In a digital-led society, more and more people are constantly looking for long-term love online. With the help of dating apps and sites, accommodating niche needs or suitable for the mass market, many from around the world have plenty of new potential dates available with just a swipe of a finger. Online dating platforms are set to reach 370 million active users by the end of 2021, meaning the chances to find the perfect match are ever-increasing. However, this doesn’t necessarily mean that users are starting to feel safer online, nor are they any happier with who they come into contact with.
Most user’s mistrust is placed with other online members that they meet through these dating services. There is a constant concern with people misrepresenting themselves; lying about their lifestyle, profession, personality characteristics, or even appearance. It’s no secret that past, present, and future members will use or have already used out-of-date images on their profiles that are not what they look like today. According to our recent research study conducted in partnership with FTI Consulting, 75% of daters admit to having misrepresented themselves on their dating profile, believing it is important to look their best online, even if that means distorting reality.
Even with all of the worry and fear surrounding online dating, more people than ever are joining these platforms thanks to a decrease in stigma. Now, it’s up to these platforms to meet the requirements of the users in order for them to experience fun, yet safe dating.
Meeting user expectations
Today’s online daters will most likely be familiar with the term ‘catfishing’ and almost every user will expect to meet fake profiles on sites during their dating adventures. Nonetheless, dating apps shouldn’t ignore this. Instead, they should work towards providing and supporting members by presenting a safe and secure platform. Also, these dating platforms should always consider how they can protect their users from matching with cybercriminals, even if they aren’t immediately obvious. According to our most recent survey with GDI, more than half of the dating app executives surveyed admitted they could be doing more to protect their users from scammers and catfishing. Choosing to dismiss this can result in serious consequences for both parties, such as users being hurt through catfishing and destroying a platform’s reputation.
With this in mind, some may question why many singletons turn to dating platforms when risks like romance scams exist. Well, many will choose to leave those platforms that don’t respect their safety. With plenty of apps out there – 7,500 to be exact – users have no trouble looking elsewhere. Dating apps must consider how they can add features that provide more safety procedures to members before they lose them.
Dating sites that do not consider safety in our ‘tech savvy’ society can be hard to find, but it’s those who have it at the forefront of their app that will succeed. As a partner to the dating industry, RealMe understands the level of attention that each dating app needs in order to increase a user’s safety and we have built our online reputation platform in response. We have experience in helping the dating industry to be transparent with their safety features and advise new technologies that offer the most secure options for your members.
Putting dating apps to use, safely
Online dating can be seen as a gamble due to the many unknowns, hence why it’s extremely important for apps to regularly update their built-in safety features. Safety guidelines, advice, and customer service details should always be made accessible for any member before, during, and after the sign-up process. If not, potential daters might be reluctant to join the app and current members might not understand how to fully use the safety tools that are available.
When singletons decide to join, they also want to be able to report behaviors that make them feel uncomfortable. This means platforms must have the ability to block users who may be causing other members’ distress. Having a safety-first policy and using this feedback to continually improve gives online daters the right amount of trust in your platform. What’s more, giving users complete control over their dating experience by enabling them to manage how much exposure their profile has on the app, geographically or personality traits, is another important step to building trust in a dating platform.
By working closely with a broad range of dating brands, RealMe can support the technology that keeps users safe and secure. We provide dating apps and their users with access to over 275 million verified Reputation Profiles, by providing background information such as criminal records, sex offender status, and lawsuits. Our security solution also offers users an individual Reputation Score for each personal profile that is matched.
It’s clear to see that trust is all about providing the most efficient and effective safety tools to the members. Here at RealMe, our mission is to provide safety solutions for dating apps by providing trustworthy background and reputation information to promote safety in online interactions, while empowering users to manage their online reputation. This enhanced transparency between dating apps and their users will serve as the benchmark of quality for online safety.
To find out more about building safety and trust with your users, please visit: www.therealme.com/dating
