In Q1 2025, Trip.com partnered with Addominion to scale mobile app growth across key global markets while maintaining a strong focus on user quality and post-install engagement. The goal wasn’t just to drive installs but to acquire users who actively searched, explored, and initiated bookings within the app.
Through a carefully executed affiliate performance strategy, Addominion delivered both scale and engagement, proving that affiliate marketing can drive measurable business outcomes beyond installs.
The Challenge
Trip.com operates in a highly competitive travel market where user acquisition costs are rising and install volume alone does not guarantee revenue. The challenge was to:
- Acquire high-quality app users across Tier 1 and Tier 2 markets
- Ensure strong post-install engagement, particularly flight searches and hotel booking initiation
- Scale volume while maintaining consistent ROI and low fraud levels
Our Approach
Addominion designed a mobile-first affiliate campaign built around install quality, intent-driven targeting, and engagement-based optimization.
We began by onboarding select, vetted affiliate partners with strong travel and lifestyle audiences. Rather than opening the campaign broadly, we prioritized quality publishers operating across in-app inventory, OEM channels, and premium content environments.
To ensure users matched Trip.com’s core audience, we applied smart targeting using contextual relevance, device-level insights, and behavioral signals indicating travel intent. This helped attract users already in a discovery or planning mindset.
A key differentiator of the campaign was the hybrid CPI + CPE payout model. While CPI supported scalable installs, CPE payouts were tied to meaningful post-install actions such as flight searches and hotel booking initiation. This ensured ongoing optimization toward users who demonstrated real intent inside the app.
Creative performance was continuously improved through localized A/B testing, allowing us to tailor messaging and visuals to each market. All activity was tracked through Adjust, providing full transparency, accurate attribution, and robust fraud prevention.
The Results
The campaign delivered strong results across volume, engagement, and quality metrics.
| Metric | Result |
|---|---|
| Total Installs | Over 220,000 |
| Top Geographies (GEOs) | Singapore, Thailand, United States, Germany |
| CPE Events Tracked | Flight search, hotel booking initiation |
| Average Cost Per Engagement (CPE) | $2.70 |
| D7 Retention Rate | 28% |
| Post-Install Booking Engagement | 32% of users completed a high-intent action |
| Fraud Rate | Less than 1% |
Why the Campaign Worked
The success of this campaign was driven by three core factors.
First, the use of high-quality traffic sources ensured alignment with Trip.com’s premium travel audience. By focusing on trusted affiliates and curated inventory, we avoided low-intent traffic often associated with volume-led acquisition.
Second, engagement-based optimization shifted performance measurement beyond installs. By tying payouts to real in-app actions, we continuously optimized toward users more likely to convert into bookings.
Finally, transparent reporting and real-time attribution enabled fast decision-making and complete confidence in results. Both Addominion and Trip.com had full visibility into performance, engagement, and fraud controls throughout the campaign.
Client Feedback
“The Addominion team delivered not just volume, but high-intent users who actively engaged with our core travel products. Their optimization strategy and responsiveness were key to scaling the campaign sustainably.”
— UA Manager, Trip.com
Conclusion
This campaign demonstrates how affiliate marketing, when executed with the right strategy and partners, can drive scalable mobile app growth without compromising on quality.
By combining selective publisher onboarding, smart targeting, engagement-based payouts, and full-funnel transparency, Addominion helped Trip.com achieve strong ROI and meaningful user engagement across global markets.
If you’re looking to scale your mobile app with users who do more than just install, Addominion delivers performance that drives real business impact.
