Study Examines How Dating Apps Encourage ‘Relation-Shopping’
The way people use dating apps may increasingly resemble the way they shop for products or research restaurants, according to a growing body of research examining the impact of digital platforms on modern relationships.
The concept, known as “relation-shopping”, describes the tendency for users to evaluate potential partners as though they were products in a marketplace. With dating apps offering extensive filtering tools and seemingly endless profiles, researchers suggest users are encouraged to compare, assess and optimise their choices in much the same way they would when making a purchasing decision.
The idea is explored in the academic study Relationshopping: Investigating the market metaphor in online dating, which examined how dating site users described their experiences. Participants frequently used consumer-focused language, comparing their profiles to marketing tools designed to present the “best version” of themselves while carefully scrutinising other users’ profiles before deciding whether to initiate contact.
Researchers found that many participants developed strategies to verify information before agreeing to meet someone. These included analysing multiple photographs, cross-checking profile details and looking for consistency across available information. The study argues that these behaviours mirror the scepticism consumers often apply to advertising and online product reviews.
While these approaches can help users filter potential matches more efficiently, the research suggests they may also alter how people evaluate romantic compatibility. Rather than forming impressions through conversation or shared experiences, users are encouraged to make decisions based on lists of attributes such as age, occupation, interests and relationship goals.
According to the researchers, this emphasis on measurable characteristics can make it more difficult to account for qualities that are often central to attraction, including chemistry, personality and interpersonal dynamics. Offline encounters typically provide a more holistic impression of another person, whereas app-based dating often prioritises information that can be easily displayed and compared.
Some participants in the study described online dating as becoming increasingly analytical. One respondent said the experience felt “clinical,” with users constantly evaluating potential partners rather than meeting people without preconceived expectations. The researchers suggest that this evaluation mindset may contribute to feelings of fatigue reported by many dating app users.
