Evolution and Optimization of Ticket Product Structure at Trip.com

Product structure is a critical factor for e‑commerce platforms, influencing booking flow, merchant efficiency, platform scalability, and end‑user experience. Highly structured product data enables precise recommendation algorithms and adds value for both buyers and sellers.

The ticket product structure at Trip.com has evolved through four major stages: (1) pre‑2019 low‑structured resource, product, and activity tickets with many unstructured text fields; (2) 2020 consolidation of the three structures into a unified model with internationalization improvements; (3) 2021 standardization of sales attributes to enhance recognizability and booking experience; and (4) 2022 introduction of an extensible attribute element library and POI‑centric information layering to further increase structural depth.

Analysis from multiple viewpoints revealed recurring problems: users faced duplicated items and verbose descriptions; merchants struggled with complex multi‑structure selection and uneven traffic distribution; the platform suffered from weak information‑management tools and high translation costs; and R&D teams dealt with slow requirement response due to duplicated implementations across structures. These issues manifested as low efficiency (long iteration cycles, high maintenance cost) and poor quality (low structural granularity, weak hierarchical control).

The proposed strategy addresses these pain points through three pillars: (1) product‑structure integration to retire low‑structured models and adopt a highly structured, flexible system; (2) sales‑attribute standardization to create a unified SKU taxonomy that enables accurate identification and recommendation; and (3) description‑attribute layering to centralize POI information, apply templated key/value formats, and improve readability and consistency.

Implementation follows a three‑layer model—product layer (reusable information), package layer (SKU combinations such as session and seat), and resource layer (individual inventory units). Alignment of fields and functions across legacy systems, internationalization upgrades (text, sentence, and time‑type handling), and a phased data‑migration & system‑switch plan (full‑scale analysis, gray‑scale rollout, real‑time API validation, and rollback mechanisms) ensure compatibility and minimize risk.

After five months of migration, the merged structure reduced development effort, decommissioned twelve applications, lowered hardware costs, and enabled the international site to support diverse shelf formats with reduced translation overhead. Standardized sales attributes clarified SKU differences for users, while layered description attributes delivered richer, more accurate product information through templated, reusable content.

In summary, the systematic redesign of ticket product structure—combining backend integration, attribute standardization, and hierarchical description—significantly improved operational efficiency, user experience, data quality, and international scalability, offering a reference model for similar e‑commerce optimization efforts.