Dating Platform Development: An Ultimate Guide

If you’ve been thinking about creating a dating platform, now’s the time to jump into the niche! The current technological progress, which is constantly increasing the tempo of life, dictates its terms, encouraging people to seek a convenient way-out even in a romantic life sphere. More and more men and women browse professional dating services to find a couple in a matter of seconds.

As it goes in the research, 30% of American adults use online services, and 12% of them have found a strong relationship within a dating platform. For instance, Tinder alone already has 50 million users, a fifth of whom use the app daily. Even more, 54% of Americans state that relationships started via a personal dating service are as successful as relationships that begin in person.

In this post, OpenGeeksLab will unlock how to create a dating app and monetize people’s will to find their perfect match.

How Do Online Dating Services Work?

Dating apps are high-end dating services that bring people together based on a match on mutual interests, age, gender, sexual orientation, location, appearance. A dating platform allows users, once a match has been made, to view photos, explore profile descriptions, chat with each other, and make in-app voice or video calls.

Market Research of Dating Apps

Dating platforms are confidently making traditional dating a thing of the past. As the forecast shows, the global dating app market will surpass $8.4 billion by 2024.

The novel COVID-19 crisis notably plays a significant role in boosting online dating platforms’ popularity. While the pandemic has led to nightmarish global imbalances, top dating services mark a whopping 82% jump For example, Bumble reported that in the second week of March, the number of active users grew up to 8%. Tinder stated that the average call length increased by 30%. What’s more, this dating site platform witnessed a world record-breaking number of swipes: over 3 billion times on March 29, 2020!

Now let’s take a closer look at what makes online dating services so attractive and the benefits of using them.

Benefits of a Dating Platform

Personal dating service like a magic wand allows meeting so many more people than one can with traditional dating methods as they might never cross their paths by chance in real life. As these apps show no signs of shortage these days, every dating platform aims to offer users something-of-a-kind to stay relevant, demand, and popular. Nevertheless, all online dating services have five core advantages in common.

1. Saving Time

Being always at hand, online dating platforms help find companions in a matter of seconds. With dating sites, chances to find compatible people increases significantly as you narrow down your matches before you even decide to text them or reply to a message.

2. Convenient for Busy People and Introverts

Many people may feel lonely because they work a lot and do not have time to create new relationships offline. This is where a dating platform comes to the rescue helping users meet partners. These platforms also work for introverts, improving their communication skills to find soulmates.

3. Soulmates May Be Nearby

Some local dating services match people in a certain radius. This means that a new friend or significant other can be around the corner. This way, face-to-face meetings or live communication may happen more often.

4. Ability to Interact Only with Compatible People

No one can write to other users in a personal dating service unless they receive mutual likes. The feature allows preventing users from interacting with unwanted personalities. This way, people communicate only with matches.

5. Plenty of Slices of the Dating Pie

Online dating services help persons push boundaries offering plenty of slices of the dating pie. Besides a wide variety of options for hooking up and finding relationships, more narrow slices offer solutions for any taste.

Now that we’ve figured out the core benefits, let’s dive into where to start if you are about to create a dating app.

Essential KPIs for High-End Dating Services

Before you jump into creating professional dating services, you should consider some niche peculiarities that affect product development and future success.

1. Market and Competitor Research, Business Analysis

Since the niche for high-end dating services is oversaturated, you should conduct thorough market research and business analysis. Explore renowned matchmakers like Tinder, Bumble, Badoo, Hinge, eHarmony, and many more. Point out what sets them aside, discover their strengths and weaknesses to think over what helps you create a dating app that will conquer the niche.

Consider local market tendencies and trends. So far, Americans, Brazilians, Japanese and South Koreans love and use dating apps the most while France, Germany and Saudi Arabia have the lower market share. Meanwhile, a younger audience, 85% of those under 34, surf online dating platforms the most actively. Another data shows that 64% of young people between 18 and 24 state that the apps provide more varied choices about who they date. On top of that, 52% of users aged 55-64 use these platforms for dating and friendship.

2. Unique Value Proposition

Innovation and uniqueness defines the success of any application. Think about what UVP you can apply to differ from other top dating services. This way, you may add new features, strengthen security measures, improve UI/UX design. In other words, everything that helps beat other online dating services.

For example, Hater connects people who hate the same thing. In Bumble, only girls take the first step in hooking up. Happn allows you to communicate with people who are nearby right now, within 250 meters. WooPlus is an inclusive application for people of all sizes letting them go off the usual app inhibitions and show themselves as they are, in all their glory. JSwipe is an application targeted at Jewish singles seeking for new relationships. Grindr, Hornet, Her, Scruff designed only for LGBTQ people. Fairytrail, an app for remote workers and travelers, has shown a bittersweet increase in use during the pandemic.

3. Matching Algorithm

Matching algorithm is a dating platform pillar allowing you to increase matches percentage. Let’s look at basic ones.

• Location-Based Matching

Some apps like Bumble and Tinder match people nearby. Users set preferred radius they want to look for a partner, and then the algorithm suggests people in desired geolocation.

• Computed-Based Matching

This kind of algorithm calculates compatibility percentage by comparing answers suggested by bots. Even candidates omitting similar questions can be matching.

• Preference-Based Matching

These algorithms analyze candidates based on their social networks, comments, or questionnaires. A program collects information about users’ preferences, hobbies, lifestyle, expectations, analyzes answers and then matches them up.

• AI-Based Matching

This type of algorithm provides more accurate matching. Thanks to artificial intelligence, a program quickly and efficiently analyzes tons of factors, gathering various slices of information.

