New platform will enable retailers to more effectively target the 130 million outbound Chinese travellers

HONG KONG--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sep. 26, 2018-- iClick Interactive Asia Group Limited (“iClick”) (Nasdaq: ICLK), a leading independent online marketing technology platform in China, today announced it is collaborating with Ctrip.com International Limited (“Ctrip”)(Nasdaq: CTRP), China’s top online travel agency (OTA), to create an e-commerce platform that allows retailers to directly target China’s 130 million-plus foreign travellers and provides them tools to maximise sales closure.

The platform, expected to launch in China in the fourth quarter 2018, utilizes iClick’s proprietary technology capable of gathering precise data from its 750 million profiled Chinese consumers, including which websites these individuals typically visit to shop for certain products and services. iClick will power new tools on the collaborative platform that increase the capability to identify and target travellers from China.

All travellers purchasing flights on Ctrip will be given access to the platform and subsequently have the chance to pre-order products through the Duty-Free operator at their destination airport before leaving China. The travellers will have access to hundreds of globally renowned brands and “must-have” local products. The shopping experience for travellers will further be improved through personalized messaging, flexible real-time pricing and payment options, prior to and during their trip.

Participating retailers on the platform will be able to establish an online storefront for selling their products while accessing anonymous but comprehensive data on relevant travellers. As a result, these retailers are expected to significantly increase their sales volumes without an appreciable increase in expense.

iClick will distribute the new platform to thousands of travel retailer brands, including both Chinese and international brands that traditionally market to the more lucrative segment of Chinese outbound travellers. iClick expects to derive revenue from the platform through subscription fees paid by participating retailers and via ad placement by brands that may or may not be the subscribers of the platform.

“Travellers to foreign nations have traditionally been among the most elusive groups to target effectively via online marketing and advertising,” said iClick CEO Sammy Hsieh. “Thanks however to the enormous influx of data we have recently derived from China-based travellers, we are now able to understand better than ever what products and services they will likely buy, where and when they will buy them, and how best to make these sales happen.”

“We are very excited to join forces with Ctrip, which will contribute a vast amount of consumer data relating to the most popular destinations for Chinese travellers. Our companies’ combined technology will result, we believe, in a collaborative platform providing unparalleled new sales opportunities to retailers and a greatly enhanced experience for Chinese travellers going overseas.”

Samson Chai, Overseas Marketing Director of Ctrip, added, “Partnering with iClick is a great opportunity to provide our customers in China with an easy-to-use platform that can extend their travel experience and enjoyment and help them pre-order numerous products, hassle-free. We look forward to the deeper collaboration with iClick and launching this important new travel platform together.”

The number of Chinese outbound travellers has grown from 83.2 million in 2012 to close to 130 million in 2017, and reached 71.3 million in the first half of 2018, according to the 2017 China Outbound Travel Big Data Reportby China Tourism Academy and Ctrip. In 2017, Chinese outbound travellers ranked No. 1 worldwide in terms of average spending per trip.

About iClick Interactive Asia Limited

iClick Interactive Asia Group Limited (Nasdaq:ICLK) is an independent online marketing technology platform that connects worldwide marketers with audiences in China. Built on cutting-edge technologies, our proprietary platform possesses omni-channel marketing capabilities and fulfills various marketing objectives in a data-driven and automated manner, helping both international and domestic marketers reach their target audiences in China. Headquartered in Hong Kong, iClick Interactive was established in 2009, currently operating in eight locations worldwide including Asia and London.

About Ctrip

Ctrip.com International, Ltd. is a leading travel service provider of accommodation reservation, transportation ticketing, packaged tours and corporate travel management in China. It is the largest online consolidator of accommodations and transportation tickets in China in terms of transaction volume. Ctrip enables business and leisure travelers to make informed and cost-effective bookings by aggregating comprehensive travel related information and offering its services through an advanced transaction and service platform consisting of its mobile apps, Internet websites and centralized, toll-free, 24-hour customer service center. Ctrip also helps customers book vacation packages and guided tours. In addition, through its corporate travel management services, Ctrip helps corporate clients effectively manage their travel requirements. Since its inception in 1999, Ctrip has experienced substantial growth and become one of the best-known travel brands in China.

Safe Harbor Statement

This announcement contains forward-looking statements. These statements constitute “forward-looking” statements within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and as defined in the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "will," "expects," "anticipates," "future," "intends," "plans," "believes," "estimates," "confident" and similar statements. Such statements are based upon management’s current expectations and current market and operating conditions and relate to events that involve known or unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, all of which are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond the Company’s control. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties. A number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement, including but not limited to the following: the Company's fluctuations in growth; its success in implementing its mobile strategies; relative percentage of its gross billing recognized as net revenues under the gross and net models; its ability to retain existing clients or attract new ones; its ability to retain content distribution channels and negotiate favourable contractual terms; market competition, including from independent online marketing technology platforms as well as large and well-established internet companies; market acceptance of online marketing technology solutions; effectiveness of its algorithms and data engines; its ability to collect and use data from various sources; and general economic conditions in China. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in the Company's filings with the SEC. All information provided in this press release and in the attachments is as of the date of this press release, and the Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement, except as required under applicable law.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180926005309/en/

Source: iClick Interactive Asia Group Limited

Media contacts:
Selina Wong
iClick Interactive Asia Limited
Telephone: (852) 3700 9068
Email: selina.wong@i-click.com
or
Helen Lam / Tim Nicholls
Paradigm Consulting
Telephone: (852) 2251 9082 / (852) 2251 9081
Email: helen.lam@paradigmconsulting.com.hk
tim.nicholls@paradigmconsulting.com.hk
or
Investor contacts:
(China)
Jie Jiao
iClick Interactive Asia Limited
Telephone: (852) 3700 9065
Email: ir@i-click.com
or
(U.S.)
Evan Pondel / Laurie Berman
PondelWilkinson
Telephone: (310) 279-5980
Email: ICLK@pondel.com