Marketplace

In this episode of The GDI Podcast, we’re delighted to be joined by Gillian Myhill and Phil Beesley, Co-Founders of SIZZL.

They tell Senior Reporter Sean Nolan about how the dating app represents a cultural shift in online dating, encouraging users to engage with the app on their own terms.

With no push notifications and matches that don’t expire, SIZZL is looking to make the user experince more convenient, casual, and stress-free.

The GDI Podcast is sponsored by RealMe. RealMe can provide users instant access to background information, helping more people make genuine connections online, and off.

To learn how they can integrate seamlessly into your app, log on to therealme.com/dating and request a demo today.

In the hyper-competitive world of dating, singles often worry that being themselves could be considered “cringe”. However a new study from Plenty of Fish has found that young people are embracing the cringe in order to find a meaningful relationship.

Plenty of Fish conducted a new study of single Gen Z and Millennial Americans, finding 74% agree that embracing their cringe will help them find their cringe counterpart.

The platform highlights that the younger generation is embracing authenticity, even at the risk of looking cringe in the eyes of society. 

47% of respondents consider themselves to be more cringe than cool, while 73% agree that being true to themselves is an important step in getting to know a potential partner. 

Seven in ten respondents said that they aren’t afraid to reveal things about themselves that might be considered cringe on a first date, with a similar number saying they’re open to matching with someone who is just as ‘cringey’ as they are on a dating app. 

“In a world where so many people feel pressure to present an ultra-manicured version of themselves, we applaud singles saying yes to being more real,“  said Eva Gallagher, Public Relations Manager at Plenty of Fish. 

“We’re all about encouraging people to show up as their true selves – especially when it comes to dating. Sometimes, we just need to get out of our own way, so let’s embrace the real us – the wonderful, awkward and sometimes cringey parts that make each of us unique”, Gallagher explained.

Behaviours that are traditionally seen to be ‘cringey’ – talking about fandoms, being upfront about dating intentions, and not playing hard to get – are now seen as cool by many young singles, Plenty of Fish shared.

Plenty of Fish is a platform within Match Group, focusing on low-pressure and laid-back approaches to dating. You can find the platform’s full insights on cringe culture here. 

Indian dating app flutrr has launched a platform to help singles and couples form stronger relationships. Named flutrrHearts, this new service will see expert counsellors providing advice and guidance on the dating journey. 

The dating brand highlights that “relationship challenges are becoming more common” and that the modern dating landscape “seems to drive individuals apart while letting conflicts thrive”.

And now flutrrHearts is launching to combat this. “Seeking professional therapy for singles and couples can prove to be a transformative and essential step in resolving conflicts, fostering understanding, and strengthening the bond between partners”, it shared.

Interested users will receive their first 30 minute session for free, followed by 45 minutes follow up session or sessions worth INR 499 (USD $6.00)

flutrrHearts has shared the profiles of its counsellors on its website, highlighting that they have relevant qualifications, including licensed marriage and family therapists, psychologists, social workers, and certified relationship coaches.

It reassured users that “seeking counselling is not a sign of weakness but a testament to an individual’s commitment to emotional growth and paving the ground for a stronger relationship”.

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

Global Dating Insights is pleased to release the photos taken at our London conference!

Taking place in The Dilly hotel on Thursday 14th September, GDI was joined by a raft of exceptional speakers, including happn, Feeld, Smitten, Taimi, Hily, and more!

A selection of photos can be found below, with all photos found on our Facebook Page.

It was a fantastic event and we were so happy to return to London. We are now really looking forward to our next conferences in 2024, including events in New York, London, and more.

Please keep your eyes on the GDI website and social pages for the video highlights which will be released very soon.

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Thank you to the conference sponsors for making the event possible.

To highlight the insights shared at our recent conference in London, Global Dating Insights is proud to share a roundup of some of the event’s presentations.

In this article, we summarise the presentation of Karima Ben Abdelmalek, President and CEO of happn.

Kicking off the GDI conference in London, Karima Ben Abdelmalek, President and CEO of happn, explained why one of the most well-known and well-used dating apps had chosen to undergo a major brand refresh. 

happn has been in the market since 2014 and Abdelmalek explained that its millions of users are very different today to the ones it first started with. Refreshing their brand gave them a chance to reinforce their brand story and values within happn and bring a new generation of users on board.

happn’s new brand focuses on ‘finding your crush’ in the places you like to go – reinforcing the unique location-based aspect of Happn’s app and its core value of fostering trusted relationships.

“When one of your friends introduces you to their new partner, your first question to them is often ‘where did you two meet’ and that’s the question that underpins our app,” she explained. 

“happn is about finding people who like the same experiences and places that you like,” she said. “The likelihood is ‘your paths have already crossed’ and so our new brand looks to reflect those paths and show how we help you intersect like-minded people and find your crush.”

Abdelmalek explained that happn was not just about me and you, it was also about the location and a series of slick videos and a refresh of the app itself were all helping to deliver that message.  When it comes to finding your perfect match, happn is looking to make it happen.

To highlight the insights shared at our recent conference in London, Global Dating Insights is proud to share a roundup of some of the event’s presentations.

In this article, we summarise the presentation of Helen Virt, Chief Business Development Officer at Taimi & Hily.

Speaking at the GDI conference in London last week, Helen Virt of Hily & Taimi – said that virtually every dating app on the market was seeking the perfect matching algorithm.

