eHarmony Blog.com

[updated 12/15/2008]

Article dated 11/27/2008 in the NY Daily News found via Kathyrn Lord’s blog

My comments and thoughts upon reading the article:

As per the previous article posted on this trend, my personal data shows a down tick in matches delivered compared to recent months but this seems to be a typical pattern: holidays and vacation tend to result in less interest in dating.  Looking at Oct 2007 versus Oct 2008, I show three times as many matches but that data is totally invalid for comparison because I had vastly different matching criteria and an increase would be expected (it is rather shocking how large a difference it is).

It would be interesting to see if this is the case for someone who hasn’t changed their match parameters.  Uncle Fester, our resident “long-term idle account”, reports that for the period of Nov 2007 – Nov 2008, his matching settings remained unchanged.  In Nov 2007 he got 37 matches compared to only 24 matches this year.  That is a 54% reduction of matches year to year and not an increase, in this case.

So, what gives?  This one data point contradicts what has been reported in the two recent articles, provided that all conditions are equal and his account has not been subjected to some sort of “reduction” by the matching algorithm because it is idle.  It just doesn’t seem to add up.

This whole concept seems a little counter intuitive: folks want to stay in more (with their sweetie) because of the poor economy but in order for a single person to find someone to settle down with, you have to go out.  The idea is that is cheaper to do so via online dating…cheaper than what?  More effective than the alternatives given the economic downturn?  I’m not sure I buy that logic, as it seems that everything should be effected equally.

I’d like to hear more details about the eHarmony survey.  It sounds questionable.

In fact, this whole thing sounds like one big marketing tactic specifically to increase revenue for this quarter, which is a real downer for the dating industry.

Downturn? What downturn? Sales of Kama Sutra products and online dating memberships soar

Downturn?  What downturn?  There sure isn’t one in our love lives.  Americans are increasingly looking for love (or at least a little lovin’) in these troubled economic times.

Sales of Kama Sutra products have soared in the past year.  Online dating sites like eHarmony.com and PerfectMatch.com are seeing a spike in memberships.

Sales of Kama Sutra products are up 12% this year.  Top-selling products include Body Chocolate, an edible chocolate-flavored balm; the Strawberry Weekender Kit, which contains a variety of strawberry-flavored oils and lubricants and the Getaway Kit, a collection of oils, lubricants and a candle.

“With more and more people saving money by staying in, the increase in our sales is no surprise,” says Shawna Taklender, Web Service Manager for The Kama Sutra Company. “During times like these everyone needs to feel a little extra love and security and sometimes the connection between loving couples can be the best way to fulfill those desires.”
It’s not just couples that are searching for love.  Singles seem to want a mate even more when money is tight.  Paul Breton, the Senior Manager of Corporate Communications at eHarmony, confirmed this.

A recent study conducted by eHarmony found that people who were prompted to worry about the economy were more likely to click through to see their matches right away.  Another eHarmony study found that current eHarmony members commit more time to finding a long-term relationship when economic news is very bad.

It’s not just eHarmony that’s seeing this trend.  Recently released statistics from Perfectmatch.com show a spike in new members of 47% over the last quarter.
We may be in the midst of troubled economic times, but that doesn’t keep us from seeking out a little love.