simpcity Dating. It’s as old as humankind. And it has taken many forms throughout the ages. It wasn’t really the free exercise of two people finding each other, dating, falling in love and getting married. Societal and parental restrictions were always in place.
As we moved into the 20th century, though, things began to change. Young people were more mobile, were enjoying independence and freedom like never before, and dating changed too. People moved around in their circles of friends, met new friends, got “set up” on blind dates, and enjoyed their dating experiences, even though they rarely ventured out of their locales unless they went away to college.
The Big Change
The year was 1995, and two entrepreneurs had the idea to set up an online dating service that would match singles looking for love, based on their mutual interests and preferences. Within a short period of time, that idea was shown to obviously be a good one.
As always happens then a new idea generates profit, others want in on that act. And so, online dating services began to hit the market in droves. Today, there are over 8,000 of them worldwide, and it’s a $10 billion industry, projected to reach over $14 billion by 2030.
How Did This Happen?
There are several reasons for such substantial growth:
- First and foremost is the rapid growth of the Internet and consumer use of it to connect with the outside world and then, of course, to begin to shop online via websites that offered products and services.
- As consumers began to use online shopping and services more, they became focused on efficiency and speed.
- Younger generations added to the demands on the online consumer economy. They wanted what they wanted when they wanted it.
- Social media exploded, and it allowed consumers to connect with others through various platforms, forming new friendships and connections. People came to see the Internet not just as consumers to businesses but as people-to-people.
Online dating services were really a natural outgrowth of people enjoying connecting with each other on a personal level. These dating services could bring a large cadre of people together who were looking for everything from friendship to casual dating, to longer lasting relationships.
A variety of dating services emerged, and they developed websites and downloadable apps. There were large ones that focused on anyone looking to “date” in cyberspace and smaller niche sites to meet more specific preferences – nerd, farmer, senior, elite, religious and even gay apps, so that singles could narrow those focus.
What’s the Appeal?
Here’s the thing about contemporary consumers. They value efficiency. And if an online dating service can make their search for a romantic connection more efficient, why not? Here are the benefits that online daters see:
- They will meet others that they never would have met in their smaller social environment. Most apps offer location filters, so that users can give a preferred radius, and meet others who are local and brand new.
- When singles date in the traditional manner, they may spend a lot of time, energy, and even money going on dates that turn into epic fails. Online dating allows people to get to know one another via chatting, messaging, and even video calls before they set up an in-person date. The chances of that date turning into more are much greater.
- The flexibility of online dating is especially appealng. With a downloaded app on their mobile devices, daters can check in whenever they wish – during their commute, lunch hour, and even from home in their sweats.
It’s a Competitive Industry
Capturing their share of the market means that online dating services must “up their game” and introduce new and more sophisticated strategies and technology to capture and retain users. To that end, the industry has seen several developments.
First, sites and apps have incorporated sophisticated technology, especially artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to gather more and more data on user behavior, feeding that into matching algorithms that keep getting “more perfect” all the time.
Second, many sites have added a social media component, so that users can connect with one another, form groups, post, comment, and look forward to the conversations.
Third, apps offer events, contests, and games to keep users coming back for more entertainment.
What’s Next for Online Dating?
The only thing that can be said for certain is that online dating is here to stay, it has become a huge industry, and it is highly competitive. Some have already begun to provide augmented and virtual reality experiences for dating couples. Given continued technological advances, we can only wait and see.
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