Demographic

In the United States alone, there were 33,000,000 people who visited dating sites in 2006. Only 5% of those people purchased subscriptions.
The executive Director of Match.com, one of the largest Internet Dating sites, stated that Match.com is focusing its target marketing on the "Baby Boomer" generation, people older than 50. He feels the 18-25 aged group is gravitating towards the social networking sites like MySpace.1

Supporting that trend, LavaLife.com developed an offshoot company, 50Plus.com that has caught the attention of the 50-something dating crowd with a section on personals.

Apparently by February 2007, the 18-25 year old age group is moving toward the social networking sites like MySpace so the Executive Director of Match.com reported that the Marketing would be focused on the "Baby Boomer" generation, the 50 and above age group.

In this same article, peripheral sites are explained that are social niches concentrating on specific target groups, ones that narrow the focus to specifics such as single Christians, Jews, liberals, conservatives, gays, lesbians and in one case, "unusually good looking" single people. (That last one would be HotEnough.com)

EHarmony has recently expanded their online mating services to include married people by offering services that could help troubled or broken marriages.2

The Internet Dating Industry continues to grow as it entrenches into US culture and expands overseas, particularly in Europe. Germany for example, had revenues of over €85 million in 2007 and according to Just for Business, is expecting reach €103 million in 2008. Overseas
London, U.K., February 12, 2007, comScore Networks, a leader in measuring the digital age, reported the top online personals sites in the U.K., France and the U.S. data show distinct cultural preferences in each country. The only site included in the ranking of the top online personals sites in at least two countries was Match.com. Recently Match purchased eDodo, a dating website in China and NetClub in France. Countries

Overall, visits to Internet dating sites jumped 39% in the past two years, reports Hitwise.com, an online measurement company. In January, 20% of all visits to online dating sites were from singles over 55 — not much lower than the largest online dating group, ages 45 to 54, which made 25% of all such dating-related visits in the same month. Older singles often have different mind-sets than young people who join online dating sites, says Janet Siroto, editorial director of Match.com, which has seen its over-55 membership almost double in the past two years. Baby Boomers March 16, 2008

A survey of 30 million Single American Internet (SAI) users by Pew Internet and American Life Project yielded the following information:

Percentages Facts
74% People who have used the Internet to explore romantic interests
30% Know someone who has tried online dating
31% Know someone who has used a dating website
26% Know someone who has gone on a date with someone they met on a dating website
15% Know someone in a long-term relationship/married to someone they met online
66% Think online dating is a risk to exposing personal information
25% Do not consider it dangerous
29% Think of dating as a "last resort"
17% of 16 Million SAI users (7 Million)Had a long-term relationship or married online dating partner
52% Had a positive experience
29% Had a negative experience

Market Segments

General Online Dating Services

Match.com, Yahoo Personals, LavaLife, AmericanSingles, and many more cover the largest part of the market by catering to the casual dating interests of the marketplace.

Relationship Services

eHarmony, Chemistry.com and PerfectMatch.com are good examples of this segment because they use questionnaires and analytical systems to get an in-depth profile for better more serious matches.

Social Networking Sites

MySpace, Facebook, LinkedIn, Engage.com and many others represent the fastest growing segment, the multi-platform site that uses its extended network to draw new business. Online dating is moving into this infrastructure quickly through partnerships ad associations and novelty applications.

Niche Online Dating Services

The SparkNetworks of companies houses many of these type sites, although there are hundreds more. These websites cater to specific interests and associations, such as Religious beliefs, Social Justice Interests, Ethnicity, People interested in animals, food, languages, large women, beautiful people, millionaires,…the list is endless.

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