Vodacom invites businesses to join its ‘super app’
VODACOM Financial Services said yesterday that it was inviting businesses and tech developers to join the VodaPay “super app” ecosystem by building their own mini-programs.
The super app, which was unveiled last month, aims to take the mobile company’s web-based services to the next level. Vodacom said the super app would be a game-changer for financial inclusion and South Africa’s economic growth.
Speaking to the media yesterday, the chief officer of Vodacom financial and digital services, Mariam Cassim, said the benefits of the super app were multiple.
“It is an opportunity for your business to join a platform that has 43 million customers, and the ability to customise your products for the customers,” said Cassim.
The super app, which is scheduled to be launched in August, was developed in partnership with Chinese online payment platform, Alipay.
The super app is a single lifestyle app that offers a range of services, including sending money, paying bills, playing games, ordering takeaways or shopping online.
Cassim said in time users would pay their municipal bills on the super app, and the company would invite auto insurers and asset insurers to come on board.
“We have partnered with a bank for the store of value probability, which is almost like a bank account, and we will soon announce the partnership of the bank in the coming weeks,” Cassim said, adding that customers needed to have a smartphone to use the super app.
“The beauty of the super app is that, in time, it is actually meant to target every single segment that we have in South Africa. As a start, we will be focusing on the high-value segment, that is mainly the smartphone-enabled customers – mid- to high-value segments. However, we have interesting use cases that look at the lower segments, such as creating bank accounts,” Cassim said.
Vodacom said 70 businesses had already signed up or committed to build their own mini-programs in the super app, including leading brands such as Makro, Builders Warehouse, Clicks, Edgars, Game, Exclusive Books, Big Blue, Flightsite, Dollar Thrifty, Westpack, Petzone, One Cart, Netflorist, Kit Kat Cash & Carry, Droppa, Planet54, Jacaranda FM, KFC, Booking.com, TravelStart, Hannah Lavery, Michelle Ludek, To Be Gift Boxes and Afritrails.
Vodacom chief executive Shameel Joosub said Vodacom processed $24.5 billion (about R348.32bn) a month, or R4.6 trillion a year in transactions across its platforms.
“Through MPesa Africa, we will create a hub for international money transfer and South Africa will of course link into that. International money transfer between our markets and the rest of the world is one of the key uses of the platform, and that is quite exciting,” said Joosub.