Online Personals Watch: News on the Online Dating Industry and Business

Tinder Most Used Dating App Now

FORBES - Mar 29 - The 2020 SKYN Condoms Sex & Intimacy Survey was not designed to examine the current or post-COVID-19 world. Its data gathering and results just happened to take place while the global pandemic was getting its boots on and heading out from Wuhan. According to Skyn, 39% of respondents used Tinder over its rivals to find love. Generation Z folks said they were more likely than Millennials to use Tinder (48% to 36%). #2 was Match.com (33%) and #3 Bumble (19%).

by John Scott Lewinski
See full article at Forbes

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Dating Apps Adapt and Engage to Combat Isolation

MARKETING MAGAZINE - Mar 27 - Singapore-based dating agency Paktor Group has seen a 28% increase in its installation rates in Singapore as compared to the previous year. There was also a 17% increase in app engagement during this period, with users logging into the app more frequently throughout the day. Meanwhile, Tinder has also seen an increase in its app engagement since mid-March. Its in-app conversation length saw an increase of 10% to 30% in Southeast Asia and Europe markets, as compared to February. Globally it has also seen daily messages increase by 10% to 15% in the United States, and an increase of up to 25% in daily conversation in Italy and Spain. On the other hand, Coffee Meets Bagel's founder and CEO, Dawoon Kang, said it saw an initial dip in its new user signups from mid to end February in Singapore, which recovered in March.

by Grace Ong
See full article at Marketing Magazine

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Swiping Right on Match Now

SEEKING ALPHA - Mar 24 - People are forced to date online now, especially since they're cooped up in their houses, and this is going to benefit Match in the short term. Over the long run, Match has many growth catalysts like international markets or its other apps that should allow it to continue expanding revenue and margins. Match Group has always been too expensive over the past few months, trading at close to a 50x PE despite just modest growth. Well, now the company has fallen substantially from highs and is trading at just over 30x PE, making it much more attractive to buy. Data shows that Tinder downloads have increased by 13% in the US over the past week, but most other dating apps saw a decline in downloads worldwide. Perhaps people default to downloading Tinder as it is the most popular dating app.

See full article at Seeking Alpha

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How Coronavirus Is Transforming Online Dating

MIT TECHNOLOGY REVIEW - Mar 25 - Dating apps have struggled; after all, the whole point of dating is to physically meet someone. Match has seen stocks tumble 25%, and had to balance public health with mission statements. "Tinder understands that our members are oftentimes meeting new people in-person, and, given the current environment, we wanted to remind them of the precautions they should take," the company said in a press release, citing the World Health Organization. The firm is now rolling out a feature that lets users match with people outside their immediate geographical area. Whitney Wolfe Herd, the founder of dating app Bumble, was far more explicit in a public letter: "Please date virtually for now." One way to do it is by reinventing the speed date. Dawoon Kang, cofounder of Coffee Meets Bagel, says the app has begun hosting virtual meetups for 10 to 15 members at a time, consisting of a video call moderated by a company representative. A participant who is interested in another can email the representative; if two people feel sparks, the representative connects them.

by Tanya Basu
See full article at MIT Technology Review

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During Coronavirus Lockdown, Tinder Surpasses Bumble, OkCupid and Hinge Downloads

FOX BUSINESS - Mar 25 - While many businesses have suffered dramatically under the coronavirus, its been a great week for Tinder, which saw an increase in first-time installations of the app in the U.S., according to Sensor Tower. First-time installs of Tinder were up 13% last week in the U.S. compared to the week of March 2, but were down 5% worldwide for the same comparison period. Bumble's downloads fell 10% in the U.S. and 11% worldwide, Hinge downloads fell 7% in the U.S. and 12% worldwide, and OkCupid fell 16% in U.S. and down 20% worldwide.

by Lucas Manfredi
See full article at Fox Business

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App Annie Announces Top Publishers 2020

PR NEWSWIRE - Mar 24 - In its Top Publisher Award, App Annie recognizes the most innovative and successful publishers around the world. The Top 52 Publishers, as measured by app store revenue estimates in the last calendar year, are from 12 countries. Again this year, publishers from Asia dominate the list. The United States had the most top publishers of any country, with 17. "Dating apps have had strong growth on mobile for the past several years," said Justine Sacco, Chief Communications Officer for the Match Group (IAC). "To have Tinder as the top ranked app of all non-gaming apps globally, proves how central mobile experiences are to our customers and to our success."

