Strategies pursued by multi-sided platforms to be successful domestically and internationally – The case of the “Super App” Gojek on its ride-hailing and food delivery services in Southeast Asia.

Details

Supervisors

Paque, Bernard ; Lejeune, Christophe

Faculty

Louvain School of Management

Degree label

Master [120] en ingénieur de gestion

Abstract

Uber, Airbnb, Facebook all have one thing in common, they are multi-sided platforms (MSPs). These companies have disrupted their respective industries and become global in a remarkably short amount of time. In the past decade, it has been common to see such businesses pop up around the world and then becoming rapidly leaders on their domestic and sometimes, regional market. Moreover, a more specific type of digital enabled MSPs called “Super Apps” have started to appear throughout Asia. This master thesis conducts a case study of Gojek, the Indonesian “Super App” success story which has become the ride-hailing and food delivery app leader in Indonesia. This analysis is done in order to identify the key strategies such MSPs use to be successful both in their home market but also internationally. Finally, Gojek’s success in Southeast Asian countries is found to be strongly related to its deep local understanding of the population pain points and adaptation to them with its innovative and disruptive solutions.