TECH CRUNCH – Hinge rolls out a feature that allows users to add their "Relationship Type" to their profile, whether that be "monogamous," "non-monogamous," or "figuring out my relationship type." The update lets users express precisely what they’re looking for to more efficiently minimize unsuited matches. Like Hinge's "Dating Intentions" profile feature, there's a "Backstory" open-text option, so users can add more context about their relationship type.
Month: November 2022
Bumble Reveals Dating Trends in 2023
MASHABLE – Bumble has released its annual predictions for what we can expect in the new year. Emotional needs are high on people's list of priorities.
- New year, new me(n) (74% of men say they've looked inward and analysed their own behaviour more than ever and have a clearer understanding of toxic masculinity.)
- Guardrailing (63% of daters say they're clearer about emotional needs and boundaries.)
- Love-life balance (54% care more about their work/life balance than their career status.)
- Open casting (One in three daters are now more open to considering dating beyond their "type")
- Ethical sex-ploration (53% believe it's paramount to express sexual wants and needs early on in a relationship.)
- Wanderlove (33% of people on Bumble are now more open to having relationships with people not in their current city.)
- Dating renaissance (Per Bumble's data, 39% of people on the dating app ended a marriage or serious relationship within the past two years. Some of them are using dating apps for the very first time.)
Single People Want Deeper Connections and More Substance
WALL STREET JOURNAL – Singles are emerging from the pandemic more serious about finding a partner and less focused on looks, according to the latest Singles in America study, conducted by researchers at the Kinsey Institute and funded by Match. ~75% of the study's participants say they want to find a partner who wants to marry, roughly similar to last year and up from 58% in 2019. Singles became more interested in finding a stable partner and they're spending more time on phone calls and video chats before meeting IRL. Today, one-quarter of singles say they've had a video chat with a date before meeting in person, up from 6% in 2019. Each year, researchers ask single people what they’re looking for in a partner. The No. 1 answer this year is "someone to trust and confide in." Physical attraction dropped out of the top five during the pandemic.
by Elizabeth Bernstein
See full article at Wall Street Journal
Muzz Feature in Apple Store
OPW – Muzz was just featured in the Apple app store here. Here is our summary.
Muzz claims 350k marriages and has ~7m users. The app enables (users) to keep photos blurred for extra privacy and filter for matches who are aligned on religious beliefs and be specific about marriage timeline and, if needed, a chaperone can be included in conversations. Founder Shahzad Younas said. "Muzz is transforming how 2 billion Muslims meet and marry, but in a way that respects Islamic etiquette." Muzz was built for marriage. Shahzad said. "We even make everyone sign an oath saying they're on Muzz with the right intentions."
Features Dating Apps Can Implement to Help Boost Engagement
FORBES – In 2021, the dating app market posted up $5.61B in revenue. The user base is consistently expanding, but this means that dating apps should work to stay ahead of the competition by implementing value-adding features that will give their app a sustainable boost in user engagement.
- Group Chats – A OnePulse survey conducted for the Wall Street Journal found that 27% of surveyed users also logged into dating apps to make friends because they were lonely during lockdown.
- Quizzes – According to Buzzsumo research, the average quiz is shared 1,900 times on social media.
- Maximum Inclusivity – Apps should avoid encouraging users to filter out potential matches based on superficial criteria.
- Gamification
- Avatars
Podcast: The Complexities of Human Love
THE ATLANTIC – A lot of emotional dissatisfaction in modern dating can be explained by research. There's data showing technology – mediated relationships fall secondary to in-person interaction. Other research suggests that romantic love can blossom when people explore their differences – something I fear dating apps often discourage. Many dating apps favor selecting romantic partners based on similar traits rather than complementary traits. Technology can be very helpful with filtering up to the first date. But after the first date, it's got to be in person. People need to put the work into love. Tech tends to take complex problems like human love and treat it as if it were a complicated problem of trying to solve a bunch of math. And it just doesn't work that way.
by Rebecca Rashid & Arthur C. Brooks
See full article at The Atlantic
The Future of Dating – Will We Go Too Far?
REDDI FOUNDER BLOG – Stacy Thompson is Founder of Reddi, and a Mental Health Practitioner.
Dating apps have a bad rap – with research stating social anxiety and depression is on the rise users. 45% of users say they're frustrated while using them. Dating app usage is increasing and will become the most prevalent way to people meet. 323m people worldwide use dating apps. Research by eHarmony and Imperial College says 2037 is the year when the majority of babies in the UK will be born to parents who met via the internet. Dating apps have few ethical guidelines. Safety guidelines, yes – but when it comes to a duty of care and acting in a manner which aims to do no harm – contributing positively to society – this is an area I feel we fall short.
Considerations…
- A.I. in dating. V.R. ('Virtual Romance').
- 'Hook-up Culture' – (although people are using dating apps simply for a validation 'hit')
- Fake intimacy – i.e. you believe you like this person more than you think, even if you've never met
- People are having less sex than ever before – Celibacy syndrome
See full article at Reddi Founder Blog
Mark Brooks: Are these things you'd like to discuss at a future IDEA SUMMIT? (See www.IDEA.gp). Let me know when you run blog posts of interest to the industry.
Beatmatch Encourages Music Lovers to Meet IRL
Google Play to Pilot Third-party Billing in New Markets
TECH CRUNCH – Google is expanding its user choice billing pilot, which allows Android app developers to use other payment systems besides Google's own. The program will now become available to new markets, including the U.S., Brazil and South Africa, and Bumble will now join Spotify as one of the pilot testers. Google additionally announced Spotify will now begin rolling out its implementation of the program starting this week. Developers interested in adopting user choice billing have to follow certain UX guidelines set by Google that detail how to implement the feature in their apps. While the general terms offer a 4% reduction in commissions paid to Google when user choice billing is used, Spotify wouldn't comment on its confidential deal with Google, but notes it meets the company's standards of fairness. It's unclear if the streamer has been offered more favorable terms as an early adopter.
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