There are over 5 Million apps available to download on Android and iOS. How would you stand out in the crowd? Of course, some loyal customers choose your app as soon as it's launched, but what about targeting new patrons?

TravClan already had an app up and running but they wanted to offer a more coherent experience to their customers. Therefore, they decided to make their app a one-stop destination for travelers. For this, they needed numerous features, namely:

• A dynamic space for users to share travel updates through photos, videos, and text
• A social experience of connecting and engaging with likeminded users
• A robust system to share and view reviews
• A unified space to ask questions and find answers

Beyond these general features, they also required to triumph over the challenge of content saturation. The OnTrip case study is a highlight of multiple achievements including utilizing user-generated content, becoming the perfect travel concierge, and mastering the build vs buy dilemma.

OnTrip: A 360° Travel Companion

Developed by TravClan, OnTrip is a comprehensive travel app designed to be a traveler’s companion throughout their journey. It connects travel agents with travelers, streamlining every aspect of travel - from flights and hotels to transportation and payments. The app aims to create a frictionless experience that solves every traveler’s need in one place.

Challenge: Building a User-Centric Ecosystem

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OnTrip envisioned an app that surpasses every other alternative. Once users download it, they should not require any other app to facilitate their travel journey. 

Since building such a scalable app in-house would cost them a fortune, they considered partnering with a third party. There were 2 major hurdles in their way.

First - Timeline

They needed a quality solution quickly. Every vendor they considered comprised either one of them. Arun mentioned that he shortlisted 4 companies but all of them had the following limitations:

• The time to market was significantly longer
• Limited control over UI components with less flexibility

Furthermore, they needed a solution that provides:

• Cost-effective solution to save both time and money
• Reliably scales with their users’ growth

Second - The App Itself

OnTrip wanted to create an app that is more than just a bridge between agents and travelers. This required a strategic approach that prioritizes the needs and preferences of travelers. 

To begin with, OnTrip had some basic requirements. They needed a solution that enabled users to:

• Share experiences through photos and videos
• Explore fellow travelers' journeys
• Access valuable resources
• Ask questions and seek advice

This solution heavily relied on a flexible UI. They also needed a modular Feed Theme that solves multiple problems in one go. That’s when they encountered LikeMinds.

Solution: LikeMinds' 15-Minute Integration & Customization

“The likemindedness was in the fact that since day 1 of our interaction, the LikeMinds team was always very focused on making sure that we are able to go live very quickly because that was our Super P0.”
                - Arun

During an initial call with OnTrip, we identified that more than one type of theme solves their problems. To start with, we decided to focus on a modular Social Feed theme that enables users to:

• Share photos, videos, texts, and more on social feeds
• Interact and engage with other likeminded users
• Create polls and tag other members
• Block or report others

We also made sure that the OnTrip team has complete control over the activities in the app. For this, we enabled them to:

• Moderate content that is being posted on the app
• Limit content posting to specific users
• Access to the team dashboard and more

Since time was of the essence to OnTrip, we committed to completing the integration within 15 minutes of the first demo call itself - and we did!

“The entire integration process was not only smooth but also really short”. 
                 - Arun

Building More Than Just An App

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Users are naturally familiar with a Social Feed. The UI and navigation are simple enough to master. Hence such a feed makes sense to quickly enable users to get familiar with the app’s usage. But to hook users to the OnTrip app needed more than just building a user-friendly interface.

This is when we started brainstorming different ideas and discovered our hero strategy - content-led commerce.

The workflow for this strategy was fundamental. Let users find each and everything in one app - travel resources, detailed itineraries, user reviews, commute details, and more. Empower users to share and ask, and leverage this user-generated content to keep the app updated. This also opened paths to explore more types of Feed Themes within the app, namely Review Feed and Q&A Feed.

“The LikeMinds team has pushed us to think better and do faster”.
               - Arun

Result: Superfast Launch and Personalised Features

OnTrip team wanted to go live quickly, and we obliged. After the 15-minute integration, their team was free to explore the unlimited possibilities. We offered them a 100% customizable UI with easily deployable tailored widgets. We also made sure to provide adequate support throughout their journey.

In the next 5 days, the Social Feed was ready to experience on theOnTrip app.

Build or Buy Dilemma Resolved

Choosing a vendor to build their app was a no-brainer for the OnTrip team. This was because of their previous experiences.

During the conversation, Arun mentioned how entrepreneurs like him, want to do as much as possible by themselves. This is to either learn or to save money. But if you are stuck in the loop of deciding whether to build or buy, he has a perfect solution for you.

“Ask yourself what is your core business!” Let’s say, if your core business is to provide the best of fashion to your customers, then spending time and resources in achieving that should be your focus. This will help you to identify which tasks to withhold and outsource.

To explain it further, Arun made an analogy - as a company, you integrate with a payment gateway to facilitate transactions. In the same way, integrating with a brand like LikeMinds fast-tracks the development of social features within the app.

The answer lies in choosing a vendor that has relevant experience and views your business as more than just a transaction.

“There is a lot of expertise and learning that LikeMinds, as a team, adds which is very very important. Otherwise, you make the same mistakes that others have made and you don’t move forward quickly”.
                   - Arun