From left: Daniel Ouyang Principal Business Developer Huawei CBG Ecosystem; Yizhen Fung airasia superapp Head of Strategic Partnerships; Juan Manuel Oritiz - Marketing Executive Manager Turisimo Andalucia; and Dwarakanath Nikhil, Grab Head of Analytics, at a recent panel discussion at the HDC2023 Conference.
Huawei Mobile Services (HMS) continue to power up airasia Superapp with a strong collaboration
AIRASIA Superapp is the region’s leading travel platform, offering a complete end-to-end travel experience with services from flights, hotels, ride-hailing, dining experiences and more.
It is part of Capital A’s wide range of portfolio companies from airlines, aviation services, logistics, and digital businesses such as airasia Superapp and Bigpay.
Innovation has always been part of Capital A’s DNA, and during the pandemic, its travel platform business, airasia Superapp accelerated its digital transformation and teamed up with tech giants Huawei to enhance the platform.
The partnership has seen a 190% increase of new users on the airasia Superapp since its launch on the HUAWEI AppGallery – the official app distribution platform for Huawei devices, and one of the top three app distribution platforms in the world.
Power of collaboration
The HUAWEI AppGallery – used in more than 170 countries around the world, was built to aid developers by providing them with tools, capabilities, resources and full-stack solutions.
The HUAWEI AppGallery provides developers with a safe and secure ecosystem, because of safety features including a professional multi-layer security system designed to detect malicious behaviour, facilitate privacy checks and ensure app security.
In addition to that, the HUAWEI AppGallery has a gift centre – a section where developers can promote exclusive gift benefits for new users, as well as App recommendations based on locations. These unique features have supported airasia Superapp’s initiatives to position itself as a one-stop Asean travel app.
For airasia Superapp, partnering with Huawei perfectly aligned with its needs to reach a larger number of audiences – both existing and new, and upping the ante by offering advanced features and services on the Superapp.
The move allowed a significant number of Huawei users to access this brand new app and its myriad of offerings including the booking of flights, hotels, e-hailing services and shopping for duty-free goods.
Since launching of airasia Superapp on HUAWEI AppGallery, the user base of the mobile app on Huawei devices has seen a remarkable increase – translating into greater revenue for the Superapp.
Strong core services
airasia Superapp also harnessed Huawei Mobile Services (HMS) Core – a system that provides developers with a rich array of open mobile app capabilities that aid developers in creating innovative apps that enhance user experience on Huawei devices.
HMS Core’s powerful toolset, which supports the cross-platform ecosystem and cross-OS capabilities across a range of devices, is also equipped with multiple features including push notifications, quick logins, in-app payments and machine learning among others, enabling developers to create apps quickly, helping them scale, boost and monetize their apps.
For airasia Superapp, partnering with Huawei has significantly enhanced the Superapp’s development processes.
Apart from providing precise location services, advanced map elements, and seamless navigation capabilities, working with HMS Core has resulted in more seamless, immersive experiences for Superapp users.
One useful tool for airasia Superapp on Huawei’s HMS Core, is its Map Kit and Location Kit. In Malaysia, where issues of inaccurate locations are rife, the Map Kit and Location Kit have been providing users of airasia ride – the company’s e-hailing service, with precise location services, advanced maps and impressive navigational capabilities – another contributing factor to the Superapp’s popularity.
Value in partnering
For both airasia Superapp and Huawei, providing a premium user experience is paramount to their business success.
With the support of HMS – in areas of technical assistance, tools, or the smooth integration process, airasia Superapp has been able to meet the ever-evolving needs of their users.
Yizhen Fung – airasia Superapp’s Head of Strategic Partnerships, has pointed out that Superapp users have expressed high satisfaction with the app's performance and features, which has strengthened its partnership with HMS.
Since its inception in 2020, the airasia Superapp has amassed 51 million users in its digital ecosystem – a number that is set to rise, thanks to their latest collaboration with Petal Ads – Huawei’s mobile marketing platform.
Through this partnership, the airasia Superapp is seeing higher click-through rates and a substantial surge in revenue by leveraging on targeted advertising, personalised content and promotions.
But it isn’t surprising, considering Petal Ads is equipped with resources that support and allow brands to explore various formats of ads, in addition to opening the door for brands to tap into Huawei’s expansive ecosystem of 730 million global users.
Over the course of three years, the integration of HMS Core, HUAWEI AppGallery and Petal Ads has empowered users from the region and beyond to discover the exciting and diverse array of content, products and services offered on the airasia Superapp.
This mutually-beneficial partnership stands as a testament to Huawei’s expertise and dedication to enhancing a better digital life for all.
