Interview with InboxMe, The Site That Thinks ‘Love Can Be Found In Unexpected Places’

Name: Jo Keeble
Position and company: Partner
Period of time in the role: 2 years
Twitter ID: @Inboxme_co_uk

What makes InboxMe different from other dating sites?

We do not have pages of forms to fill in or computer matching, we believe that love can be found in unexpected places, and a computer cannot make up for that spark or chemistry, so we actively encourage members to not restrict their search to what they “think” they are looking for, but to chat to as many people as possible to find out if there is a “spark”.

Where did the idea for the site come about?

The partners had met by accident, and discovered they were both on the same dating site, but because they both had their criteria set so that they would never come across each other, and the computer didn’t see them as a “match”  but it was love at first sight! Hence our idea.

How long has the site been active?

18 months.

How many users do you have? Where do they come from?

1451 nationwide user.

How do you ensure your members are real?

We have never and will never buy a database, and we check each new profile for suspicious details, such as location/email/picture etc.

How do you encourage customers reply to messages they receive?

It’s part of our ethos and they are emailed encouraging them when they receive a new message.

Which specific features you have introduced have proved most popular with your users?

Our monthly “hotlist” competition, people win prizes for the most amount of votes, it’s themed at certain times a year i.e sexy santa etc.

How did you get into the online dating industry?

We kept hearing the same gripes about online dating: fake profiles, repeat billing, profiles appearing on other sites, spamming, information, passed onto third parties, we wanted to create a REAL experience. I worked in marketing, and Jim, the other partner, is a graphic designer, so we thought we would create a better looking type of site.

How big is your team? 

Three.

What do you see as the biggest problems for online daters at the moment?

Fake profiles and repeat billing, your information/profile being sold to third parties.

Do you think there is still a stigma around online dating?

Somewhat, but we are hoping to be part of the change.

What online dating trends do you think we will in 2015?

More app-based dating with companies trying to take a different angle to get away from the stigma surrounding the old style online dating.

What are your plans for the next year?

To get an investor interested and join forces with an app-based company.

Visit Inboxme here.