The 6C Framework: A Strategic Blueprint for Building Successful

A super app, sometimes called aneverything app, is a mobile or web application that bundles a wide array ofservices like (including but not limited to) messaging, payment, shopping,transportation, entertainment into a single unified platform (it.exchange). Itoften starts off with a core service as a hook and expand outwards intomultiple services as it goes forward (it.exchange).

The History of Super App (The Origin)

The concept of super app is not new.The journey of the digital ecosystem began in the early 1990s with the firstsmartphone, and it’s built in applications such as calendar, calculator andemail features. Between Nokia bringing the first game “Snake” in 1997 and bothApple and Android introducing the application market (Appstore and Google PlayStore) in 2008, the digital ecosystem kept growing and becoming more and morecomplex. By the 2010s, mobile apps had become integral to daily life,supporting everything from communication to banking, shopping andentertainment. (it.exchange).  

The idea or the term “Super App” wasfirst introduced by Blackberry founder Mike Lazardis in a MWC 2010 keynotespeech where he defined the term as “a closed ecosystem of many apps thatpeople would use every day because they offer such a seamless, integrated,personalized and efficient experience”(medium.com). With WeChat (Tencent) andAlipay (Alibaba) leading the super app revolution, the concept was adopted bymultiple companies in South Asia and Southeast Asia, ultimately making it intothe western world in the later part of 2020s (biztechmagazine.com).         

With the rise of super apps across theglobe, it is important to ask: 

Are Super Apps solving critical problemsor merely acting as a short-lived tech innovation?     

From App Overload to One-StopPlatforms: Why Super Apps Matter!

As digital services expand,smartphones are increasingly crowded with apps. Studies estimate that theaverage smartphone user has around 35 apps installed yet uses only 9 to 10daily (Google Business; buildfire.com). Constant switching between apps createsfragmented user journey, friction and ultimately results in inconvenience.Super apps address this by offering multiple services within a single platform,delivering a unified and seamless digital experience (sdk.finance).

Super apps are particularly effectivein digitally emerging markets such as India, Bangladesh, and Indonesia, whereinternet penetration ranges from 44% to 70% and digital adoption is stillevolving (destatis.de). Platforms like WeChat, Grab, and Gojek successfullyentered these markets by first building trust around one core service beforeexpanding into others (it.exchange), ensuring digital access in emergingmarkets on the process.    

Additionally, fragmented user journeyslead to fragmented customer data, ultimately resulting in limitedpersonalization across services. Super apps address this by integratingmultiple data points such as demographics, location, age, all of which areobtained from multiple services, to deliver more personalized and engagingexperiences. They also reduce storage pressure by consolidating single-functionapps, a critical advantage in developing markets where over 50% of users reportrunning out of device storage (sdk.finance, Indian times).

The Global and Bangladesh Super AppLandscape

The global rise of super apps is bestillustrated by platforms such as WeChat (China), Grab (Southeast Asia), andPaytm (India), all of which evolved by solving app overload, fragmented userjourneys and low digital adoption in their own economy. Each began with atrusted, essential core service and gradually expanded into a comprehensivedigital ecosystem.

WeChat started as a messaging app in2011 and transformed into the world’s first true super app by integratingsocial media, payments, and third-party “mini programs”, enabling everythingfrom ride booking to gaming within one platform (medium.com). Grab followed asimilar path in Southeast Asia, beginning with ride-hailing before expandinginto food delivery, payments, logistics, financial services and healthcare,simplifying daily digital needs in emerging markets(Wikipedia.org, Grab.com).Paytm’s evolution was more vertical in nature, expanding from mobile rechargesinto digital wallets, QR payments, banking, e-commerce, insurance, and lending– financial services all of which drove massive adoption in India’s cash-basedeconomy (wikipedia.com).

Bangladesh is also witnessing itsearly stages of super-app adoption. Pathao has grown from bike ridesharing intofood delivery, logistics, healthcare delivery and payments, serving over 10million users. BRAC Bank’s Astha App represents a bank-led super-app model,integrating lifestyle services, media, learning, and payments beyondtraditional banking (Pathao.com, thedailystar.net). Together, these examplesshow how super apps can drive convenience, digital inclusion, and sustaineduser engagement in both global and local markets.

The main Problem and the proposedSolution: Purpose and Scope

Despite the advantages, building asuper app comes with several challenges. Firstly, these platforms requirestrong technology foundations, reliable infrastructure, smooth integration andadvanced data analytics – all of which require significant investments(tbsnews.com). Regulatory barriers also play a significant role, especially forfinancial institutions, where existing rules limit the range of services thatcan be integrated into a single super-app ecosystem (thefinancialexpress.com).However, the biggest challenge is low digital literacy and limited user trustamong large segments of the population, which slows digital adoptionsignificantly (tbsnews.com). To succeed, companies must invest not only in buildingthe platform but also in educating users and raising digital awareness. Thismakes us raise an important question:

“Is there a structured guideline orframework companies can follow, in terms of both implementation and growth, tobe successful in the market?” 

Solution: A dynamic framework of SuperApp infrastructure that drives engagement & session depth, providesmultiple relevant services to the customers and ensures revenue in the process.The framework is called a 6C Framework, whereby the verticals are defined as:Connect or Core, Content, Care, Courses, Commerce and Community. 

The 6C Playbook: The framework appliedin a ride-sharing service example

Let us assume that we have a ridesharing app and want to transform it into a super app. Here is how we can applythe 6C framework.       

Connect: Core service includesride-sharing service with features like maps, chatting window with drivers,ride booking in real time, etc. Relevant features like user rating, fare surgenotification and frictionless smooth interface will make the Connect verticalstronger.

Commerce: Integrate in-app wallet,tipping and rider payment as core features. Toll payment, Bill and utilitypayment, payment for parking and even fast food can add a financial layer intothe ecosystem (fast food since riders are already engaged in delivering). 

Care: Add live support for driver andpatient safety (SOS) and live customer care support for any query. Insurancefeatures that ensure the rides (vehicle, passenger and rider) can be optedin.          

Content: Embed audio, podcast or quicknews during rides as a feature that can create engagement and increase sessiontime.      

Courses: Video contents providingdriving lessons, traffic rules and safe driving for drivers can be provided.Passenger safety courses can be added for customers as well. 

Community: Driver leaderboards,customer leaderboards, loyalty programs (coins), quiz and racing games andreferral bonuses are good forms of engagement that will create engagement as wellas ensure retention.   

Final Thoughts : Super apps are not apassing trend. They represent a structural shift toward simpler, more inclusivedigital ecosystems, particularly in emerging markets like Bangladesh. Byfollowing a structured approach like the 6C framework, platforms can move froma single service provider or an accumulation of services into a sustainable,user-centric growth model. In doing so, super apps can transform smartphonesfrom cluttered toolkits into truly unified digital companions