Online dating trends 2014

The new year’s been with us a fortnight and the busiest times on online dating sites have well and truly arrived. But what exactly can we look forward to in the world of online dating? Will it be another year of same old same old or are there any new developments waiting for us around the corner?

Here are our top predictions for the year 2014.

1) Big & bigger

As the economy is slowly recovering we also predict a very busy year for dating sites as more and more people will have money to invest in dating. By 2013 online dating grew to be the second most common way for couples to get together (meeting through friends still holds the top position), and we predict that by 2015 it might be the most common way to meet your significant other. Never before have you had a better chance to find love online so if you’re still hesitating, now’s the time to make up your mind as more and more people flock to dating sites.

2) Niche to meet you

We also predict there will be an upsurge in niche dating sites. Sure, some of them might be short-lived but some of them will get a large enough amount of loyal clientele to pull through and satisfy the needs of an ‘alternative dater’. While sites like Match and eHarmony will always be the most popular ones, there’s still room for small sites as well as the market isn’t overflowing just yet. It might happen in the near future, but not as early as 2014. So if you feel like you need to find someone JUST like you, there might not be a better time for that too.

3) Year of the App

Dating apps will gather pace like nothing else. 2012 saw the launch of Tinder, which became so popular in 2013 that it was downloaded a mindblowing 50 million times. And that number is steadily growing in 2014. This, in turn, kickstarted all kinds of dating-related apps. Not only does every self-respecting dating site now have their own mobile site or app but there will also be heaps of new apps in the coming year catering for every type of dating whim and wish.

4) Redesign time

Several dating sites have had extreme makeovers in the past 12 months – eHarmony is one who completely revamped their site to make it so sleekly modern and well-designed that it’s a pleasure to use – and we predict a whole bunch of them will be doing that in 2014 if they haven’t done it yet. A lot of dating sites will be re-designed for a better user experience on tablets and smartphones. We’ll see sites getting rid of pointless clutter on their pages and a more streamlined and interactive approach taking prevalence.

5) Clean up or close up

With new dating sites popping up in 2014 others will lose ground and market share to make room for better alternatives. Just like any online business – if you don’t invest enough to keep your customers happy, they’ll vote with their fingers and join sites that take better care of them. Most online dating site’s aren’t cheap and people want good quality service for their hard earned cash. So we predict a backlash against sites using scammy practices to lure in members and they’ll start losing customers. Dating sites will be left with a choice to either clean up their act or close down.

6) Feature comforts

All kinds of features and useful interactivity will become more and more important on dating sites. From GPS tracking to real time interaction. Most people want to protect their privacy and don’t want to give out phone numbers or Skype names, instead they’d prefer like to use the online dating sites’ own chat, email and texting systems. Dating sites investing in these kinds of features will be more popular than those taking a more conservative approach.

7) The Social network

What is the most powerful online tool these days? Correct, it’s social media. Even now there’s a fair amount of sites linking Facebook or Google Plus profiles to online dating profiles – but no one has done it very effectively so far (though Tinder leads the way). However, it’s only a matter of time until someone does, and then we will see the rise of a new superpower. Imagine Facebook for online daters? Yep, my point exactly. However, is it going to happen in 2014? Probably not just yet. What we will see though is dating sites trying to use social media more and more.

These are our top predictions for online dating trends 2014. Have you got anything to add to this? Let us know, we’d love to hear your ideas!

About the Author

Aet Suvari has been reviewing and writing about the world of online dating since 2008 and the launch of Online Dating Help. A stickler for promoting ethical practices within the UK dating industry she champions the sites that get it right while highlighting those holding it back. You can follow her on Google+