TCOM vs ULTA Comparison

Trip.com is the largest online travel agent in China and is positioned to benefit from the country's rising demand for higher-margin outbound travel, as passport penetration is only 12% in China. The company generated about 79% of sales from accommodation reservations and transportation ticketing in 2024. The rest of the revenue comes from package tours and corporate travel. Before the pandemic in 2019, the firm generated 25% of revenue from international travel, which is important to its margin expansion.Most of its sales come from its domestic platform, but the company is expanding its overseas business. It competes in a crowded OTA industry in China, including Meituan, Alibaba-backed Fliggy, Tongcheng, and Qunar. The company was founded in 1999 and listed on the Nasdaq in December 2003.

Ulta Beauty is the largest specialized beauty retailer in the US with more than 1,500 stores and e-commerce. The firm offers cosmetics (38% of 2025 sales), fragrances (13%), skin care (24%), and hair care products (19%). It also has salon services, including hair, makeup, skin, and brow, that account for 4% of its revenue and drive customer traffic. Outside of the US, Ulta operates premium beauty retailer Space NK (86 stores at year-end 2025 in the UK and Ireland), has franchised stores in Mexico, and a joint venture in the Middle East. Ulta was founded in 1990 and is based in Bolingbrook, Illinois.