Outpost’s travel experiences search engine reaps rewards of ‘growth hacking’

Outpost Travel claims to have become the biggest search engine for peer to peer travel experiences by exploiting the possibilities of ‘growth hacking’.

Outpost Travel claims to have become the biggest search engine for peer-to-peer travel experiences by exploiting the possibilities of ‘growth hacking’.

The start-up, among those who pitched at this week’s Small Fish Big Ocean WTM Pitch Night, said that since its inception in April it has seen massive growth.

Ovi Mija, founder, said: “The consumer wants to have a wide variety of choices. We give them that by putting together everything that everyone in this room offers.”

Asked how Outpost expects to grow users, Mija said the firm has spent hardly any money on marketing but that everyone it employs has a computer science background.

He said all come up with ideas that “fall into the category of growth hacking”, a technique that exploits existing large online communities, said to have been most controversially deployed by Airbnb which built its provider database on the back of Craigslist.

“We find ways of reaching into massive pools of consumers and telling them that there is a better place where they can find listings of what they are looking for,” said Mija, adding that although it refers to hacking there was nothing illegal in the technique.

Outpost offers three different models to it suppliers of experiences, accommodation rentals and rideshares: a 15% on any transaction, a $4 flat fee per inquiry or a $99 monthly subscription to list tours on the website.