BUSINESS WIRE — Feb 9 — "Online Dating: Serious Daters Offer Salve For Slowing Growth" is based on a survey of over 2,300 online adults, and also includes JupiterResearch’s forecast for the growth of the online personals market. The report finds that 33% fewer consumers are browsing online personals today than one year ago, causing the industry growth to slow considerably. "The industry grew by 73% in 2002 and 77% in 2003. But in 2004, as the number of users actually started to decline, the market grew by only 19%. In 2005, the industry will grow by just 9%, to $516 million." With fewer users browsing online personals, dating sites have focused on increasing conversions. "Serious daters present an attractive opportunity for personals sites. These users convert 20% more often, are twice as likely to purchase long-term subscriptions and pay up to twice as much per month as casual daters," stated Elliott. For additional information on the online personals report or visit www.jupiterresearch.com or contact Kieran Kelly at 1-800-481-1212.
As this report says “USERS” it is predictable that online personals will decline, because they are only users and not clients, and this is the greatest mistake of all.
If a person does not pay for the service, he or she is not really interested, really involved in a serious dating.
Why?
When I go to the market to buy goods, I am paying for the characteristics of that goods.
When I buy an information service, I am paying for the characteristics of this service.
When I pay for a on line dating susbcription, I am NOT paying for the characteristics of the service, I am paying to AVOID being cheated by others, to avoid fakes profiles.
Did you notice that off line chains, instead of disappearing, are growing with good health?
One of the reasons is that they are reliable; they interview all candidates, they analyze all of their profiles, they do backgrounds-checks to all clients, and most important of all, they receive a payment. They have all clients, never free users. This payment not only covers their costs, but also is like a barrier to avoid free users, who could hurt the clients’ feelings; a client is paying and SOONER OR LATER, want to contact COMPATIBLE REAL PERSONS.
Different from some on line dating sites, that problems begin to appear in many of them because conversion rate from users to clients is decreasing due to not reliable profiles database. The strategy to give free memberships to have a good amount of users and then try to convert them in clients (gold memberships) will not work any more, because they will remain as users for ever and ever in a vicious circle.
The on line dating future: Quality like off line chains, perhaps less photos, less instant messages, less chat, less videos, less speed; high reliability and high precision in on line dating techniques, creating demand of the service.
Fernando Ardenghi.
Buenos Aires.
Argentina.
ardenghifer@argentina.com