Does Online Dating Really Work? Elect Club Investigates
Online dating launched in the UK in a blaze of glory way back in the late 1990’s, originally with Kiss.com in 1997 and Match.com a year later. Yet, here we are, approaching 30 years on from that point and recently we have seen the question asked many times “Does online dating still work”?
At one time, online dating was a truly huge success, both in the UK and globally. At its peak it attracted more than 16 million users, with a high on New Years Day 2014, when 7 million people were online at the same time.
Gradually though we have seen a decline in numbers, with bad publicity about burgeoning crime rates, fraud and scammers, plus a real problem with fake IDs, which are now said to be running at more than 3 million in the UK alone.
We have also witnessed a significant swing in the number of male to female participants. In the early days, men were often a rare commodity, with females massively outnumbering males, which at one point was 6 females to every male. That is not the case in 2024 and beyond however, with 70% of the online dating fraternity now being male and just a modest 30% being female. Many men now feel they are unable to achieve the sort of success they hoped for - and certainly nothing like the success rates of the early years of the new millennium, when meeting online was new and it seemed like everybody wanted to give it a try.
What Shifted in the Online Dating Landscape?
The question that has to be asked is, why? George Arison the CEO at www.grindr.com lays the blame squarely at the door of Tinder, Bumble and other well-known apps who he feels are ignoring male users and not treating them well enough. These were his thoughts in his interview with Palina Pompliano at the www.fortune.com annual Brainstorming Tech Conference in Park City, Utah. Arison feels that the apps are not trying to improve or smooth the men’s often awkward experience online, which is a huge oversight as it’s often the men that are paying significant amounts for premium services. This has led to large numbers quitting dating online and through smartphone apps.
What Are the Alternatives to Online Dating?
So, what are the alternatives? Well, here at Elect Club, we are seeing a serious upturn in male numbers, which we are delighted by and welcome wholeheartedly. Whilst it is bound to be more expensive deploying the services of a personal matchmaker on a one-to-one basis, many men feel that it is worthwhile to get that superior level of support and care from their own dating expert. Many are also pleasantly surprised by the value for money that personal matchmaking offers, especially when it comes to the help, support and advice available. We’ve found this can make a real difference, not only to how it makes members perceive their membership, but to the levels of success that they are able to generate as well.
Chief Executive of Elect Club, Sarah James said “We’d just recommend that people have a look at what working with a professional matchmaker is all about and see what a difference it can make. This year to date, our matchmaking team has been averaging more than 50 successful matches each and every week, which is a figure that we are incredibly proud of. Who knows who could be next and we would be delighted if that was you.”
Sarah continues: “One of our greatest strengths is individual service and tailoring memberships so they fit exactly for each individual member, whether they are male or female. So, if the men are not feeling the love on dating apps currently, then come on over to Elect and see if your personal matchmaker can work some magic for you. We’re always confident in our ability to achieve a successful result.”
Speak to Our Professional Matchmaking Team Today
Would you like to know more? Well, our friendly team of membership advisers are available almost every day to talk you through how working with a matchmaker can help. Also, there is no obligation to progress if you don’t want to – it's just a friendly, informal chat and the chance to ask any questions you may have. Ring us at our expense on 0800 644 4130, and begin your journey to find the one today.