One would think with all the bars and restaurants essentially closed, along with isolation and social distancing bringing down the vibe, that the dating scene would be running dry. Like all industries, the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting the dating app industry. And now, dating from home is officially a thing, being quickly adopted by users across the country.
Dallas-based dating app Ship, which is owned by Match Group, has seen a sharp increase nearly all of its metrics. And it’s not alone. giants like Bumble and Tinder are also feeling the love.
“If you think about it, right now single people are probably as lonely as they have ever been,” Andy Chen, senior VP at Match Group’s innovation team +1Labs, told NTX Inno. “They’re single and they can’t even hang out with their friends, so they’re naturally just trying to find ways to have a virtual connection. People are craving live ways to connect socially with their friends.”
Launched in January last year and boasting more than 500,000 users, Ship has seen a 20% increase in swipes, which Chen said really shows an indication of interest, since the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak. In addition, Ship allows users to not only find dates, but connect with friends and has seen a 15% increase in new friendships. It has also seen a 45% increase in group chat messages, even higher than the 21% increase that Bumble has seen nationally, according to Mother Jones.
And to help do its part to slow the spread of the coronavirus, Ship is dishing out some digital swag. The company has added a number of DFH (dating from home) features, including a library of more than 100 Zoom backgrounds, which Chen said allows users to show off their personality or simply create a conversation starter. It has also created a DFH badge that users get after taking a pledge, so you know your potential match is at least somewhat responsible.
“We feel like we’re in a position to impact social change. We see what’s going on out there and we want people to take things very seriously, and obviously a core part of the dating journey is meeting in person, but we’re just not sure that’s a safe thing to do right now,” Chen said. “We want to encourage people to stay safe, so we really wanted to be the first dating app that said, ‘Hey, take a pledge and say that you’re going to date from home.’ We felt like we needed to make that statement.”
Ship was created out of a global hackathon of Match Group’s various teams. After a many ideas were pitched, the company noticed a number of ideas surrounded bringing friend groups along the virtual dating journey. The winning idea went on to become what is now Ship, which Chen said distinguishes itself through its focus on pre-dating, the time before you actually go on a physical date, and on connecting potential lovers with each other’s friend group.
“We’re unique in that we’ve actually combined a dating experience with a social experience. We were thinking a lot about the pre-dating experience… because technology is getting so much better, you can have a much richer experience before you even meet,” Chen said. “We like to say, ‘Find somebody your friends already like.’ Usually it’s a really big deal for that milestone in your relationship where your friends finally meet the person you’re really excited to date. In Ship we flip it around, your friends meet this person before you even go on a date with them. Dating in real life is not a solitary activity.”
Chen said he sees the pandemic and subsequent lockdown as a watershed moment for online dating, especially with virtual video technology developing rapidly and being adopted as part of the new normal of pandemic life.
"One of the things we’ve always struggled with is do you look at the screen, do you look at the camera, do you look person, what should be your background behind you? There’s all these things that people never thought about before… and I think people are learning that very quickly now," Chen said. “People are already starting to… use video technology to express who they are or to be part of the conversation.”
Even after things calm down, the nightly hotspots open back up and people can hold hands by the lake again, Chen thinks online dating, and especially pre-dating, will be part of the new norm. He also doesn’t expect traffic in swipes, friends or messages to decline anytime soon. And as the dating app scene continues to grow, Chen sees one of the largest opportunities in overseas markets where many North American and European apps have yet to enter, as the norms around dating differ from country and culture.
“We’re human and when we are finally able to go out and go back to bars and coffee shops, we’re going to do that,” Chen said. “I think this is going to be a watershed moment, where you’re busy, you’re single and instead of putting on a dress or putting on a pressed shirt or your best jeans and finding a restaurant to go to, you’re going to be able to kind of have that first date online to make sure before you commit to an in person meeting that they check the boxes.”
