The online dating app market is vast, and our usage, as a society, continues to ramp up and up, but it’s easy to forget how such a shift in our collective behaviors has taken place in a relatively short period of time.
Research last year found that around 270 million people worldwide regularly use dating apps, and in the US, that figure accounts for about 40 million individuals. The market is said to be worth in excess of $5.6 billion in revenue, and that’s a startling number, not least when you consider that a number of players in the field offer free services.
There are many apps and services out there, and if you are ready to take the leap, the choice is seemingly endless, which is something of a double-edged sword.
Yes, you can find dating apps for every demographic and niche as well as those that cater to all dating types and intentions, but how do you know what to look for and what to do once you get there?
Here are a few handy tips that we hope will help you make the most of your online dating app experience.
Make Sure the App You Select Caters to Your Needs and Wants
A key aspect of online dating, much like it is with the offline option, is honesty. You need to be honest with yourself in terms of what you are looking for from the dating app you sign up with, as well as with those you communicate with via the relevant service.
As stated earlier, there are many different reasons for joining the online dating world, and generally speaking; they fall into three categories. Long-term relationships, short-term/casual fun, and friendship.
All good, successful dating apps will have a specific selling point, which is unique in the sense of it being their key demographic. For instance, if you are looking to find the love of your life, someone to grow old with, frankly, that is hardly likely to happen via Tinder.
However, there are apps that are very much geared to this desire; for example, if you check out this Zoosk review, you’ll see how their service is aimed squarely at this market, which is a substantial portion of the online dating pool.
Avoid Lengthy and Seemingly Endless Conversations On Dating Apps
Remember why you signed up for a dating app? It wasn’t so you could use it like a glorified social media channel. Yes, it’s good to strike up a rapport and to communicate with those you may or may not choose to meet in person, but what isn’t quite so helpful are endless discussions that don’t end up in a physical in-person interaction.
Often your initial conversations on the app will be to size each other up, to get an idea of how someone is, and that makes sense and is, in many ways, essential. On the other hand, if you never actually meet up with these people, why did you join a dating site?
So, keep this in mind when your discussions on the app appear to be going nowhere; after all, if you meet in person, you are almost certainly going to learn a lot more about each other than you will be texting into oblivion.
One way to help you with this is to set some sort of time limit to the conversations, perhaps give it 72 hours for a date to be organized; if this proves unsuccessful, then move on; there are, after all, plenty more fish in the online dating sea.
Stick to One Dating App
Often when people join dating apps, they can find themselves drowning in invitations and requests, and while this is something of a confidence boost, it can also lead to a lot of wasted time.
This is even more the case if you are signed up for or with more than one dating app. If the app you are using ceases to work for you, by all means, delete it and move on. However, there is little benefit in using multiple apps at the same time unless you are looking to set some sort of dating world record.
If You are Serious Then Consider a Paid Service
The dating apps that are free are pretty much exclusively for those who are looking to hook up and have fun. These tend to be for those looking for short-term casual relationships, which is fine, of course, but for those who are looking for serious relationships, it is probably better to sign up with a paid service, and we’ll tell you why.
The reason free apps are free, mainly, is because it’s effectively a free-for-all and something of a scattergun exercise. In other words, you date a ton of people, or at the very least communicate with a lot of other users, and you may get lucky and meet someone meaningful.
A paid app will look to pair people up and will have some sort of element that better matches people as they will have gathered a lot of relevant data. Additionally, people who are paying to use dating apps will tend to be those who are looking for ‘the one.’
Obviously, this doesn’t mean you can’t find a future husband or wife via Tinder, but the chances are you won’t because the odds are that most people using that particular app are not looking for that level of commitment.
Be Wary of Scammers and Time Wasters
Try to avoid overly sharing information about yourself and always err on the side of caution in any personal matters. This is probably a good solid rule to follow up until you might meet your match in person, but even then, be wary.
Also, scammers are known to frequent dating apps, looking to secure vital data and information, so as with any other online communications, avoid unsolicited links or responding to overtly private information.
