localloop Overview - a new tripadvisor feature
(personal project)
Timeframe: 1 week sprint
Role: Designer and copywriter
Team: 1 Designer
Tools: Figma, Adobe Illustrator, and Adobe Photoshop
The objective of the project was to help tourists effortlessly find local deals. During a recent vacation in Italy, I realized how much valuable time I spent researching the best restaurants, unique experiences, and shopping destinations instead of enjoying the moment. Rather than immersing myself in the vibrant atmosphere, I was often behind my phone—not just capturing memories, but continually searching for high-quality, affordable options. The overwhelming number of choices made planning both time-consuming and stressful, detracting from my ability to be fully present.
Problem statement: Travelers often struggle to find quality, affordable experiences without spending excessive time searching, which detracts from their ability to be present and engaged. How might we streamline the discovery process and deliver timely, relevant deals through geo-fenced notifications to create a safer, more intuitive, and memorable travel experience?
Data analysis
“Travel app retargeting and personalized notifications now drive more than 75% of conversions in travel apps, showing strong user engagement with timely, relevant offers delivered directly to the user.”
Massive Reach: Tripadvisor saw 294 million unique users in 2023, providing an enormous pool of potential customers who could be exposed to LocalLoop’s offerings and local business promotions.
Mobile-First Audience: 62.5% of traffic is from mobile-first travelers. LocalLoop’s mobile integration aligns perfectly with user behavior, increasing the likelihood of engagement with timely, location-based deals and experiences.
Active User Base: Over 1,000,000 monthly active app users signal an engaged community, giving your solution a robust foundation for rapid adoption and daily usage.
Personalization: Travel app retargeting and personalized notifications now drive more than 75% of conversions in travel apps, showing strong user engagement with timely, relevant offers delivered directly to the user. Users increasingly expect personalized, AI-powered experiences that reduce friction and help them find what they want faster, indicating demand for smart, contextual services like LocalLoop’s geo-fenced notifications
Projected Growth: The global travel and tourism app market is projected to grow at an 18.5% CAGR from 2025 to 2034, reaching $3.5 trillion, demonstrating a rapidly expanding market opportunity
With Tripadvisor’s extensive, mobile-first user base and active app community, LocalLoop is positioned to drive measurable impact for local businesses and create scalable revenue opportunities—unlocking market growth through direct access to millions of travelers seeking real-time, relevant experiences.
Tripadvisor’s large and loyal user base makes LocalLoop not only feasible but also presents a significant opportunity to unlock untapped potential for them and local businesses.
Use Case
When a traveler opens Tripadvisor, they receive a notification that LocalLoop is live and are prompted to enable notifications. After selecting their preferred notification type and distance range, they receive alerts about nearby promotions. LocalLoop operates using passive location notifications through geo-fencing, ensuring minimal data usage—each notification is approximately 1KB. By tapping “Get Directions,” their default map app opens to guide them. Additionally, state restoration is built in—so if they close Tripadvisor, they are returned to the exact screen they left off on when they reopen the app.
When a traveler selects “Get Directions” from the promotion screen, a personalized notification is sent to remind them to return to the app to redeem their deal. If the traveler is notified of a promotion but is not ready to redeem it immediately, they can save it to a “LocalLoop Saved Deals” page, where it will remain accessible for the duration of the promotion period. If the deal is not redeemed within that timeframe, it is automatically removed.
To redeem promotions, the offer must be presented within the app—screenshots will not be accepted. Once a promotion is redeemed, it is automatically deactivated.
Prototype
engagement features
A home screen banner and customizable settings drive visibility to the LocalLoop feature while geofenced alerts prompt action.
Notification banner was added with “Enable Now” CTA which goes directly to the settings page for LocalLoop
LocalLoop filter settings deliver only relevant deals
The ability to save deals for later, gives customers agency to act when ready.
The flow stays seamless with state restoration after map navigation. No need to hunt for the promo when you leave the app to get directions.
QR codes include manual backup codes for easy redemption-no extra tech required for those grassroots, family run businesses.
Promos change into a disabled state once redeemed.
Business Goals
Position Tripadvisor as a proactive travel companion-not just a review site which creates a competitive edge and new monetization opportunities.
Improvements added to experience
Offers are served when they’re most relevant-at destination, in the moment.
Expected Outcome
Increase customer engagement and revenue.
IMPACT
Enhancing the tourist experience through relevant and timely offers that add value and convenience, LocalLoop provides local businesses with a subscription-based dashboard on the Tripadvisor platform to post promotions directly to potential customers. This solution drives measurable increases in foot traffic, customer engagement, and same-day sales, while generating revenue for both the businesses and Tripadvisor.