There is no doubt that the coronavirus crisis is transforming society as we know it and affecting many habits and customs. But what will happen when everything is over and we get rid of the virus? What changes has it caused in our behavior and way of relating? How will it affect some businesses?
These questions can also be applied to mobile dating applications , one of the apps most used by users and that had displaced other traditional ways of meeting or relating to potential love partners. Will we be more cautious from now on when it comes to sharing our privacy with other people for fear of virus infections? Will we be more afraid of giving hugs and kisses? Will we use the phone more or telepresence formulas instead of messaging to talk with future appointments?
For one of the moguls in the business of linking apps, all these issues are also very relevant. In order to try to address them, Dmitry Volkov , founder of the Dating.com group, has launched a fund of 50 million dollars to invest in new projects and startups dedicated to dating services.
In recent years, the swipe or sliding of the screen to the right or to the left (depending on whether there is affinity and attraction or not), driven by Tinder, has been the most successful formula or the prevailing dynamics in these tools. However, the businessman believes that “the new mechanics of conventional products have not yet been discovered.” Thus, with his fund he hopes to do trial and error. Volkov assures Techcrunch that he is in multiple conversations with companies in Asia, the US and Europe to acquire talent.
Streaming and video will play a key role
Volkov has his particular vision of what is happening and how quarantines are and will affect these services in the coming weeks. And this could give clues to how the business can change. “People will spend more time online, on social media and dating apps, so I expect an increase in user activity on video dating and chatting,” he says. “The younger generations are more native to video content. New niche players will always appear. But sooner or later a generalist application will emerge that will function as a disruptor, as happened with Tinder at the time ”, he emphasizes.
The entrepreneur has recognized that video and streaming services are awakening a lot of interest in Asia, as well as in Europe and the US The idea of broadcasting live from a user to a group, as with YouTube or Twitch, is It has become very fashionable and is also beginning to be introduced to dating services, by its competition, Meet Group.
In this sense, for example, there is an application called The League, which allows you to connect with the contacts you have on Facebook or Linkedin and do speed dating . Every Sunday gives you the chance to do three quick 2-minute videos.
