M-PESA SUPER APP : ANOTHER FIRST FROM SAFARICOM

Safaricom has launched ‘its M-Pesa super app’ for customers and ‘its M-Pesa for business app’ with an offline mode and mini apps.  The offline mode will enable customers to use the M-Pesa super app and complete transactions even without data bundles or when totally offline. With the offline mode, customers can send and receive money and equally make payments. “Smartphones have increasingly become popular as they connect customers to more opportunities empowering them to achieve more at work, in their business, when learning and even for entertainment. In response, we have designed the M-Pesa super app to enhance our customers’ experience every time they use the service, providing them with a simple, fun, secure and convenient digital solution,” said Peter Ndegwa, chief executive officer, Safaricom.

Convenient                                                                               

Mini-apps will enable customers and businesses complete day-to-day and occasional tasks within the M-Pesa  super  app and M-Pesa for business app, including deliveries, ticket booking, shopping, licences applications and insurance from hundreds of businesses, government agencies, utilities and other firms. Customers can access the mini-apps through the “discover” option on the app, while merchants on Lipa Na M-Pesa  can do so through the “hub” option on the M-Pesa  for business  app. The first services available as mini-apps include:  Madaraka SGR ticketing, long-distance bus booking with BuuPass, event tickets on Mtickets, shopping gift vouchers on GiftPesa Vouchers, insurance services on eBima, and gas delivery from Pro-Gas.

Mini-Apps for businesses on Lipa Na M-Pesa will soon be available under the “Hub” option. Besides the mini-apps and offline mode, the M-Pesa super app provides customers with a range of other convenient features. These include fingerprint and face unlock and transaction authentication, detailed usage statements and an easy-to-use and fun design. Customers can therefore use fingerprint or face unlock to confirm a transaction in place of their M-Pesa personal identification numbers (PINs).

Variety

More unique features available on the app include an M-Pesa “send to many” option where customers can make multiple transactions to different recipients but only need to enter their PIN or authentication once. Customers using the app can equally ‘request money” from a sender who will only need to confirm the transaction by keying their PIN. In addition, for the first time, M-Pesa customers will enjoy the option to personalise transactions by attaching a GIF when sending money or by adding descriptions to transaction details. Such descriptions will be useful to provide personal explanations to transactions.

The M-Pesa  super app has equally been designed to provide customers with a variety of convenient options when sending and receiving money including the addition of Pochi La Biashara and M-Pesa  global options. With M-Pesa global, customers can send money to other mobile phone subscribers around East Africa, and to other countries directly into bank accounts, Western Union, or link and transact through PayPal. More than 1.3 million customers have downloaded the M-Pesa super app while more than 100,000 businesses have downloaded the M-Pesa  for business app since their introduction in December and June 2020 respectively.