As online travel services become more mobile, the key to the giant's position is to keep up with the pace

A survey of China's first-tier cities, 15~69岁 consumers, shows that China's smartphone market is driven mainly by young users. The survey data showed that 49% of 15~24岁 's young people had smartphones, and that percentage of the 25~34岁 population was as high as 44%. Such a trend, in addition to driving games, entertainment and other mobile applications flourish, there are online tourism, such as consumer applications.

"A lot of people, after, basically already mature netizens, have the internet consumption, shopping habits." And it's not just a trend, it's reality. "Strong Network general manager Wei Changren that in such a large background, online tourism sites began to focus on young people, in fact, to adapt to the rapid development of the Internet and online tourism market is a wise move."

In fact, online travel is inseparable from mobile internet. As a tourism industry closely integrated with mobile applications, mobile Internet has brought great commercial effect, and smartphone is an important booking channel. Specifically, smartphones are portable and can provide geographical positioning, in terms of travel information inquiries and travel products booking, the user is more flexible. And online tourism enterprises can launch mobile phone client software to the mobile application market, as the extension of existing business, online tourism enterprises to provide users with standardized air tickets, hotels, tourism products search, booking and other services.

The rapid growth of high-end smartphone users makes the mobile Internet hot and drives the rapid and diversified development of mobile applications. According to IRIS data analysis, the mobile application market will develop rapidly in the next few years, by 2015, the application download revenue will be more than 29 billion dollars. Meanwhile, 2015 smartphone shipments are expected to account for 45% of the total mobile phone shipments, above the current 23%.

Currently, online travel services are increasingly mobile, according to industry insiders said: "Today's tourism-related applications of the audience up to millions of, through the mobile device booking services, the proportion of users has reached a very high level." Moreover, it is not limited to booking services to bring business opportunities to tourism applications, such as advertising revenue will also flow to tourism applications.

As of April 2013, the total number of mobile internet users in China reached 808 million, an increase of 19.7%, and mobile internet users reached 778 million, an increase of 18%, and a penetration rate of up to 96.3% in mobile internet users, according to a new survey published by the Ministry of Information and Monitoring Bureau. Another survey also showed that Chinese people spend an average of 158 minutes a day using their mobile phones to surf the internet, a global average of 117 minutes, as the most important group of mobile Internet, the 25~35岁 people have more time to surf the internet every day.

All this means that mobile Internet is the main battlefield of future online tourism competition. China's online travel giant Ctrip since the founder of the CEO Liang Jianzhang, to speed up the layout of the wireless business, Liang Jianzhang has said, in the future, Ctrip all resources to the wireless side tilt, the introduction of mobile phone exclusive price and preferential policies, and at the price war.

Giant card position occupies the pit

Recently, Ctrip investment mobile phone client "flight housekeeper" rumors finally was officially confirmed. According to the cooperation agreement reached between the two sides, the flight Butler split the Product Inn housekeeper, which focuses on the application of the economic chain hotel search and booking, accepts the strategic investment of Ctrip and the joint venture company. Although the price of Ctrip is still "mysterious number", but the industry is widely said that Ctrip invested 6 million of dollars, access to the hotel Butler shares accounted for about One-third.

Ctrip told reporters that thereafter, the hotel housekeeper will remain independent operation, but with the new shareholder Ctrip will undoubtedly greatly strengthen the cooperation. At present, the Fast Hotel housekeeper team has moved to Shanghai, the two sides will be in resources, business, users and other aspects of a full docking.

At the end of May, another rumor was officially confirmed. As early as April this year, Alibaba investment tourism category mobile Application "on the Road" app news has been spread, but Alibaba has not been a positive announcement of the matter, so that the E-commerce giant and the popular mobile app's marriage to add a lot of mystery. A few days ago, Alibaba representative finally in a public event, the first foreign official said the formal investment "on the road."

It is understood that the Alibaba investment "on the road" app belongs to the Lightning investment, by Alibaba founder one of Shei led, investment amount is also "mysterious number". Investment "On the road" may be related to Alibaba's mobile, tourism products strategy. "On the road," the team also revealed that they may become Alipay and Alibaba Aviation Brigade Division of the strategic level of resources, to help Taobao travel, "on the road" may become a big mobile port Taobao travel portal.

But this is just "on the road" PR propaganda, in Taobao travel, there is no and "on the road" have any integration action. This April, this reporter has asked Taobao travel related responsible person, there is no "on the road" Cooperation plan, the person in charge said, "the leader said that the matter does not comment." On the June 19, when the journalist asked the person again, the reply was still, without any relevant information.

Alibaba in the mobile internet-like investment background, it is not difficult to understand its investment "on the road" is not planned and Taobao travel resources integration, may just be stuck in the pit. Since January this year, Ali Group's investment in mobile interconnection focused on music, dating, taxi, statistical analysis, preferential prices, browsers, maps, and Sina Weibo. Within six months of such concentration of investment, this with the layout of the foresight does not seem to amorites, so, Taobao travel on the "on the road" of the sudden arrival is not difficult to understand, because this is only Alibaba high-level for tourism class Mobile client's card position occupies the pit.

Wei Changren said that with the change of the young people to the concept of tourism, want to go out "in the yard" the rigid demand increases, the online tourism market in the mobile internet sector will certainly be promising. "Now the major companies in the mobile end and other aspects of the strategic layout, how to grasp the consumption habits, the first in this field card is crucial." ”

The difficulty is equivalent to "two startups"

June 14, Ctrip to promote the "thumb + cement" business strategy, officially released a new brand logo and advertising language. In order to emphasize two pioneering mobile internet determination, Ctrip released the same day 4.5 new version of the wireless app, and will "Ctrip Wireless" renamed "Ctrip Travel", new hotel group buy, tickets returned to the function, and made a lot of intelligent improvement.

Ctrip's "thumb + cement" strategy was originally released in April this year, further focusing resources on the wireless sector. Liang Jianzhang also High-profile announced that in two years to allow Ctrip wireless booking volume accounted for one-third of the total volume. and in order to stimulate the wireless end business, Ctrip took the wireless end "hotel more than 5 yuan, tickets, tickets more than 2 Yuan", "mobile phone booking more than 1 time times integral" and other measures.

In addition to its own service products, Liang Jianzhang also made clear that it was time to speed up the pace of cooperation with all the best companies in all fields, open APIs (application calling interfaces), and call on these applications to join Ctrip's wireless platform--as early as last September, hotel reservations applied "hotel talent" had been working with Ctrip, Full access to ctrip more than 30,000 hotels online booking business. Users in the hotel talent, can be inquires and direct booking Ctrip hotel.

Ctrip also hopes that more third-party developers will be able to join the field of Ctrip wireless ecosystem, this year, the Ctrip joint developer Community CSDN held a number of wireless application developers contest, announced that will open including users, hotels, air tickets, vacations, buy, pay the API content. Suppose that the main hotels and tourism app are connected to the data of Ctrip, and developers actively develop the application based on its wireless platform, can greatly expand the flow of Ctrip and sales channels.

Ctrip chief Financial Officer Wu Wenjie recently publicly said that this year will still be Ctrip's "investment year", the mobile Internet and other strategic areas of increased investment.