See full article at PR Newswire

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Tinder Users Score Higher on a Measure of Narcissism and Psychopathy

PSYPOST - Mar 22 - New research provides evidence that Tinder users tend to have a "darker" personality compared to those who don't use the dating app. The study, published in the Journal of Individual Differences, examined the so-called "Dark Triad" personality traits of narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy. Previous research conducted by Sevi has found that Tinder users tend to be less disgusted by sexual situations and more likely to engage in risky behaviors related to their health.

by Eric W. Dolan
See full article at PsyPost

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Tinder Offers Tinder Passport for Free

THEVERGE - Mar 20 - Starting next week, Tinder is making its Passport feature free for all users through April 30th. Passport allows people to pay to swipe abroad wherever they want. It usually costs money to access through either Tinder Gold or Tinder Plus.

by Ashley Carman
See full article at The Verge

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Tinder U's 'Still in Session' Lets College Students Swipe Everywhere

ELITE DAILY - Mar 20 - Tinder U's "Still In Session" just launched, allowing students to connect with others near or far while they're quarantining. Tinder U, a version of the dating app that's reserved solely for college students, typically allows users to find and match with others at their own schools or on nearby campuses. That means that their swiping pool is limited to people within a short distance range that's set by the app. Obviously, the coronavirus outbreak has changed a lot, with many students moving home for the remainder of the semester. That's where the new "Still in Session" feature comes in: Tinder U has officially removed its distance radius, so students can connect with other students no matter where they live.

by Rebecca Strong
See full article at Elite Daily

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How Is Coronavirus Affecting the Mobile Economy

APPANNIE - Mar 19 - The world is now turning to mobile to stay connected. AppAnnie took a look at Business, Education, Games, Social, Entertainment, Ride-Sharing, Food Delivery, Finance and Dating apps to unearth how coronavirus is impacting the way we conduct our lives each day. In China, city lockdowns began in January 2020. Consequently, in February, the daily time spent in mobile in China jumped to 5h per day, an increase of 30% compared to the average for 2019. Business and Education apps saw the biggest surge in downloads among categories of apps. We have seen a softening in active users among the top dating apps in the US in the weeks post-Valentine's Day, but it's important to note that we typically see a peak in usage surrounding Valentine's Day. Within dating apps, users can still be active by matching and messaging without actually meeting up in-person.

by Lexi Sydow
See full article at AppAnnie

How COVID-19 Is Affecting Dating Apps for Singles

NEWSWEEK - Mar 18 - With more and more people practicing social distancing, it's unclear how exactly single people are supposed to date as concerns over COVID-19 become increasingly severe. These are the approaches that dating apps and services are taking. In a statement, Hinge wrote that users' safety was most important. On its website, it provided important tips from WHO, including social distancing, washing hands, avoiding face touching and staying up to date. Tinder is sharing a similar message with a new card that appears for swipers, adding that people should carry hand sanitizer and maintain distance during social events. The ethically-non-monogamous-focused dating app #Open is advising users in a message to not meet new partners in person and to instead make use of video and phone calls. Now is not the time to be making new connections," said #Open co-founder David Epstein.

by James Crowley
See full article at Newsweek

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The Top Dating Industry News for March 17th

OPW - Mar 17 - IDEA Summit, The Meet Group Acquisition & Financial Results, Grindr Acquisition, OKCupid Covid-19 Survey, Tinder's Swipe Night on Hold.

For the top weekly dating industry news in ~2 minutes subscribe to OPW's Two Minute Tuesdays (TMT) podcast on Breaker , Google Podcasts , Spotify , Anchor , Stitcher , Overcast , Radio Public or Apple Podcasts . Listen to the trailer for the channel.

