1 post tagged “recession online dating”

As the credit crunch bites we all tighten our belts and contemplate the priorities in our lives. It’s why in times of economic hardship marriage and birth rates rise and can perhaps explain why a subscription to an online dating site is prioritised in our monthly expenditure.

At match.com, we’ve seen a 26% increase in the number of memberships on the site compared to this time last year. And, the communication (emails and winks sent) between members has hit over three million in the UK alone. That’s half a million more than in January 2008.

It seems that love becomes even more important to people in difficult times. With the average cost of a date coming in at £38, a service costing just over £10 a month offers great value for money.

Of course our increased marketing activity and enhanced product play a major in role in bringing people to match.com but I’d be willing to bet that the entire category has received some boost in sign ups in 2009.

Many people talk about the recession acting as a catalyst to new ways of thinking and doing business, the same seems to be true of our personal lives.  But make no mistake, the science behind who we fall in love with remains the same its the ways in which we conduct our search for love that changes as society evolves. Technology plays an increasingly central role but its just the new way to do the same old thing.

Chances are that these days you are not going to end up marrying the person that lives at the end of your street.  Today, its likely we don’t even know the names of our neighbours. Despite this, or perhaps because of it, our need to feel part of a community is stronger than ever.  The rise of social sites that connect people has given us some of the proximity we crave, whether it links us to friends, colleagues or potential partners.  

Dating sites give us more choice and more convenience to find a better match.  If you’re passionate about the poetry of Simon Armitage, can’t stand smoking and don’t want children, it’s easy to identify potential deal breakers from simply reading someone’s profile and avoid embarking in the wrong relationship altogether.

Technology is constantly updating the way we live our lives, but it only works if it enhances or improves how things were before.  Love will remain a fundamental human need irrespective of economic climate, sociological and cultural changes. It’s why more and more people are coming to match.com and it’s why meeting a partner online is the New Natural.