What's the future for Western 'super apps'?

Super apps create a single interface to unify a broad ecosystem of services such as messaging, e-commerce, and transport. With consumers making all of their purchases within one walled garden, the user engagement and data benefits for the app owner are obvious and substantial. These apps have become a major part of the Chinese technology landscape, so we asked two leading experts: Could the concept successfully break through in Western markets?

Don't expect Asian-style super apps any time soon...

"The first reason is that the US has a history of a more fragmented app market. Generally speaking, the country has a lot more competition and less customer capture by any one app today. This fragmentation also applies to many Western markets more broadly. And there is just this general aversion in the West to knowingly relying on a single firm for the majority of everyday products and services.