Striving for Travel App Visibility
Visibility and engagement. That is what every app strives for. With the resurgence of travel after a quiet couple of years, achieving visibility and engaging users in this competitive sector requires innovative strategies. With a projected $916 billion revenue in the global Travel & Tourism market in 2024 and 75% of all travel transactions shifting online by 2029, the potential for growth is immense. In a market dominated by giants like Booking.com and Airbnb, which control over 60% of the global online booking space, how can emerging and established apps carve out their niche? Here’s a roadmap.
App Ahoy! Optimize for App Discovery
Your app’s success starts with its storefront. High-quality visuals, engaging video previews, and keyword-rich descriptions ensure a strong first impression. But that alone isn’t enough. Using the right keywords to target the right users and intentions is also important. Regular updates reflecting new features or seasonal promotions are key, as over 50% of users update apps within a week of release.
Traditional mobile advertising may “relegate” most of your advertising to the Google Play Store, ads while browsing the web, and in-app ads, but OEM advertising is primed particularly well toward app discovery. With a plethora of ad formats and placements available all throughout the user journey within their device, even from the moment they first boot it up, travel apps would do well to take up OEM advertising to propel their app into the limelight.
Use Seasonal Trends to Drive Campaigns
Our previous article touched on the importance of timing your travel app’s advertising. Here’s a brief summary of how you can capitalize on global and regional travel trends. For example:
- Germany: 55% of December travel app bookings in 2023 targeted summer 2024 holidays.
- India: The package holiday market is set to reach $9.83 billion by 2024.
Aligning marketing efforts with these trends, like promoting summer travel during winter or offering package holiday deals, ensures relevance and engagement.
Embrace Personalization with AI
AI-driven personalization is vital, with 76% of users preferring tailored experiences. Employ machine learning to analyze user behavior, recommending destinations and deals tailored to their preferences. Integrating predictive analytics can further optimize ad targeting, increasing click-through rates and conversions. To that end, AVOW has embraced these technological advancements with our proprietary tool AVOW Inteliigence, blending our expertise with analytics to make media buying on any OEM platform both simple and effective. AI isn’t simply a buzzword anymore, and the exponential growth of this relatively young technology has catapulted it into the mainstream. Thus travel apps should not scoff at the idea of using and integrating AI into their app and advertising efforts.
Eggs & Baskets: Diversify Advertising Channels
Avoid over-reliance on traditional app stores like Google Play and Apple’s App Store. Diversify by exploring alternative platforms. Mobile OEMs, for instance, offer ad formats like splash screens and in-browser recommendations, which outperform conventional methods. Dynamic Preloads, for example, has increased the number of installs for many of our clients by an average of 1000%. Adding in the installs of Dynamic Preloads with the effectiveness of OEM advertising and alternative app stores is a surefire way for travel apps to diversify and and expand their presence.
Innovate User Retention Strategies
Retention is as important as acquisition. Ensure your app offers a seamless user experience:
- Provide loyalty rewards for frequent bookings.
- Send timely push notifications about exclusive deals or price drops. Mobile OEMs offer brands the functionality to advertise via push notifications. Combine that with precision targeting and personalization, and you have the sort of timely, instant, and relevant ads that only mobile OEMs can provide.
- Utilize user-generated content (UGC), such as reviews and travel photos, to build community and trust.
Address Payment Challenges
With increasing regulations in app stores, integrating multiple payment options—credit cards, wallets, and regional systems—can enhance accessibility and reduce churn. Most mobile OEMs offer their own payment systems, which can be integrated into the app to provide ease of use and offer users more freedom of choice.
All Aboard the Mobile OEM Advertising Train
Mobile OEMs offer access to a vast, untapped audience. With integrated advertising inventory across platforms like Samsung Galaxy Store, Xiaomi GetApps, and Huawei AppGallery to name a few, apps can engage with over 1.5 billion daily active users and achieve up to 10 million monthly downloads. Unique features such as Dynamic preloads and precise targeting ensure high visibility and user acquisition.
For instance, Samsung holds a 34% smartphone market share in Europe. Leveraging targeted ad placements in its Galaxy Store can significantly enhance visibility for travel apps looking to dominate in the region.
The road to travel app visibility is challenging but rewarding. By leveraging cutting-edge technologies, OEM partnerships, and data-driven strategies, your app can thrive in this lucrative market. As user preferences shift towards personalization and convenience, aligning your efforts with emerging trends will position your app as a must-have tool for modern travelers. Start your journey to visibility today!