companies' travel
ambitions during a Center Stage session at The Phocuswright Conference.
Becher explained how Rappi is working
with partners such as Marriott and Amadeus and the benefits he believes the app can provide
for travel suppliers.
And Kosloske shared details on the
engagement Uber is seeing as it tests train, coach and flight bookings in the
U.K. and the next steps in the company’s road map for travel.
Watch the full discussion below.