One of the key examples of this was the release of our first-ever global Climate Change Advocate Profile Badge and Stack in the weeks leading up to World Earth Day 2021, which was inspired by dating millennials on OkCupid who are passionate about climate change and believe in being advocates of the same.
The new Stacks discovery experience shows matches in a focused, thoughtful way, and gives OkCupid daters the choice and control over who they could match with through a series of new categories including ‘online’ (to match with people who are online), ‘recommended’ (a stack of OkCupid’s top recommendations based on preferences), ‘nearby’, ‘match %’, etc. Last year, we had also rolled out our biggest mobile app redesign globally called ‘Stacks’ which is a new matching system that consolidates multiple discovery methods into one, making it even easier to find the type of person you’re looking for. Hence to make it easier for our users to find a potential match who believes in the benefit of getting vaccinated, we introduced the ‘I’m vaccinated’ badge and stack as an endeavour to help people make informed decisions, especially in their search for love. In 2021, a lot of the focus has been on expressing one’s intent to get the vaccine and match with someone who believes in the same science we've seen a 763% increase in mentions of the vaccine on OkCupid India's bios since March 2021. With over 3000 questions at the heart of the product and more topical questions added in a timely manner, we ensure relevant subjects that matter most to millennial Indians are addressed by the app. OkCupid has always been a platform that empowers users to find their kind of love based on shared interests, quirks and beliefs. How have you as a platform been able to keep up with these changing times and evolving consumer needs? Q) Dating also evolved in these last 13-14 months.
What this meant for us as OkCupid is that there were more moments of serendipity on our platform impacting business (currently and in the future) positively while making a tangible difference in the social fabric of India. The second was a change in mindset-with time on their hands to introspect on the sort of relationship they’re looking for, single millennials ended conversations missing a spark faster while engaging in old school courtship online blurring the lines of IRL and online romance.
First, with fewer avenues to meet people we saw a surge in the number of first-time users on OkCupid with more women than ever before actively opening conversations. The pandemic then created two major changes that affected the business of dating apps and OkCupid in particular. The same holds for men in India who are seeking a partnership instead of traditional Indian gender roles in a marriage. The last few years have been so exciting for us as we’ve seen women discovering their independence and extending that security to choosing relationships that see them as more than just a horoscope or radius of a roti. In 2018, OkCupid was brought to India in response to a growing number of women looking for a serious relationship on their terms.
Q) How have the last 1.5 years been for OkCupid as a brand? How did the pandemic impact your business? It also brought a lot of first-time users to these platforms. Virtual dates became an acceptable way of dating. We saw many platforms introduce new features that enhanced overall experience for people using these apps. So when people were socially distanced, the challenge was to do find new ways of building that connect.
Businesses had to pivot quickly to stay relevant.įor dating apps, the game is all in helping build human connections. With almost no physical contact with friends, families, technology came to our rescue. As we were restricted to our homes, there was a transformation in the way we live our lives, buy, consume, watch, or even interact with people. The year 2020 had a profound impact on all our lives. We chat with Anukool Kumar, Marketing Director, OkCupid India on the pandemic's impact on its business and how it is making sure its platform is able to evolve with the changing needs of its users.Dating has seen a phenomenal change during the pandemic and dating apps like OkCupid are helping simplify meeting and building deep connections with people online.