Video calling preferred to chats.
Younger, more female, users.
Meaningful conversations.
How young Indians changed the dating game in 2020.
The COVID-19 pandemic has redefined the rules for online dating in the country.
With the enforced lockdown restrictions and social distancing norms in place, virtual dating has slowly become the new favourite among Indian singles.
According to Ravi Mittal, founder of QuackQuack, an online dating app, "2020 has been the year when virtual dating was accepted by masses among desi singles."
"We witnessed participation from people of all age groups and geographies. What's pleasing to see was the huge growth in participation of users from small towns and cities and in the near future we are expecting the number to shoot up even further."
"With the COVID danger still hanging in the backdrop and social distancing norms still in place, we are expecting the coming year to continue to reap good results for Online Dating as users are much more comfortable in interacting virtually. If 2020 was the starter, 2021 will be the main course for daters!" Mittal added.
To analyse this growing trend of online dating, we closely monitored 50,000 users for 3 months.
These are some interesting observations:
1. Online dating will continue to prosper in Tier 2 and 3 cities
The months long isolation and social distancing has compelled the users from smaller cities to come online in search of their love interest.
The trend is expecting to grow further as more and more people start adopting the culture of virtual dating.
2. The era of commitment is back again!
There has been a welcome surge in people who are looking for meaningful relationships.
With more time in hand, users are willing to go that extra-mile in order to know their counterpart and are engaging with the profile of their interest for hours.
The average time a user spends on their dating app is 11 minutes.
3. Average age of users is expected to drop
The current average age of users on our app is 25 years. That has dropped from 29 just a few years back.
The average age is expected to drop even further as more and more youngsters adopt the culture of online dating.
4. Women have started to embrace online dating
With the increasing acceptance of the online dating culture and with the continuity of social distancing norms more women are expected to get comfortable with online dating.
We've realised that female users open the app 48 times a day while male users tend to use the app 24 times during the day.
Which means, women open the app twice as much as their male counterparts.
5. Dating apps are the new WhatsApp for couples
The user chats on dating apps have increased in the lockdown, a clear sign of things to come with social distancing in place.
There is also a surge in profile views this year.
For people struggling with low confidence and are uncertain about stepping out, we can expect people to spend more time on dating apps, browsing matches and interacting with their love interests.
6. Video calling is the most preferred option for Indian singles
During the lockdown, video calling was one of the most used features by couples on dating platforms.
This trend is only expected to grow as users are interacting with profiles that are quite far off from their current location and it gives them a sense of connectivity and intimacy.
