Without question, there has been a lot of chatter and speculation surrounding the immediate state and short-term future of online dating during these uncertain times. We find ourselves in an unprecedented scenario and what lies ahead is anyone's guess, but we asked some of the experts to chime in and their various responses might prove surprising to some...

Question: In light of global health concerns and the resulting economic downturn, what trends do you anticipate for online dating over the next 6-12 months and beyond?​

​In my opinion there are two major factors that will impact our market and dictate development in the coming months:

1. How people are doing economically
2. How big is the need for social contacts, triggered by contact restrictions, lack of parties, bars and club visits?

Due to the global presence of TrafficPartner in over 35 GEOs, we already see the trend that even more people are shifting toward online dating.

People who haven't tried online dating so far, become first time customers and realize - it works! We see this trend in adult as well as in mainstream dating. Meaning this crisis has brought us a whole new group of customers, who we plan to retain in the coming months.

Despite and precisely because of the current situation I wish you and your beloved ones a happy Easter!

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​At White Label Dating, we're very excited for what the next 12 months might offer for online dating.

With the huge surge in people using video communication for keeping in contact with loved ones, not only are people becoming more and more comfortable on hand held video devices, it’s becoming accepted that this is a great way to communicate; which it is.

“Video dating” is going to increase more and more this year. Maybe Initially as a way to have a “first date” to vet your potential meet up before committing in person. We’ve got some exciting developments coming ourselves in this area very soon, so watch this space. 

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​None of us can predict the future. When it comes to the online (adult) dating vertical, not many get it right.

At the risk of being one of the wrong ones; it is my personal opinion that we won't see a huge impact from this general economic downturn. Online dating (adult) will remain a strong vertical to be in. We are already seeing a huge increase in traffic to adult sites, it's just a matter of adjusting ways to monetize it.

As far as trends go, I think there will be more websites that will focus on microbilling models, as opposed to the old school subscription models. 

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​Downturn? What downturn? Dating has always been the sun that shines in economic crisis situations.

Adult Dating is and always will be THE most consistent vertical to run.

Since the crisis started, our trends have started to resemble Christmas-like activity, when many of us see an increase in both traffic & conversion rates.

Fellow media buyers, don’t fret. If there ever was a time to open the flood gates, it is NOW. 

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​To be perfectly honest this is possibly one of the most exciting times for online Dating as an industry, amidst the many negatives of this global pandemic. We’re already seeing an increasing trend in the number of users across video chat apps globally, which will undoubtedly make its way to more and more dating apps over the coming months.

While being one of the most consistent performing verticals to promote in the Digital space, Dating (both Adult and Mainstream) has always been very seasonal. However, with more faces on screens now due to the current COVID-19 situation, those seasonal fluctuations will lessen and what we will see is more stable revenue numbers and increased growth.

Here at MedCash we’re already seeing that effect over the last couple of weeks.

The biggest trend I have seen personally with many of our affiliates is the increased acquisition of mobile Wifi traffic vs mobile carrier traffic due to the huge spike in daily Wifi users.

But most of all - Stay safe, stay home and stay sexy ;) 

Whether you're a direct advertiser or affiliate marketer, what trends have you noticed as a result of social distancing, lock-downs, and the various measures we've taken in countries around the globe?

Stay safe,