That’s one reason why nearly every one of the 300 million users of dating apps has at least two or three different apps on their phone.  It seems not only are the app providers striving to find the perfect solution, so too are the users looking for their perfect matching application for themselves.   

“Everyone is working on the perfect matching algorithm for their target users,” said Virt. “Finding that algorithm is key to being number one in your market.”

Virt was talking about the best routes for dating apps to scale to hit the sweet spot.  She said that managing the roll-out of your app across targeted or campus-style locations could help to build an audience and manage the scaled growth.  She also spoke about the importance of building a brand and making sure users know your brand’s attributes and strengths – which must have been music to the ears of Karima Ben Abdelmalek who had just been speaking about Happn’s rebrand.

Virt shared that the dating market was worth close to $5bn in 2022 and the market is only growing with hundreds more apps hitting the market, according to Business of Apps.

To succeed Virt said that apps needed to build their base, build their brand, and build their perfect matching algorithm.

So while the providers are perfectly seeking solutions, those that succeed will help the users who are desperately seeking their Susans.

To highlight the insights shared at our recent conference in London, Global Dating Insights is proud to share a roundup of some of the event’s presentations.

In this article, we summarise the presention of Alexandra Popken, VP of Trust & Safety at WebPurify.

No business survives in the long term unless its customers trust its output.  So the revelation that more than 92 per cent of dating app users aged 35 – 44 feel that the use of AI impacts their trust in the platform should be concerning for all apps out there.

Alexandra Popken, VP of Trust and Safety at WebPurify shared that scary statistic with delegates at the GDI London conference last week.  Although the negative trust impact of AI rose above 90 per cent in that age group, it crossed 70 per cent across all age groups. What’s more, 45 per cent of all users do not feel equipped to detect fake profiles or information, and 70 per cent of them feel it is up to the platforms to do more to protect them.

But whereas the users view AI with suspicion, Popken argued generative AI also offered an opportunity to help make dating safe and more rewarding.

She explained how generative AI will exacerbate challenges in online dating, such as catfishing, scamming, grooming and malicious attacks, but also how the technology can be harnessed to combat these risks. “AI has been used for years as an effective arm of content moderation, and I believe generative AI has the potential to build trust if used safely and with users in mind.” She added that this includes making your business and users more aware and alert to the dangers.

“Regulators are looking at our space,” she said. “Compliance will become a big thing and you need to be ready.”

She urged delegates to invest in content moderation, educate and engage with their users, partner with their peers, and also set their own internal standards and principles.

Popken envisaged AI as a tool and an innovation opportunity for the industry, but the research shows that educating the user community to its benefits and risks is an important step on that journey.

To highlight the insights shared at our recent conference in London, Global Dating Insights is proud to share a roundup of some of the event’s presentations.

In this article, we summarise the presentation of Anoop Teja, Head – Product Solutions, Growth and Expansion (Europe) at Netcore Cloud.

Increasing user engagement is the key to reducing churn for dating apps, Netcore Cloud’s Anoop Teja told the GDI conference in London

As Netcore Cloud’s Head of Product Solutions, Growth and Expansion across Europe, Teja spoke from a position of strength.  He outlined how making better use of tools such as Google annotations could help app-generated emails stand out from the crowd within a user’s email client.

“The more people engage with your content, the less likely they are to churn,” he said. “That’s why we look to help create wow experiences even within the email itself.”

Teja showed how email outreach could boost onboarding, and that in-built interaction could deliver the visual swipe experience within the email itself.  “We can even introduce gamification into the email,” he added, “fun ideas like spin the wheel to see other potential matches. All of these activities will boost your engagement.”  

The use of AI was a common theme at the London conference and Teja revealed how AI-powered email delivery could be used to predict the likeliness of churn.  But the audience didn’t have to simply take Teja’s word for it when it came to the success of revitalising email engagement.  

Netcore Cloud customer Venntro Media Group joined him on the stage for quick endorsement, confirming that since switching to Netcore’s solutions, the effectiveness of the company’s email engagement had increased by 20 per cent.

All of which might show that if the first swipe represents the potential start of a relationship which could lead to an engagement; in the dating industry itself, the longer lasting relationships actually have multiple engagements.

To highlight the insights shared at our recent conference in London, Global Dating Insights is proud to share a roundup of some of the event’s presentations.

In this article, we summarise the presentation of Christoph Hermes, Senior Business Development Consultant at Irisnet.

The ability of AI software to undertake real-time image & video moderation, analysing up to 100 frames per second across multiple platforms, is crucial to brands looking to protect their services and their users according to Christoph Hermes of Irisnet.

Speaking and exhibiting at the GDI London conference, Hermes was able to give real-time demonstrations of image blurring and blocking by Irisnet’s AI software. The secret is in the training, he explained. 

“We have used more than 300 million images to train our solution.  We are now able not only to detect the obvious – like blocking nudity were required – but also to detect age, gender, written content, and unwanted symbols, for example,” said Hermes.

Irisnet’s AI application can also take context and location into account, detecting something that is ‘out of place’ – such as a weapon or a mask – or recognise that a beach scene is likely to have plenty of skin on show.

As part of the stock-market listed net digital AG, Irisnet can also partner with other members of the group with relevant services for the dating industry, such as eCardon, a payment card processing company.

“The two parts of our group working closely together make a powerful solution for your business,” said Hermes. “Real-time AI software partnered with secure card processing can protect your business, protect your users, and protect your reputation to enable your app to grow and develop safely and securely,” he added.