Tinder: The Right Chemistry Sparks Innovation

FAST COMPANY - Mar 17 - Swipe Night, the app's interactive post-apocalyptic adventure, is a good way to delight members. Launched in October 2019, members must make a series of choices in limited time, within the context of the story. Swipe Night helped Tinder secure a place on Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies list. And such creativity isn't an accident. At the heart of Tinder's culture are small, nimble teams comprised of passionate people who work well together, says Tinder CEO Elie Seidman. While the "Z team," hunts for new features and events to attract 18- to 25-year-old members of Generation Z, another team focuses on how to build trust and safety. In the product development world, the concept of the minimum viable product (MVP) - a product with just enough features to satisfy customers - is well-known. But at Tinder, the focus is on the "minimum loveable product," or MLP. In addition to being lean and functional, the product or innovation must also be something that customers will love.

See full article at Fast Company

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Tinder Pulls Global Launch of Apocalypse Show "Swipe Night"

MASHABLE - Mar 11 - Sunday is the app's busiest day, and Swipe Night capitalised on that, with Match Group saying that the event boosted matches by 30%. The show's first season was due to launch across multiple international markets this Saturday. But Swipe Night's international debut was cancelled on Monday night U.S. time, a decision "made at a global level." "Tinder was excited to bring this innovation to Australian members, but given the series' apocalyptic theme, and because we are sensitive to the current events our members are experiencing, we felt it would be difficult to launch it in the right spirit," said the company's PR firm.

by Caitlin Welsh
See full article at Mashable

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Tinder to Help Women Entrepreneurs in India

TIMES OF INDIA - Mar 5 - Tinder has pledged up to $1M in in-app advertising to support women entrepreneurs in India. Tinder is inviting applications from companies where at least 50% of the founding team are women or identify as women. To qualify, companies should be under 3 years old, have cumulatively raised less than Rs 35 crores in equity financing, and actively target Gen-Z and millennial audiences in India. Both for-profit and not-for-profit entities may apply.

See full article at Times of India

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Tinder Is Launching a Concierge Service for $20

FORBES - Mar 4 - Tinder has released an ad on the app touting the new service, showing a stretch limo pulling up outside an ornate building. Details about Tinder Concierge are pretty minimal.

by Abram Brown
See full article at Forbes

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The Top Dating Industry News for Mar 3rd

OPW - Mar 3 - Live.me, Tinder's Swipe Night, ODA, IDEA SUMMIT.

For the top weekly dating industry news in ~2 minutes subscribe to OPW's Two Minute Tuesdays (TMT) podcast on Breaker , Google Podcasts , Spotify , Anchor , Stitcher , Overcast , Radio Public or Apple Podcasts . Listen to the trailer for the channel.

Tinder's Video Series 'Swipe Night' Gets a Second Season

TECH CRUNCH - Feb 28 - "Swipe Night" second season will launch this summer. "Swipe Night" first launched in October 2019. The experience introduced a first-person adventure played in-app, where users would make choices at key turning points to progress the narrative - like a choose-your-own-adventure story. The series was designed to increase user engagement and help the app's young users better connect. The experiment worked. Tinder said millions of users tuned in to "Swipe Night" and matches and conversations increased by 26% and 12%, respectively. In addition to the Season 2 launching in the U.S., Match previously confirmed that 10 international markets across Europe and Asia will get "Swipe Night" this year.

by Sarah Perez
See full article at Tech Crunch

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Tinder Got Dumped for Hinge This Valentine's Day

THINKNUM - Feb 28 - Over the past year, the Apple Store ratings for Hinge have grown 123%, while Tinder's rating count has only increased by 52%. Tinder's Facebook 'Talking About' count surged last Valentine's Day at 124K mentions. But this year, that number dropped 80% down to 25K. Hinge's 'Talking About' count peaked on January 2 at 1,400 mentions, likely the result of some New Year's resolutions.

by Julia Gray
See full article at Thinknum

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Tinder Launches Original Short Film BlackLoveIs

BOSSIP - Feb 27 - Tinder officially launched original short film #BlackLoveIs from the acclaimed music video and film director Director X that celebrates Black Love in all its forms.

See full article at Bossip

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