4. Privacy and Security

Privacy and security are vital qualities that customers look for in a dating platform. Users whose personal information has leaked are particularly vulnerable to various forms of attacks, intimidation, and extortion. Recently, researchers uncovered sensitive data leaks from numerous niche platforms. In total, they found 845 GB of frank correspondence, photographs, and about 2.5 million entries.

Accordingly, our first priority is to prevent your consumers from catfishing. The best thing you can do to ensure safe dating services is double-check users’ information as follows:

• Make users confirm their accounts via user-preferred channels and verify their profiles via photo verification. The verified pages will display verified status: a small checkmark next to their name for others to trust.
• Allow people to filter messages automatically or manually, eliminating threats or offensive messages.
• Make sure users can complain about inappropriate and indecent behavior, and you take action against arising issues.
• Provide blacklist function.
• Take measures to protect users’ sensitive data.

When people are less anonymous, they are less likely to pose a threat.

5. UI/UX Design

A mindful UI/UX design is what sets your service apart while dating app development. It’s all about personalization, simplicity, convenience, minimalism, accessibility, and adaptivity. Along with an attractive design, your application must perform smoothly. Keep workflows simple and short. Any action should be completed in the minimum possible number of steps.

6. Interactivity and Gamification

A highly interactive interface spared of excessive details helps engage and retain users. Ensure people have fun and easy experiences when using your dating platform. Users love to win and receive rewards, therefore, make your app interesting, challenging, and playful.

7. Choose a Software Vendor

Hiring a proper software engineering team makes a great deal of your idea concept implementation success: from business analytics to after-release platform maintenance. When choosing vendors for creating high-end dating services, please pay attention to the company’s portfolio, niche solutions they provide, and software they mainly use.

Must-Have Features to Create a Dating App

The regular app should offer both basic and advanced options to cover diverse target groups.

Basic Feature Set

A regular dating platform usually contains this basic feature set to serve end-users and business runners.

1. Access Control

Registration is the very first step to start using a personal dating service. Ensure users can confirm their accounts through desired channels and then verify their profile with photo verification.

2. Profile Management

User profile should contain an image and personal information (detailed or minimal). Data can be gathered from an integrated social network, taken from questionnaires, or simply provided by users. Naturally, users should be able to edit or delete their profiles easily.

3. In-App Chatting Capability

Private chat is an essential part when you create a dating app. Make sure people can set preferred languages, manage content, block users, report spam, offensive behavior, inappropriate content, fraud, prohibited content.

4. Geolocation

A dating site platform makes more sense if people can search for their mates nearby by setting desired spot and radius.

5. Matching Mechanism

Put in enough effort in a matching algorithm and choose that one that best suits your targets.

6. Explore Profile

Users should be able to view other profiles, browse images, and information provided.

7. Integration With Social Networks

Ensure users can connect other social networks to their account. This will help improve security measures and boost user engagement.

8. Settings

Users should be able to set their profiles and configure search settings to match with compatible people based on set gender, age, location, hobbies, and more.

9. Push Notifications

Users should receive notifications regarding in-app activities, system updates, reward programs..

Extended Feature Set

Those people who purchase an extended, premium version of an app, get an advanced feature set. Let’s explore some of them.

1. Profile Promotion

Users pay a flat fee to display their profiles first in search results.

2. Advanced Swipe

With this feature, based on a machine-learning algorithm, users can upgrade the way they view other profiles.

3. Unlimited Likes

Users have at their disposal an unlimited number of likes and swipes.

4. Unlock Mutual Likes

Users can see everyone who has liked them, without having to like them in response.

5. No Location Binding

People can search for matches in other cities or countries, regardless of their location.

Admin Panel

To effectively manage the workflow from A to Z, you must have an admin panel, which is an all-in-one tool that helps in:

1. User Management

Within this block, a business runner keeps track of all app users, profile information, and in-app activities. Having all this data at hand, one can quickly identify potential scammers and deceivers and block or remove them in case of violations or questionable actions.

2. Report Management

Here app managers can receive reports about violators and take necessary timely security actions. Your users become your assistants and report of perverts or hackers, which help you always be one step ahead.

3. Financial Management

With this feature, an app owner controls financial flows. This also includes reward/loyalty programs management letting administrators manage bonuses, gifts, discounts, promotions.

After we’ve covered a set of basic/advanced functionalities that every personal dating service should have, let’s move on to how to monetize people’s will to find their perfect match.

Ways to Monetize Online Dating Services

You should consider appropriate monetization tools so that your dating platform make money. You can choose between five business models.

1. Premium Version

As a rule, online dating platforms are free, but provide limited functions. To get extra opportunities, users have to pay once in a while. For instance, Tinder offers its members Tinder Plus and Tinder Gold subscription plans.

2. In-App Purchases

In-app purchases proved to be a great option to engage users by offering them to buy special gift cards, gifts, videos, and more.

3. Freemium

Freemium model, in turn, offers a one-time payment, which unlocks constant access to all application features.

4. In-App Ads

You can monetize your dating site platform by applying in-app ads like Grindr does. Avoid excessive advertising as you can be annoying for users and they can abandon your service.

5. Local Partnerships

You can partner any local business and advertise it through your personal dating service.

As you see, there are enough monetization opportunities. It’s up to you what to choose.

It Is Indeed High Time to Create a Dating App

Dating app development has become the new normal. This is what people really need in a daily rush and an endless stream of information. Online dating platforms show no signs of shortage, therefore it is a great opportunity to enter the market. Consider given hints and you will discover free space for your one-of-a-kind solution that the niche lacks currently.

Contact us and get your lucky ticket. Together we will create an ideal matchmaker that will take off. If you’re still doubting, click this link to book a free 15-minutes online consultation with our experts.