Over the past decade, the online dating industry has experienced a real boom, and it continues to grow.
With the increase in internet and mobile device users, as well as the development of VR technologies, there has been a demand for more targeted and specialized dating softwares. This has opened up vast opportunities for businesses to identify and serve niche specialized markets.
In Dating, there are 100 niches, including dating niches for expats, dog lovers, vegans, and vegetarians, to name just a few. Using white label solutions from Dating Pro, the possibilities are endless. Considering that we specialize in all dating niches, it's likely we serve niches you might not even have imagined.
This article provides a checklist for businesses looking to define and choose their segments in this rapidly evolving market.
Checklist for determining your project's niche
*Use Chat GPT hints and Google for answers to what you don't understand.
1. Choose 3 niches or business models.
How? The first step to success in the online dating industry is a deep understanding of the market. It's important to research current trends, understand which niches are already saturated, and where there is still potential for growth.
You could start by advertising in cities close to your location, allowing more people to discover your service. Alternatively, place ads in the geographic locations where your target customers are based. Initially, there's no need to aim for a global reach, as most couples who meet through your service and live in different countries may not yet be able to meet due to the unavailability of certain technologies.
Examples:
Let me help you a bit with this list of 40 dating niches. You can choose a suitable one or use it as inspiration to create your own unique niche where there will be no competitors.
Alt Dating | Extramarital Casual | Muslim Dating |
Asian Dating | Extramarital Dating | Nudist Dating |
BBW/BHM Dating | Gay Dating for Men | Pet Lovers Dating |
BBW/BHM Adult | Geek Dating | Photo Dating |
Christian Dating | General Adult | Professional Singles |
Cougar Dating | General Casual | Russian Brides |
Countryside Dating | General Dating | Senior Dating |
Dating & Sports | General Gay Dating | Single-Parents |
Dating for Marriage | Indian Matrimonial | Swingers Dating |
Deaf Dating | Interracial Dating | Tattoo Adult |
Disabled Dating | Jewish Dating | Trans Dating |
Divorced Singles | Lesbian Dating | Uniform Dating |
Dog Lovers Dating | Millionaire Dating | USA Politics Dating |
Equestrian Dating | Motorsports Dating | Vegetarian Dating |
In this section:
And as a bonus, here is the mindmap of dating niches with some site examples.
(coming soon) 13 dating niche ideas
2. Exclude those where there is a sufficient market volume and confirmed investor interest in competitor projects.
For this, you can use: industry analytical reports, analysis on TechCrunch on which companies have attracted investor funds, your own experience, and interests.
Use the Jobs-to-be-Done (JTBD) approach: JTBD is a methodology that helps understand not the products people buy, but the job (job) they hire the product to perform. In the context of online dating, this may mean understanding what exactly makes a person sign up for a dating site - seeking serious relationships, support, communication, or entertainment.
Determining your audience's activity. Niches: their classification and how to select one. Identifying where your target audience spends the most time is key to successful customer acquisition. Analysis of social networks, forums, reviews, and behavioral factors helps identify active platforms for specific niches. Web analytics tools and user behavior reviews are presented in the Market chapter.
In this section:
3. Integration with the business model. Describe them in your Lean Canvas
Defining your segment should harmoniously fit into the business model of your service. This includes the monetization model, marketing strategy, and product development plan. Examples of using different business models can be found in ...
4. Frequently asked questions:
Why is the niche important?
You will not be able to create a business model if you are not sure about your dating site's niche and your target audience.
A niche represents the focus of your dating site. People love niche dating sites because they can communicate with other users who share the same interests or lifestyle. For instance, we could set up a niche dating site for bearded people, while another site might arrange meetings for Asians only with those who don't drink.
By choosing a good niche, you can increase your chances of making more money. At the same time, your choice of niche helps you plan your marketing campaign accordingly. A clear idea of your niche from the start means you can easily choose a theme. For a dating niche like science fiction enthusiasts, you can always try a theme like the solar system or something related to stars.
Why Users Typically Choose Niche Dating Sites:
Сommon worldviews: If you joined a site due to your religion, marital status, or love for the environment, you can pre-emptively say that you share a common worldview. After all, both of you chose the same niche since it was significant for your choice of partner.
Common Interests: Opting for a niche dating site means you're more likely to share hobbies and activities with your new partner. For instance, if both of you registered on a dating site for horse lovers, you could arrange a date related to horse riding, or a couple passionate about golf could head to a training ground for their first date.
What's the Value in Monitoring Competitors and Trends?
Analyzing your competitors' websites and their business directions can tell you a lot about planning a niche dating site.
Following the latest trends will help you determine the best niche for your business.
For example, local dating became popular after the pandemic, as people were afraid of socializing as they did in the past. Getting to know someone in your region means the other person is familiar with local attractions, culture, and everything else that makes dating an easy task.
Which is the Most Profitable Niche?
It's a combination of various factors: market size, priority of solving the client's problem, sample of those wanting to meet, average transaction value, and additional sales, speed of solving the client's problem. There are unique combinations for every individual project.
So, think seriously about this because launching a viable niche dating site will be a challenge for you. Of course, you want to earn money. However, if you choose something you're not passionate about or, even worse, causes discomfort, you're likely to back down at the first obstacle.
Provide examples of effective niche dating services based on geography, niche, and devices.
How else to define the target audience?
The target audience is a group of people that your marketing efforts are focused on. When launching an e-commerce business, it's crucial to know your ideal audience. This will help you more easily find new customers and attract interested buyers to your site, leading to an increased conversion rate and higher sales.
You can create an audience of any size or attribute, depending on what products you plan to sell. However, there are three main categories that a budding entrepreneur in the dating field should pay attention to:
• Demographics. This includes characteristics such as age, gender, profession, education, and income.
• Location. Groups that segment the market based on geographical location, so you can better serve a specific area.
• Interests. Based on psychographics and includes the attitude, personality, opinions, and lifestyle of your audience.
If you already have a product, choosing a target audience is easier. Ask yourself: who buys my product? What do they like? How old are they? Compile this information into a buyer persona and include it in your business plan. You will need it when creating the copy for your website and marketing campaigns.
A buyer persona is a fictional characteristic of your ideal client. Fill in the fields below based on your market research, value proposition, and intuition to determine who your personas might be. You can create as many as you want, then narrow down the list to the top two. Below are four spaces that can be created, but feel free to add additional lines if necessary.
Name of target persona | Brief description of target persona | Your product that they’d want to buy |
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If you want to confirm your intuition, it's useful to book 1:1 calls with potential ideal clients or schedule a focus group to get answers to their questions directly.
The chart below has suggestions for more detailed questions to answer to hone in on your target persona:
Demographics:
Age group
Language(s) they speak
Location
Education level
Annual Income
Family status
Career:
Job Title
Industry
Decision maker
Challenges they may face day to day
Goals (long-term, short term)
Product and service consumption:
What else are they buying and from which dating brands in your market? (These should be market specific for your avatar)
What “tools” does your avatar use in your market?
Which brand(s) make those tools?
Which online stores do they shop in?
What in-person stores do they shop in?
Who are your competitors?
What else are they buying in your market?
Community and interests:
Favorite social media channel(s)
Favorite lifestyle activities
Leaders/influencers they follow
Favorite brands in general
Are there communities in your market?
What online forums/message boards/groups are they using (market specific)?
What buzzwords or keywords does your persona use (what do they talk a lot about)?
Favorite content type (Eg. videos, images, audio books, etc.)
If you don't have a product yet, think about the types of people you know best. You likely have a good idea of what they like and dislike, their needs and fears. This could be your target audience.