Cross-border marketing is shifting rapidly due to how modern travellers find, plan, and visit physical storefronts. For brands exploring these new horizons, winning over Mainland Chinese consumers takes more than just relying on the standard search engines and social media. To truly capture consumer intent, they must integrate directly into the apps Chinese travellers use on the go. Our June 17, 2026 seminar focused on exactly that, uncovering Gaode (Amap) as the missing puzzle piece to connect online intent with real-world, offline foot traffic.
As an Amap Official Partner, AsiaPac co-hosted an exclusive session with Amap to deliver this solution. Led by Christy Lau (Associate Business Development Director, AsiaPac) alongside Jelly Lam (Head of Merchant Operations, International Channel Department, Amap), the session provided an actionable blueprint to transform regional location data into concrete brick-and-mortar traffic.
Capturing the Intent of the Premium Global Explorer
A core theme of the discussion was the shift in behaviour among Chinese outbound travellers. Today, navigation has transcended its original role, going from a basic utility tool to a lifestyle-driven ecosystem. In this space, Amap’s presence is undeniable, serving an enormous user base of over 900 million monthly active users (MAU) and more than 100 million daily active users (DAU).
Gaode (Amap) broke down exactly who the modern traveller represents, and the data proves that this cohort is an incredibly valuable audience.
For starters, Gaode (Amap)’s footprint in regional travel hubs is massive. The platform captures a majority of independent travellers visiting Hong Kong, and that momentum extends heavily into Southeast Asia and East Asia. Namely, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, and South Korea are some of the fastest-growing markets where the app already commands millions of active users on the move.
But it’s the demographic profile that really catches the attention of international brands. Amap’s user base is highly educated and affluent: nearly 90% hold a bachelor’s degree or higher, and about half (45%) fall into the middle-class to top-tier wealth brackets. They are also primarily under 40, mobile-first, and hail from first-tier cities and the Greater Bay Area.
Because these self-guided travellers crave premium experiences, they use Amap for far more than point-A-to-point-B navigation. With more than 200 countries covered, the app functions as an all-in-one lifestyle portal where users handle everything on the go, from lane-level navigation to ride-hailing, dining reservations, and hotel bookings.
From Exposure to Foot Traffic: High-Impact LBS Solutions
The technical side of the seminar detailed how global brands can use Amap’s location-based services (LBS) to reach travellers at the exact moment of decision-making. Instead of blasting generic digital ads, businesses can target audiences based on their real-time location, spending power, and transit behaviour through two distinct paths.
Brands that want maximum visibility can use the platform’s high-exposure awareness tools such as “Open Splash” ads (capture immediate attention upon opening the app) or “Top Search” placements (guarantee the first spot for general queries). Likewise, marketers can also utilise “Navigation End Banners” to trigger tailored prompts right as a traveller arrives at their destination, or use “Diamond Banners” directly on competitors' listing pages to redirect high-intent traffic. For long-term, sustained awareness, businesses can leverage the “Brand Map” annual package to highlight their store locations with custom branded map pins and flagship landing pages.
On the performance side, the focus shifts to driving immediate foot traffic and measurable ROI through annual programs like “Amap Business Connect.” Brick-and-mortar locations can claim and optimise their digital profiles with verified photo albums, welcome gifts, and review management. Once optimised, stores can use CPC (cost-per-click) boosting to gain free visibility across nearby recommendations and post-navigation feeds, which they only pay when a user actually interacts with the ad.
Moving past vanity metrics like impressions, Amap also allows merchants to track valid store visits by verifying actual physical arrivals via navigation data or ride-hailing drop-offs.
Maximising the Cross-Border Opportunity with AsiaPac and Amap
As the world becomes inherently interconnected, capturing the intent of today’s Chinese outbound traveller requires turning location data into real-world foot traffic. This seminar highlighted exactly how the strategic alliance between AsiaPac’s regional expertise and Amap’s powerful LBS ecosystem provides global brands with the end-to-end framework they need to reach these high-value consumers at scale.
Ready to elevate your cross-border marketing strategy and connect with premium outbound travellers? Reach out to us at info@asiapac.com.hk or info@adtechinno.com for more information.
About AsiaPac & AdTechinno
AsiaPac, with AdTechinno as its subsidiary, is an AI-driven, omnichannel digital marketing agency with extensive experience supporting more than 5,000 brands across the Asia Pacific. Its teams work across various sectors—including education, travel and hospitality, retail, finance, and public services—delivering performance-driven strategies rooted in local market insight.
With offices in Hong Kong, Chinese Mainland, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, and Indonesia, AsiaPac helps brands navigate Asia’s most complex digital ecosystems with confidence and precision.
Beyond strategic insight, we empower brands through our proprietary AI SaaS ecosystem. This includes KOOLER AI for data-led KOL discovery across 200,000+ creators, Kolsify for building culturally resonant digital avatars and social content, and OptAdEasy for AI-driven ad management and automated banner creation. Together with our programmatic DSP, APHub, we ensure that cross-border campaigns are both precise and scalable.
