The mobile internet era has reached a pivotal turning point. In 2025, as user growth plateaus and attention becomes scarcer than ever, China’s tech giants are converging on a single strategic vision: the rise of the super app. No longer content with standalone services, companies like Alibaba and JD.com are pulling their ecosystems into unified platforms—mirroring Meituan’s proven model. This isn’t just a product redesign; it's a survival strategy in an age of digital consolidation.
This shift marks what many now see as the final chapter of mobile internet evolution—a battle not for features, but for dominance through integration, frequency, and frictionless access.
The Drying Riverbed: Why Traffic Can No Longer Be Taken for Granted
For years, the mobile landscape thrived on fragmentation. New apps launched daily, each promising niche utility or novel experiences. But that era is over.
According to Questmobile’s 2024 China Mobile Internet Annual Report, active users in China have reached 1.257 billion—nearly saturating the available population. While monthly average usage time grew slightly to over 170 hours, the distribution tells a more troubling story:
- Short video: 62.9 hours
- Instant messaging: 40.2 hours
- Comprehensive news/information: 24.4 hours
Together, these three categories consume three-quarters of all mobile screen time. Meanwhile, retail and e-commerce platforms have suffered three consecutive years of declining download volumes and user engagement, according to Sensor Tower’s 2025 Mobile Market Report.
Even more telling: global social media giants like X (formerly Twitter), Weibo, and Threads saw a combined 10% drop in total usage time over the past three years.
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The conclusion is clear: the golden age of app proliferation is over. With traffic growth stalled and attention concentrated in a few dominant categories, internet giants must now fight for survival by maximizing the value of every user session.
The Emergence of the Third-Path Super App
Today, only two models of super apps are widely recognized:
- WeChat — built on social connectivity, it functions as a digital identity layer and gateway to mini-programs.
- Douyin (TikTok) — powered by algorithmic content, it dominates discovery and monetization through livestream commerce.
But both rely heavily on either social lock-in or addictive content engines—advantages that can’t be easily replicated.
So is there a third path?
Yes—and it’s already being forged by Meituan.
While most platforms struggle against Douyin’s relentless expansion into local services, Meituan has not only resisted but counterattacked. By anchoring its ecosystem in high-frequency,刚需 (gāngxū)—essential—needs like food delivery, Meituan has created a self-reinforcing loop:
- Daily meal orders drive consistent app opens.
- High engagement enables cross-selling of travel, entertainment, and retail services.
- Robust logistics infrastructure supports faster scaling of new verticals.
This model proves that local services can serve as the foundation for a sustainable super app, independent of social graphs or content virality.
Data from Sensor Tower supports this: In the U.S., food delivery apps like DoorDash and Uber Eats achieve significantly higher monthly active user engagement than traditional retailers—even with far less marketing spend.
In China, this translates to a crucial advantage: lower customer acquisition costs. While e-commerce players pay rising premiums to capture attention on content platforms, Meituan users return organically because they need food delivered.
👉 See how high-frequency services create unbeatable user retention.
JD.com and Alibaba are now replicating this playbook:
- JD.com embedded its new food delivery service directly into its main app—no standalone download required.
- Alibaba merged Ele.me, Feizhu (travel), and Alipay’s flash shopping into Taobao, creating a centralized hub for instant retail.
Both moves signal a strategic pivot: instead of competing for downloads, they’re leveraging existing user bases to boost session frequency and deepen engagement.
The Boundaryless Battle: Why Integration Is Inevitable
If traffic is finite and attention is fragmented, then the logical response is consolidation.
Meituan has long operated under this philosophy. As co-founder Wang Xing stated ahead of its IPO: "There are no simple boundaries between things. Don’t limit yourself—just keep asking: who are we serving, and what do they need?"
This mindset explains why you can now:
- Book a hotel,
- Order groceries,
- Watch short dramas,
- And even play cloud games via the Meituan app.
It’s not feature bloat—it’s ecosystem density.
By contrast, Alibaba has taken a more cautious approach. While integrating Ele.me and Feizhu into Taobao, it retains independent apps for Cainiao (logistics), Haoluo (bike-sharing), and Damai (ticketing). But this isn’t hesitation—it’s pragmatism. Many of these units have external funding or IPO ambitions, making full absorption premature.
Still, the direction is unmistakable: everything that drives low-cost, high-frequency traffic will eventually flow into the core app.
JD.com, though late to the game, is executing with clarity. Its 2025 app redesign introduced a dedicated “Local Life” channel, folding in services like recycling (Ai Hui Shou), wine & spirits delivery, and travel—all under one roof.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What defines a super app?
A: A super app is a single platform that integrates multiple services—such as payments, shopping, delivery, and entertainment—into one seamless experience. It thrives on high user frequency and cross-service engagement.
Q: Why are companies abandoning standalone apps?
A: With mobile traffic growth stagnant, maintaining separate apps increases user acquisition costs and reduces retention. Consolidating services into a core app improves discoverability and leverages existing user habits.
Q: Can any company build a successful super app?
A: Not easily. Success requires either massive scale (like WeChat), addictive content (like Douyin), or deeply embedded daily-use services (like Meituan). Without one of these anchors, integration alone won’t drive growth.
Q: Is this trend limited to China?
A: While most advanced in China, similar patterns are emerging globally—Grab in Southeast Asia, MercadoLibre in Latin America, and even Meta’s ambitions with WhatsApp reflect the global push toward platform convergence.
Q: Does this mean innovation will slow down?
A: On the contrary—integration accelerates experimentation. Super apps can rapidly test new features within their ecosystems without needing new downloads or marketing blitzes.
The Endgame of Mobile Internet
We are witnessing the twilight of the fragmented app economy. The era where a single viral idea could spawn a unicorn is fading. Today’s winners aren’t those with the best standalone product—but those who can bundle the most essential services into one indispensable interface.
For Alibaba, JD.com, and Meituan, the mission is clear: become the default digital gateway for everyday life.
This isn’t about convenience—it’s about control. Control over user time. Control over transaction paths. Control over data flows.
And in this final act of the mobile internet saga, only the most integrated will survive.
👉 Learn how platform integration drives long-term user loyalty and revenue growth.
The super app war isn’t just coming—it’s already decided. The question now isn’t who will win, but how fast the rest will adapt before they’re left behind.