Its no surprise that singles flock to online dating sites around Valentine’s Day; in fact, it makes perfect sense in this economy. Its expensive to go out to the bar or indulge your every social interest in the hopes of meeting someone new, and free dating sites (or even the least expensive) fit this bill nicely. But there is something different going on this year, something exciting and new.
Jupiter Research has predicted a 16% increase in revenues from 2007 to 2012, yet from September 2008 to January 2009, eHarmony posted a 20% increase in sign ups from the same year previous, while PerfectMatch’s revenue increased 42% from the quarter before and earned 62% more users. And even though the 2008 online dating advertising statistics aren’t quite fully compiled yet, they already show a marked increase from the 2007 numbers, with an all-time high of 2.5 million dollars in advertising spending for August of last year.
Additionally, the major free dating sites saw huge numbers of singles flock to them - not surprisingly - accounting for 25% of all online dating traffic in December of 2008, as opposed to 15% the year before. Free dating sites like Adam4Adam, Plenty of Fish, Date Hookup and Ok Cupid, although still not the majority, are definitely catching up.
So what does this mean for you? If you haven’t already created a dating profile at one of these sites, now is most definitely the time. With more users and fewer costs associated with meeting someone, anyone can jump on board, no matter how the economy is affecting them.
Related: How To Date Online, Should I Date If I Don’t Have a Job?.
Sources:
Davies, Jennifer. Recessions Change Love Statistics, too San Diego Union Tribune 14 Feb 2009
Online Dating and Advertising Prove To Be A Good Match Nielsen Wire Blog 11 Feb 2009
Kharif, Olga. Why Pay Match.com When Dating’s Free Sites Beckon? Business Week 06 Feb 2009