Skift Take
Consumers in the West reach almost reflexively for the Google Maps app as the service becomes a nearly ubiquitous utility despite a dearth of messaging and payments. Whether it evolves into the next superapp may depend on whether users really want a do-everything app and the mood of regulators seeking to break up big tech.
If you live in the West and parts of Asia and Africa, you take the Google Maps app everywhere you go, stuffed in a pocket or clutched in a hand. And its utility is indeed on the mark: Need to navigate to work or somewhere else in a car or train or on foot? Just whip out Google Maps, and let it transport you from Point A to B and C.
Likewise, if you own a restaurant, bar, spa, beauty supply store, tourist attraction, event venue, or hotel, or offer services to any of these sectors, you’ll want to have a Google business listing, which gets you into the Google Maps app for discovery purposes. After all, consider that “near me” searches on Google Maps grew 150 percent over the prior year, Google parent Alphabet’s chief financial officer Ruth M. Porat said at an investor conference in early 2018.
Like Tencent-owned WeChat and, to a lesser extent Meituan in China, as well as Grab in Southeast Asia, many are pointing to Google Maps, with its more than 1 billion