Author: Sean Nolan

All tickets are sold out for today’s Global Dating Insights conference in London! We’re delighted to be hosting dating brands from across the industry for a day of networking, thought-leadership, and socialising.

Following our incredibly successful 2022 conference in London, Global Dating Insights is excited to return to the city on Thursday, 14th of September 2023.

To view the full conference agenda, visit the conference page here.

Hosted at The Dilly hotel in London, speaker sessions will run all day, with lunch and refreshments provided throughout. The conference is followed by an evening of drinks, giving guests an informal networking opportunity to make professional connections.

Yesterday on Wednesday, 13th of September, we hosted an exclusive pre-conference networking session.

Thank you to our sponsors Stream, Social Discovery Group, irisnet, Veriff, WebPurify, Scamalytics, and Netcore Cloud.

80 of Grindr’s 178 staff members have left the company after a return-to-office mandate was put in place, reports the union Communication Workers of America. The mandate gave staff the choice of relocating to certain cities in the US, or leave the company with a severance bonus.

Communication Workers of America (CWA) estimates that 80 of the dating app’s staff have left the company. Global Dating Insights reported that Grindr employees intended to unionise before the company rolled out a relocation ultimatum to its staff last month.

The return-to-office mandate was criticised by some Grindr employees as they would have to relocate, sometimes across the country, in order to keep their jobs. Workers in the engineering team were told to relocate to Chicago, and the product & design team were told to move to California, for example.

The CWA alleges that the mandate was put in place to retaliate against talks of unionisation. It now looks to file an unfair labour practice charge against Grindr with the National Labor Relations Board, reports The Independent. 

“We are looking forward to returning to the office in a hybrid model in October and further improving productivity and collaboration for our entire team,” a Grindr spokesperson told The Independent. The CWA’s allegations have “no merit”, they added.

You can find out more about Grindr on its website here. 

Dating app Hinge has released a ‘Distraction-Free Dating’ guide, explaining how singles can have quality time with potential partners. Research by the platform found that 80% of users prefer “phone away” dates.

Developed by Logan Ury, Hinge’s Director of Relationship Science, the guide encourages singles to minimise distractions while trying to form new social connections. It includes dating tips as well as 20 different ideas to help build chemistry on dates. 

The platform found that three out of four daters are more hesitant to open up if the person they’re speaking to is on their phone. 

“Face-to-face quality time helps us build intimacy with others, but figuring out how to get the most out of that time can be tough for daters. This guide will help our community focus on each other and have memorable first dates that lead to meaningful second dates,” said Josh Penny, Hinge’s Director of Social Impact.

The guide is available to all Hinge users worldwide.

“Many Americans, especially young adults, wrestle with the experience of loneliness, which has profound consequences on our health and well-being. We were excited to collaborate on this guide with Hinge and advance how daters across the world build meaningful and authentic connections,” said Jillian Racoosin, Executive Director of the Foundation for Social Connection.

You can find out more about Hinge on its website here. 

Playdate, the UK dating app for single parents, will be running an ad campaign around ITV’s new reality TV show ‘My Mum, Your Dad’. The new show follows a group of single parents who have been nominated by their grown-up kids for a second chance at love.

Playdate has partnered with ITV AdVentures Ignite, ITV’s commercial incubator for start-ups, to roll out an ad campaign around the new show ‘My Mum, Your Dad’.

The new ITV show is made up of 10 hour-long episodes where audiences will follow a group of single parents as they live together and seek to find true love. The show will be hosted by Davina McCall, and airs from September 11 – 22.

“The alignment of Playdate with the new show ‘My Mum, Your Dad’ was a no-brainer, being the UK’s first dating app for single parents looking for meaningful relationships. We are thrilled to see Playdate reach a wider audience and excited to be part of Playdate’s growth journey”, said Callum Taylor, Head of ITV AdVentures Ignite.

“We first heard about My Mum, Your Dad last year and I immediately knew that we had to work with the show in some way”, said Nevine Coutry, Founder and CEO of Playdate.

“The UK’s first ever dating app for single parents and a new dating tv show for single parents is a perfect match and I’m delighted to bring these two brands together. I was lucky enough to be passed on to the team at ITV AdVentures Ignite who help start-ups like us start their journey on television so I owe them my utmost gratitude for making this campaign possible!”, Coutry added.

Playdate shares that there are currently around 2.9 million single parents in the UK and 320 million single parents worldwide. 

You can find out more about Playdate on its website here or by attending GDI’s upcoming conference in London where Nevine Coutry will be sitting down with Senior Reporter Sean Nolan for a live interview. 

Dating app Bumble has shared new insights about how family dynamics and birth order may influence the way you date. For example, first-born people are often organised and natural leaders, while the middle sibling is more adaptable and open to compromise. 

