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.
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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.