Chinese travel company integrates products into video sharing platform

The partnership between Tongcheng-Elong and Kuaishou will seek to integrate travel products and services into video and live-streaming content

Spotted: Major Chinese online travel agency Tongcheng-Elong Holdings has announced a strategic partnership with the video-sharing site Kuaishou. The partnership will seek to integrate travel products and services into video and live-streaming content on the site. The two companies will also work together to jointly launch a travel incentive programme, which will encourage Kuaishou users to create inspiring content.

Kuaishou is the world’s second-largest video sharing platform and a competitor to TikTok’s Douyin. The company’s Kuaishou Express version has 100 million users and tailors its offerings to those living outside China’s Tier 1 cities, which are often less tech-savvy. The main app has more than 300 million daily users, who each spend around 85 minutes on the app each day, mostly watching live-streaming and videos. The company, which is 21.5 per cent owned by Tencent, recently announced the launch of its IPO. 

The deal will see Tongcheng-Elong and Kuaishou cooperate in areas such as supply chain management, user traffic, content creation, branding, marketing and data sharing. Tongcheng-Elong’s products, such as hotel and attraction bookings, will be available for direct purchase on the Kuaishou platform. There will also be in-app services, such as a feature which suggests specific products to Kuaishou users.

Tongcheng-Elong and Kuaishou both expressed hope that the deal will allow travellers to more easily research and purchase their travel products. Zhiwei Bai, Vice President of Tongcheng-Elong, explained that, “This in-depth cooperation with Kuaishou will provide consumers with a seamless purchasing experience, more travel scenarios, and will also help to diversify our user traffic channels.” 

This type of partnership is becoming increasingly popular, as more brands realise the many benefits of having a presence on video sharing and live-streaming platforms. Springwise has recently covered a platform that brings live-streaming to physical shops and a live-streamed product launch.

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