WAYN.com reports a massive 500% growth in site visits
Technology
WAYN, the fastest growing travel and lifestyle social media platform in the world, recently reported a year on year visitor growth of over 500%. Last year March their site visits clocked in at 4.5 million a month while this year they are bringing in an astounding 23 million visits to their site every month. Overall the site has grown from 45,000 users (March 2005) to over 19 million users today.
WAYN, the fastest growing travel and lifestyle social media platform in the world, recently reported a year on year visitor growth of over 500%. Last year March their site visits clocked in at 4.5 million a month while this year they are bringing in an astounding 23 million visits to their site every month. Overall the site has grown from 45,000 users (March 2005) to over 19 million users today.
“We attribute this growth to a renewed sense of focus and an ongoing drive to understand what our users want when engaging with the site,” says Jerome Touze, co-CEO of WAYN. “We have spent a lot of time looking at ways to improve the product and simplify the user’s experience. One of the key success factors, I believe, is that we are now adapting the structure of the site according to the user’s journey.” he adds.
WAYN is a travel and lifestyle social network, present in 193 countries, where browsers can share experiences, keep track of friends, meet new people and log their trips. When the site first started in 2006 it was mainly used for messaging, blogging and posting photos and video. But over the years WAYN has evolved into a multi-layered, highly social and engaging platform for travellers.
Their recent new product developments, to which Touze attributes the site’s massive growth, include elements that make it easier for users to add destinations and activities, meet like-minded people, add and invite friends, share pictures and trip-tips and experiences. Overall these developments have shifted the site into being more travel and lifestyle focused, more engaging and more contextualised.
WAYN is well positioned to fuse together its strength in social with its affinity with travel and its potential with local, which makes them an ideal ‘glocal’ (global and local) place to meet, explore and discover. How do they differentiate from other social media platform? At WAYN they ask three fundamental questions: what do I want to do; who I want to do it with; how do I do it; and then they help the user map the answer.
“Our biggest challenge has always been how to differentiate ourselves and compete in a very competitive market.” says fellow co-CEO, Peter Ward. “The social networking space has seen many platforms come and go and we are very aware of how fortunate we are to have consistently shown growth. We believe it is because we are always listening to what our users want and are constantly striving to provide them with a reason to use WAYN.”
“In the development of WAYN we have had to remain flexible both in terms of our operating model and our customer needs. We have strived to drive an innovative culture throughout our business but the most rewarding and cost-effective change has come from being able to test our thinking on a willing and informed consumer base,” adds Touze.
As for WAYN’s business model, Ward explains: “We have recently refocused our efforts to create a new type of subscription offering called VIP. This provides a premium extension to our existing service. It provides subscribers with a combination of offline and online benefits such as browsing in secret, sending gifts, discounted entry to nightclubs etc. So far the feedback has been really positive.”
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“We attribute this growth to a renewed sense of focus and an ongoing drive to understand what our users want when engaging with the site,” says Jerome Touze, co-CEO of WAYN. “We have spent a lot of time looking at ways to improve the product and simplify the user’s experience. One of the key success factors, I believe, is that we are now adapting the structure of the site according to the user’s journey.” he adds.
WAYN is a travel and lifestyle social network, present in 193 countries, where browsers can share experiences, keep track of friends, meet new people and log their trips. When the site first started in 2006 it was mainly used for messaging, blogging and posting photos and video. But over the years WAYN has evolved into a multi-layered, highly social and engaging platform for travellers.
Their recent new product developments, to which Touze attributes the site’s massive growth, include elements that make it easier for users to add destinations and activities, meet like-minded people, add and invite friends, share pictures and trip-tips and experiences. Overall these developments have shifted the site into being more travel and lifestyle focused, more engaging and more contextualised.
WAYN is well positioned to fuse together its strength in social with its affinity with travel and its potential with local, which makes them an ideal ‘glocal’ (global and local) place to meet, explore and discover. How do they differentiate from other social media platform? At WAYN they ask three fundamental questions: what do I want to do; who I want to do it with; how do I do it; and then they help the user map the answer.
“Our biggest challenge has always been how to differentiate ourselves and compete in a very competitive market.” says fellow co-CEO, Peter Ward. “The social networking space has seen many platforms come and go and we are very aware of how fortunate we are to have consistently shown growth. We believe it is because we are always listening to what our users want and are constantly striving to provide them with a reason to use WAYN.”
“In the development of WAYN we have had to remain flexible both in terms of our operating model and our customer needs. We have strived to drive an innovative culture throughout our business but the most rewarding and cost-effective change has come from being able to test our thinking on a willing and informed consumer base,” adds Touze.
As for WAYN’s business model, Ward explains: “We have recently refocused our efforts to create a new type of subscription offering called VIP. This provides a premium extension to our existing service. It provides subscribers with a combination of offline and online benefits such as browsing in secret, sending gifts, discounted entry to nightclubs etc. So far the feedback has been really positive.”
[ENDS]
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