Just over two weeks ago, John Ray stood in front of our top tier and fastest-growing partners at our annual Partner Conference. John’s message was clear; the USA is still the land of opportunity. Where other markets have matured and growth has plateaued, the USA dating market is arguably still in its infancy.
A new data-driven report from Google’s dating industry heads echoes John’s sentiment. The report, previewed at this year’s Partner Conference, identified that UK dating search queries are down 21% compared to the same period last year. However, the rate of decline in these search queries is slowing.
Similarly, the number of new members joining the White Label Dating platform in the UK over the last year remained consistent, but there was no significant growth. Coupled with Google data, this is a poignant signal that the UK dating market is reaching maturity; it’s by no means saturated, but opportunities for significant future growth lie outside the UK.
While we provide dating services to more than half of adults in the UK, we’re not even reaching 1% of the American population. The potential of this market for providing consistent and sustainable growth is clear.
We already know that localisation is essential to breaking into the USA market; just Texas and California combined are home to more than the entire UK population. But when it comes to localisation, that doesn’t just mean launching sites niched by location. Google’s report identifies that not only is the niche dating market largely untapped in the USA, but that this is not a homogeneous market.
The demographics in each state vary massively. The chart below looks at the density of dating related search queries by state. Religion, sexual orientation, and ethnicity are areas with huge niche potential. For example, the high density of search queries for ‘Mormon dating’ in Western states particularly Utah and Idaho. In comparison, states like California and Texas show preference for ‘Hispanic dating’. Paying attention to this level of detail is the key to success in the USA.
It’s clear where your focus for the next year should lie. The USA is an untapped territory with a world of opportunity available for you to take advantage of. Use us. Our data, which mirrors Google’s findings, is at your disposal. Let us help you make informed decisions about which niches have the most potential and, most importantly, remember that brands with a highly localised launch strategy will prosper in the USA.