You've probably heard of super apps like WeChat and Alipay. These "superhero apps" combine the functionality of several apps into one convenient package, saving users the hassle of switching back and forth between platforms.

But, all the super apps in the list above originated from and continue to thrive in the East. For years, consumers have been asking when the trend would hit the West and which Western company would be the first to launch a super app. Walmart and Uber seem to be contending for the title, so let's find out which of them might make super app status first.

More About Super Apps

Before we continue, let's clarify a common misconception: multifunctionality isn't the only requirement for becoming a super app. If that were the case, Facebook would be a super app since the social media giant has expanded from being a messaging platform to including retail marketplaces.

Instead, the true benchmark of a super app is integration with mini-apps, usually from third-party developers, and for third-party services. We discuss the criteria for being a super app in more detail in our in-depth article about what super apps are and how they work.

Since Alipay is a prime example of a super app, you can also check out what the app is about to get more context about super apps.

Walmart's Super App Plans

Image Credit: Mike Mozart via Flickr

Walmart's super app ambitions are playing out like a chess player's moves. The company first made a series of strategic buy-outs in alliance with its dream of becoming a financial services super app.

Walmart's fintech startup, Hazel Fintech (majority-owned by Walmart and backed by Ribbit Capital), bought Even, an early wage access startup that already has Walmart as a customer. It also bought One Finance, a neobank. The three companies will relaunch a new entity called ONE, a name that's probably a nod to its future multifunctionality.

Walmart hasn't exactly been explicit about its plans for the fintech unit. The most we've gotten is corporate-speak: a press release from Walmart stated that the entity would provide "modern, innovative and affordable financial solutions."

But it's really not difficult to envision Walmart's inevitable end game.

Walmart store logo
Image Credit: MikeMozartJeepersMedia /Wikimedia Commons

For years now, Walmart has partnered with Green Dot, American Express, MoneyGram, PayPal, and other financial services providers to provide prepaid debit cards, domestic and international money transfers, bill pay services, tax preparation, installment financing, and other financial services.

Walmart's telehealth arm, Walmart Health, also acquired MeMD, a multi-specialty telehealth provider. The goal is to provide access to virtual healthcare in addition to Walmart's physical care clinics.

The company also has a Connect tool that allows advertisers to reach Walmart shoppers online, in the app, and in-store. Let's not forget Walmart's partnership with the eCommerce shopping platform Shopify, enabling Shopify sellers to sell on Walmart Marketplace.

Walmart obviously has a massive super app opportunity if it integrates these services under one platform. The company also has the assets and the ambition to make it happen. The question now is, when?

Uber's Super App Plans

Uber phone

Uber declared their super app ambitions much earlier than Walmart. The company first expressed its ambitions in 2018, but the pandemic slowed down its plans.

Now, Uber is offering new travel booking options for customers in the UK as part of its push to become an international travel super app. UK users will now have the option to book flights, train tickets, hotel rooms, and car rentals. If this goes well in the UK, Uber plans to expand the utilities to more countries.

Like Walmart, the company also has an all-inclusive platform in the form of Uber One, a new membership program that allows users to get deals on Uber rides, freight, and food deliveries. Before Uber One, Uber offered these services from different apps.

Rather than making acquisitions, Uber is forming strategic alliances with service providers that complement its own products. For instance, the company announced a partnership with French micro-mobility company CityScoot in October 2019. With the alliance, users can order scooters straight from the Uber app.

In 2021, Uber also teamed up with rental car company Hertz to offer 50,000 Tesla vehicles as a rental option for its ride-hail drivers by 2023.

Uber's super app strategy is bolstered by the company's Wallet, Uber Money, which offers financial services to its drivers.

Even in the travel and mobility sector, Uber has the potential to integrate all its services into a super app offering. And the company's collaboration-based approach might just be the propeller it needs.

Walmart vs. Uber: Who Will Launch the West's First Super App?

So, to the meat of the matter. As you may expect, it's impossible to predict whether Walmart or Uber will achieve super app status first.

Each company is adopting a different approach to diversification—Walmart by consolidated acquisitions and Uber by collaboration. Neither approach is necessarily superior to the other; what matters is how both companies finalize the integration of all these services.