Did you know that there are more than 323.9 million active users of dating apps in the world today? Also, are you aware that one in every five people living in the United States regularly uses such apps? However, this is far from all the interesting statistics! Currently, there are more than 8,000 dating services in the world, and 14% of modern online dating eventually leads to marriage.
Why are dating apps so popular?
Let’s try to figure this out. Firstly, let’s look at the methods and tricks that modern dating services use to keep their audience. Believe us, there are a lot of interesting things here!
7 main tools for keeping users in dating apps
- Tool #1. Gamification
One of the first dating apps to introduce gamification elements into dating was the developer of the Tinder application. All these swipes, matches, various quizzes, questions and answers, and the like are, in a sense, a game. Its sole purpose is to engage as many users as possible and keep them glued to the app. And yes, it works.
The whole secret is that every “achievement,” whether it’s a match or an ordinary like will always help to release some endorphins. The person becomes addicted to it and returns to the application daily to get a new portion of the hormone of happiness.
- Tool #2. In-app messaging
The logic is very simple. The task of developers is to keep users inside the application. It is not profitable for them that you transfer communication to a third-party messenger or social network. Therefore, they do their best to make it as comfortable as possible for you to communicate right there using the app.
Today, almost any dating application has a functional messenger where you can exchange messages, photos, videos, and voice messages, send reactions, and much more. The need for other messengers simply disappears. Certainly, built-in messengers cannot compete with the same Telegram or WhatsApp. However, most people don’t need it. Basic functionality is enough for them.
- Tool #3. Tinder hints and their analogues in other apps
Tinder has an original format of hint cards that add more interactivity to dating. For example, you are prompted to continue the sentence: “I talk to my pet about _____” or “the first thing I do when I wake up is ____.” There are a lot of options. Such cards captivate users and at the same time help the algorithm to select more suitable matches for them. The Bumble app, for example, has a Question Game section, which is designed to make the dating process more non-standard and involve the audience.
Again, these tools are related to gamification. Nonetheless, we put them in a separate block, because they are still noticeably different from the same swipes. It is difficult to say how effective such hint cards or the Question Game are in finding a potential partner. Surely, they can engage the user long enough — that’s for sure!
- Tool #4. Voice and video calls
This tool partially echoes the second item on our list. The built-in messenger is convenient. However, the ability to make audio and video calls are more convenient. Plain text messaging is gradually losing popularity. They take too much time and do not give an opportunity to objectively assess the interlocutor. Therefore, users are increasingly choosing to communicate via video.
Today, almost all popular dating apps have built-in video chats. Also, there is an alternative such as video chats for users who don’t find the app format suitable for some reasons. One of the most famous platforms in this regard is Omegle. This site, along with Chatroulette, marked the beginning of the era of online video chats.
Truly, Omegle and Chatroulette are a bit outdated because they have limited functionality and are not distinguished by good moderation. Therefore, it is still worth considering Omegle alternatives sometimes.
We can recommend the following platforms:
- CooMeet — is a functional video chat like Omegle with an original gender filter. CooMeet knows how to connect men to ladies and it is never wrong. The service has convenient mobile applications and a functional web version. There is a built-in message translator and an affiliate program that allows you to earn real money.
- OmeTV — is a minimalistic and very simple alternative to Omegle, which has a gender and geographic filters, as well as a message translator that is similar to CooMeet. Otherwise, this is a typical representative of no-frills video chats.
You can find many alternative video chats on the web to replace Omegle. However, we advise you to be careful in your choice, because it is not all apps that have good moderation and protection of user data.
- Tool #5. Smart push notifications
Push notifications are a very powerful tool that makes the user launch the application consistently. They urge you to return to the search, see new photos and explore several profiles of potential partners. Hence, it goes on endlessly.
Certainly, notifications can be disabled but most people leave them on because they are afraid to miss a message from a potential partner or a new match. Therefore, developers are taking advantage of this opportunity.
- Tool #6. Games in the application
Various simple mini-games are another option for keeping the users. Alternatively, they are not obtrusive and help to distract the users a little from the constant search and which could take some seconds or minutes. On the other hand, they can engage the user for many hours. Again, this is gamification. However, it is no longer hidden because it is absolutely obvious and open.
- Tool #7. Integration with other popular platforms
Modern dating apps allow you to link your profiles to accounts on other online services. For example, you can set your favorite track from Spotify to your Tinder profile, or easily sign up for the app with your Google account. The list of such integrations will only expand, therefore we will see many more interesting features.
Do these tools work in reality?
Obviously, they do and will probably continue to work in the foreseeable future. Generally, users like the online dating format, despite the obvious disadvantages. We are confident that we will soon see new methods of keeping and attracting a user, but as long as the existing ones are showing themselves quite well.
