There's a clear shift happening in Chinese outbound travel, and South Korea is at the center of it. With recent regional changes, South Korea has rapidly become the new top destination for Chinese tourists. This isn't just a passing trend—it's being solidified by South Korea's visa-free policy for group tourists, which is driving sustained interest.
As the Christmas and New Year holidays approach, this wave is cresting into a major opportunity, with the upcoming Chinese Spring Festival period following closely as the next critical touchpoint. For Korean brands, this means a sustained influx of high-spending consumers arriving at your doorstep. The critical question is: how do you not just greet them, but build lasting influence that continues to drive growth in China long after they return home?
From a Single Transaction to a Lasting Relationship
Today's Chinese tourists are experienced and well-informed. A purchase at a duty-free shop is just a transaction. The real win is turning that visitor into a loyal customer who keeps buying and even recommends the local brand back home. Traditional marketing approaches often fall short because they fail to connect engagement across the complete customer lifecycle: before departure, during the stay, and after the return.
The key is precise engagement across all three stages. This is where AI makes the difference, turning a complex process into an automated and efficient strategy.
iPinYou: Your Partner in Precision Across the Entire Journey
As China's first and leading Demand-Side Platform (DSP), iPinYou empowers brands with Decision AI applications focused on marketing and sales. We move beyond basic advertising to provide a strategic, automated technology partnership. How can we enable Korean brands to master each phase?
Inspire Before the Trip - We identify and reach high-potential users who have shown intent through related searches or flight bookings to Korea, serving them targeted ads to plant your brand firmly in their travel plans.
Connect & Convert During the Visit - Utilizing operator data and advanced geo-targeting, we re-engage these users while they are in Korea, delivering timely and location-relevant messages to drive foot traffic and conversions.
Re-engage After They Return Home - The journey doesn't end at departure. We execute smart retargeting campaigns aimed at returned travelers, seamlessly guiding them to your official storefronts on Tmall, JD.com, and other key Chinese platforms to secure repeat purchases and foster long-term loyalty.
Why Partner with iPinYou?
- Media scale for total reach: We provide access to over 95% of China's digital media touchpoints. This ensures your message can find and influence your target audience at any stage of their journey, anywhere online.
- Deep Ecosystem Partnerships for Closed-Loop Conversion: Our established collaborations with key third-party platforms—including Tmall, JD.com, Douyin (TikTok), Xiaohongshu and retail platforms—are crucial. These partnerships allow us to not only create awareness but also to drive precise actions, from offline engagement to direct online sales, creating a true full-funnel marketing loop.
- Decision AI for Precision & Automation: Beyond reach, our proprietary Decision AI technology ensures your budget is optimized intelligently. It automates targeting and bidding across this vast landscape, ensuring efficiency and maximizing ROI across the entire customer lifecycle.
These holiday seasons are coming with visitors' arriving. Let's connect to discuss how we can build a tailored "Pre-During-Post Trip" strategy for your brand—capturing the holiday surge and building a stronger foundation for your future in China.
