If you look through the apps we have mentioned in this article, each of them has its very own specific trait. If you want to find the same for your product, good old market research will help in this case.
- First, you should check who your closest competitors are, what the market can offer.
- Check the comments from users what are they looking for in the Tinder-like apps? What drawbacks do they find most annoying about these apps?
- Check forums and social media. Maybe, you will find a particular group of people who needs a separate platform for communication.
2. Pick a business model
You already know there are several ways to monetize your future dating app now is the right moment to pick your option. Why is it important from the very beginning?
- The final list of features depends on it.
- The user flow and interface design are developed before the coding stage, and they should consider if and when users pay for extra features.
- This is an important detail for the to know when they start building a promotional strategy.
How to monetize your dating app?
- Subscription-based services (premium accounts, additional features) Tinder Plus, for example, offer a number of extra features, such as Unlimited Swiping or Rewind, on a monthly subscription basis.
- In-app purchases (gifts, chat stickers, various profile boosts) OkCupid, for a small cost, offers the option to boost a users profile visibility by placing it in the “Spotlight” section, thus increasing the likelihood that a match will be made.
- Advertising (banner ads and native mobile advertising) Some dating apps choose to show in-feed ads to make money. The ability to turn the ads off can be provided as a paid service as well.
- Integration with offline services Another option is to make money through paid partnerships with offline businesses. You can make money each time your users go through a partner service such as, eating at a restaurant or booking an Uber.
3. Make user privacy a priority
Sometimes, people are glad to share some of their private data with complete strangers. Dating apps are one of those places where you leave your name, job title, and location that is why numerous dating apps care a lot about privacy and security issues.
In 2019, OkCupids users reported that their accounts were hacked: their passwords and emails were changed, and subsequently, could not get their accounts back.
4. Make it fun with gamification
If you can add at least some gamification to your app, just go for it. People open dating apps to relax, have fun, and enjoy their free time. Your product should be exciting, engaging, simple, and useful.
Tinders swiping has created a revolution in the world of online dating and made matching kind of addictive. You can provide users with bonuses for adding all the information to their accounts and then suggest bonuses here and there in the user flow.
Wrapping up
All in all, building a dating app is not an easy task. While there are plenty of great dating apps, most of them have much in common, providing the same set of features with a slightly different UI.
If you want to compete with the major market players, you need to find a unique way to outshine their products, be it through a better UX, more accurate matching capabilities, or extra features.
How to get started?
The product discovery phase is the best first step you can take to lay a solid http://www.datingranking.net/local-hookup/chico/ foundation for the development of your app. It includes a functional specification, UX/UI design, and a visual prototype that will give you a clear vision of the end product. On average, this phase takes 4-6 weeks.
