Ctrip’s Instagram-like platform attracts more than 1M daily users

Ctrip is finding success with its strategy to create an Instagram-style content platform within its mobile app.

Since its launch in December, the new “Trip Moments” product has exceeded one million daily active users, and 70% of those users are under 30 years old. 

In a call last week with analysts to discuss the company’s first quarter 2019 financial results, CEO Jane Sun says that’s exactly the audience Ctrip is targeting with this platform, which asks users to post a short paragraph followed by several photos and/or a short video. 

To date, the platform has more than 1.5 million posts covering more than 16,000 destinations.

Since the launch, Ctrip has been adding booking functionality to the posts, and to date, about 80% of Ctrip’s supply - across all categories including accommodations, air, transportation and experiences - is now linked with the Trip Moments platform. So, for example, a post that mentions the London Eye will also display a link to book tickets to that attraction.

Now Ctrip is adding advanced technology to tailor the booking links to the consumer’s preferences.

“Let’s say we have a luxury traveler reading a post about London,” says Marvin Chen, Ctrip's general manager of travel community.

“We may recommend five-star hotels under a post he saw. And for a younger user, we will recommend some cost-effective products under that Trip Moments post.”

In the call with analysts, Sun says Trip Moments is an effective customer acquisition strategy because it is targeting users that have already expressed an interest in travel by searching for and reading content shared by others.

“We always believe rather than spending money in the low-ROI channel, it's better for us to innovate our own product and make sure our platform is a closed loop, one-stop shopping platform,” she says.

And since younger generations are accustomed to searching for and viewing content online, Chen says Trip Moments is an effective way to keep them in the Ctrip ecosystem longer and to increase the likelihood of converting them to buyers.

"Trip Moments is a pioneer for the entire Ctrip group to attract younger generations. These are the future travelers,” he says.

“For other Ctrip products, the customers normally decide where they want to go and then book through Ctrip. Whereas Trip Moments is a content sharing platform, so users tend to read that content in a high frequency, and this may get them to find something interesting and then want to travel there.”

Ctrip is also inviting some influencers and celebrities that appeal to younger generations to share their travel experiences in Trip Moments, and the company is partnering with brands such as KFC to promote the platform.