Match Offers Hand-Picked Matchmaker Service to App Users
Contributed by: kellyseal on Monday, December 06 2021 @ 07:25 am
Last modified on Monday, December 06 2021 @ 07:49 am
Match Group’s dating app Match will offer a hand-picked matchmaking service to app users for $4.99 per week, according to a report from the Wall Street Journal[*1] .
The company hired and trained 50 dating coaches who will be selecting two matches per week for participating users. However, the Journal notes that the matchmakers will be choosing matches from the same dating pool that the algorithm already provides, and will filter choices based on members’ answers to four basic questions, such as what a person would change about their dating life and what kind of person they gravitate towards.
The new service is being touted as a human matchmaking offering, aiming to disrupt the traditional matchmaking industry where experts charge thousands of dollars to hand pick potential matches for their clients and to better prepare them for dating. Match is offering a bit of human curation for far less money (but without all the handholding), which could have an impact.
The pandemic has caused changes in dating behavior, with more people interested in finding partners and long-term relationships. Match believes this is a good time to provide this new curated experience.
Amarnath Thombre, chief executive of Match Group Americas told the Journal, “People have had enough time to reflect on what really matters to me, what makes me happy. They’re also being a little more clear on who they want to be.”
Rachel DeAlto, chief dating expert at Match, explained it this way to the Journal: “It is really just going in and highlighting people and helping them to not feel as overwhelmed or frustrated.”
This new curated and organic approach is different from the company’s recent focus on virtual experiences and its purchase of popular South Korean platform Hyperconnect. Tinder, also owned by Match Group, recently launched an Explore section for virtual speed dating, chatting, and where users can view its popular series Swipe Night and message each other.
More recently, the company announced that it will be testing a new avatar-based “metaverse” called Single Town, where users can meet in virtual spaces and interact in real time before deciding to meet in person.
And dating app Hinge, another Match Group-owned app, launched a new audio feature where users can add audio clips to their profiles and chat with each other over the app. The feature has become a viral sensation on TikTok, with users posting audio from profiles they see in humorous montages.
Match has released similar expert features provided by humans before including AskMatch, a One-On-One Phone Sessions With Professional Dating Coaches. AskMatch coaches are live humans with professional resumes. Members can consult these experts for guidance, actionable tips or a sympathetic ear.
The company has not said when the new matchmaking feature will debut.