At the start of the Year of the Horse, the battle for the taxi market between Kuaidi and Didi quickly escalated from intensifying to boiling over, boldly dominating the headlines and front pages of major media outlets, even disrupting and transforming multiple industries, with radio stations not spared. From the price wars between JD.com and Suning to the cashback craze of Kuaidi and Didi, ultimately, the root cause of the continuously fierce competition lies in users' love and dependence on discounts, especially free offers. For users, the more promotions, the better—regardless of industry or type. In the online travel booking market, which encompasses dining, accommodation, travel, and shopping, from attraction tickets to lodging, from discount offers to cash rewards, various free and discounted phenomena are commonplace. Especially as both online and offline promotional activities have become increasingly abundant, users' sensitivity to OTA merchant promotions has gradually decreased, while their expectations for the magnitude of discounts have risen accordingly.
Recently, after surveying various major travel OTA websites, the editor found that even during the relatively quiet travel months of February and March, the online competition among OTAs remained fierce, with a continuous stream of promotional activities. The main types of offers focused on ticket discounts and free accommodation:
Organizer: Youduoduo Travel Network
Discount Level: ★★★★★
Winning Probability: ★★★★
Campaign Period: Ongoing
Free accommodation experience is a long-term membership reward activity organized by Youduoduo for its online users. After successfully placing an order and checking in, users can log in to the Youduoduo page and submit a review as required to participate in winning a free stay. In addition, all users who successfully participate in the activity will receive a 100 RMB room booking coupon, with a success rate of over 80% for scoring a free stay.
To more accurately understand the optimal alignment between merchants' discount offerings and users' desires, in mid-February, the editor conducted a one-week questionnaire survey. The data showed that among the above merchant promotions, full waivers and ultra-low flash sale deals garnered the most attention from netizens, with Youduoduo’s “Free Accommodation Experience” securing the top spot with 62.8% support. It seems that in the eyes of users spoiled by merchants’ promotional offers, nothing beats truly free as the ultimate deal.