Many consumers aren’t hit by Cupid’s arrow when it comes to dating apps.

While U.S. consumers may spend time in dating apps looking for Mr. or Ms. Right, they are got giving many of those apps any love and affection in app store ratings. At least that’s the conclusion of a new study “The Best Dating Apps to Get Before Valentine’s Day” by research group Application Resource Center, the research arm of app quality and testing company Applause App Quality Inc.

The research group reviewed 97 of the most popular dating apps, which ARC determined by apps that had at least 2,000 app store reviews between Google Play and the Apple App Store. ARC then assigned a numerical score to each app based on the wording in the reviews, and qualities of the app, including content, elegance, interoperability, performance, pricing, privacy, satisfaction, security, stability and usability. ARC gave added weight to elegance, privacy and security, which it views as the most important qualities for dating apps.

Of the 97 most popular dating apps, the average quality score was 44 out of 100. This average is low compared to other verticals’ app ratings, according to ARC reports. ARC’s average app quality score is 67 out of 100, which is based on reviews of 30 million apps in industries including healthcare, travel and retail.

Since most dating apps require consumers to sign up and create a profile to use the app, that process is the brand’s first chance to retain new subscribers, says Ben Gray, lead digital experience analyst at Applause and the author of the report.

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“The poor average scores suggest consumers are quick to judge quality based on initial experience of signing up and searching for a match,” Gray says. “If it takes longer than users have an appetite for, the app risks abandonment and the company loses revenue opportunity.”

Ten dating apps, including Tinder and Match, have more than 10,000 reviews and have a quality score of less than 40. These apps include, Hot or Not (40.0), Tinder (39.5), SayHi (32.0), Match (31), Zoosk (30.0), Waplog (29.5), Grindr (28.5), BeNaughty (26.0), Grindr Xtra (24.0) and eHarmony (20.0).

Apps may have low scores because they fail to quickly get new app features out to consumers and to release new versions that address users’ feedback, Gray says.

“It’s important that brands test their experiences with actual subscribers in the real world, to understand their customer’s point of view and then optimize the mobile experience based on that feedback,” Gray says.

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Part of the reason dating apps continually update their apps is because of innovation in this vertical, Gray says. Many apps have started to include enhanced features such as, video, location sharing, social networks, activities and behaviors, which until recently were not incorporated into dating apps.

“The dating app’s economy is incredibly competitive and increasingly crowded,” Gray says. “Brands are releasing new builds at an accelerated rate, even at the risk of releasing a bad build.”

Not all dating apps, however, got the brush off. JustSayHi had the best app quality score at 88; Surge came in second with a score of 83, and Mingle was third at 73.

“JustSayHi and Surge have proved to be widely successful at fostering intimate connections even before a pair meets in person,” Gray says. “JustSayHi accomplishes it through video connections and chat, while Surge optimizes its experiences through chat and location-based services.” Such location-based services could allow consumers to see how many other singles are in their region.

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11 dating apps have more than 10,000 reviews and have a quality score of 50 or higher. These apps include: Jaumo (72), OKCupid (61), happn (57), Scruff (55.5), Moco (55.0), GROWr (54.5), Skout (53.5), Qeep (53.0), MeetMe (50.5), Badoo (50.5) and Hornet (50.0).

Gray notes that some interesting but niche apps didn’t meet the 2,000 review threshold, such as Christian Mingle, JDate, Black People Meet, FarmersOnly Dating and Gaydar, which is why they are not included in the report.

 

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