A recent guest post on ITProPortal by CEO of EliteSingles, Jeronimo Folgueira, details his view of the current state of the online dating industry, and how he sees the landscape evolving.
Folgueira explains that the online dating industry has grown massively over the last few years and predicts that its current estimated worth of £185m will grow by around 6% this year.
However, Folgueira expects to see the number of dating platforms decrease over the next year, and says that “we need to see consolidation in the market.”
The EliteSingles CEO goes on to explain the industry’s shift towards mobile and predicts that we will see changes as freemium apps begin to monetise.
Folgueira said: “Last year, we saw a number of free online dating services rebrand to offer customers a paid-for service; I expect more will go in this direction.
“It is exceptionally hard to convert a customer who has enjoyed a free ride into a fare-paying premium user.
“Popularity doesn’t necessarily equal success – businesses need to be based on a viable model or commercial proposition if they are going to stick around.”
Read the full article here.