the dating market | France

1.1 Introduction and definition

Dating sites and applications offer the possibility to meet single people (or not) with the same aspirations and generally living within a defined perimeter . Most platforms propose to the Internet user to fill in a profile form giving detailed information on what he/she is looking for, activities, tastes, etc. The user can then view other members' profiles.

The market for dating sites is made up of numerous online platforms or applications The majority are paid through charged-for subscription that they offer but also have a free edition which allows users to test the application with limited functionality Advertising also represents a possible but minority source of revenue

L he global market for dating sites is growing at a relatively high rate and seems to benefit from the democratisation of the Internet and new technologies that allow the development of innovations in the sector. It is thus expected to grow by a CAGR of 4.7% between 2018 and 2025. The majority of the players belong to global groups such as Match.com or Spark Networks

The French market has experienced strong growth since the creation of Meetic in 2001 that shed light on this sector. Since then, dating applications and sites have multiplied to cover the needs of all users, whatever their interests and requirements. The french companies are dynamic with new start-ups such as Happn who are taking an ever-increasing share of the market. However, they suffer from fierce competition from foreign companies that can easily export their model to France. Indeed, the sector's turnover increased by 41% between 2008 and 2011 and then stagnated until 2016.

Consumers of these services are becoming more numerous as the number of singles increases and Internet use becomes more intense. In addition, trends can be observed, in particular for democratize women's use and to encourage the emergence of safe and respectful spaces of exchange, but also to ensure the protection of users' data