Dr Caroline West, Bumble’s Sex & Relationships Expert, helped craft Bumble’s Birth Order Dating Guide. This guide highlights the common personality traits held by first born children, middle siblings, the last born, and only children. 

“On Bumble, we know that astrology is a key signal of compatibility for many, with more than one million people adding their star sign to their Bumble profiles in the UK”, said Dr West.

“The order of our birth may influence how we behave in relationships, as our family dynamics play a key role in how we experience adult romantic relationships”, she shared.

Shared by Indy100, here is what the guide concluded: 

First born

Green flag tendencies: Organised, Ambitious, Natural leaders

Red flag tendencies: Authoritative, Likes to be in control

“First born children are often organised, ambitious, and natural leaders. This can be handy in a relationship as plans are easily made and date admin remains minimal”, Dr West explained.

“However, this can cause issues if they are used to being in control all the time. Equally, if they are left to do all the organising, they may end up feeling frustrated or taken advantage of”, she continued.

Middle born

Green flag tendencies: Adaptable, Peacemaker, Mediator

Red flag tendencies: Self-conscious, Eager to please, Accommodating

“Middle-born children may be used to compromise, or playing peacemaker between older and younger siblings, so they can be great at finding balance in relationships”, the expert shared.

“However, these skills often come at the cost of advocating for their own needs which can lead to resentment and miscommunication”, Dr West highlighted.

Last born

Green flag tendencies: Sociable, Fun, Charming, Loving

Red flag tendencies: Excitable, Carefree, Self-regarding, Daredevil

Dr West highlights that “Last born children may be adventurous and social as they grew up with older siblings and often tried to keep up with them”.

“The initial honeymoon stage is fun and exciting, however last-borns may struggle as this phase passes and develops into calm emotional intimacy”

“Talk with each other to see where adventure fits into the relationship, while looking at how to face responsibilities that aren’t so exciting”, she advised.

Only child

Green flag tendencies: Mature, Independent, Ambitious

Red flag tendencies: Self-involved, Defensive, Overly-assertive

Dr Caroline West explained that “if you grow up as an only child, you might find that you have a well-developed sense of independence and maturity.

“Whilst used to being on their own, only children may struggle with compromise or feelings of loneliness”

“In relationships, this might impact how arguments are solved, or how partners are supported”.

You can find Dr West’s insights in full at this link.

There are just 3 tickets remaining & a few days to go before Global Dating Insights hosts its annual European Conference in London on the 14th of September 2023. The event is an opportunity for online dating leaders to network, share insights, and socialise.

Collect your tickets and save your seat now!

Following our incredibly successful 2022 conference in London, Global Dating Insights is excited to return to the city on Thursday, 14th of September 2023.

To view the full conference agenda, visit the conference page here.

Hosted at The Dilly hotel in London, speaker sessions will run all day, with lunch and refreshments provided throughout. The conference is followed by an evening of drinks, giving guests an informal networking opportunity to make professional connections.

The night before the conference, Wednesday, 13th of September, we are also hosting an exclusive pre-conference networking session.

Tickets are available now.

Thank you to our sponsors Stream, Social Discovery Group, irisnet, Veriff, WebPurify, Scamalytics, and Netcore Cloud.

Flirtini has shared new statistics about how its AI tools are impacting user interactions. 10% of users have taken advantage of the platform’s AI icebreaker suggestions, resulting in a 15% increase in first-message replies overall.

Since introducing a number of AI-powered features recently, Flirtini has recognised the impact these tools are having on user-to-user conversations. 

10% of the app’s total users have tried Flirtini’s AI assistant, which creates icebreakers when singles don’t know how to start the conversation themselves. Since it’s introduction, 15% more users began to receive replies to their first messages.

Furthermore Flirtini shared that users are communicating in chats 8.8% more, as the platform says that conversations are now easier and less stressful.

This AI assistant, named Fliry, analyses a match’s profile and suggests two relevant icebreaker messages. Users can then direct Fliry to alter these suggestions’ style and length before hitting send.

Flirtini shared that 62% of men who change the first option ask to make the icebreaker more flirty, while 31% of women choose to add more humour.

“On an online dating app, your first message is going to set the tone for your whole interaction, and can often indicate your intentions. Whether you’re using an AI generator to help craft your message or coming up with it on your own,  think of your tone before you send the message: do you want to be flirty and playful, or thoughtful and serious?” said Rikki Dymond, Flirtini’s in-house dating expert and coach.

“When deciding if you want to message someone, it’s important to make sure that you only reach out to people who you’re actually interested in meeting in real life. Remember that there’s an actual human on the other side of that message, someone who has feelings and is likely looking for a real connection”, Dymond advised

You can find out more about Flirtini by visiting its website here.