Online Dating Activity Grows During COVID-19 Pandemic

While the majority of the world goes into lockdown, the online dating industry appears to be one of the few sectors that is thriving in the current climate.

Several companies and apps from every niche are reporting increases in activity, as singles spend more time inside their houses and on their phones.

Last year, Bumble released a new feature allowing users to conduct voice calls and video chats inside the app, to help them get to know their matches before meeting in person and without exchanging personal information.

The feature has seen a bump of 21% since the coronavirus outbreak, as people opt to remain at home and take part in virtual dates.

The Inner Circle made the decision at the beginning of March to cancel all of its worldwide events. As a company that is renowned for its offline experiences, it was unclear how severely it was going to be impacted.

However, data from the app shows that it has seen a surge in usage rates, with approximately double the number of matches and messages compared to a typical period. Activity is reportedly 25% more than ‘Dating Sunday’, normally the busiest day for online dating each year.

Meanwhile, Dating.com conducted a survey that suggested 82% of singles will be using online dating services over the next couple of months. It also has a video chat feature and has suggested watching a movie, playing games or cooking as date ideas while in isolation.

Finally, sugar dating site Sugarbook is experiencing a significant increase in traffic, sign ups and messages exchanged since the outbreak began. Malaysia is the fastest growing country at the moment, with an overall activity growth rate of just under 40%.

Sugarbook is also offering free premium memberships to users in China, Italy and Hong Kong, three of the worst affected areas.

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