If you read the three previous posts about online dating you might be wondering whether the industry is actually making money. Revenue only increased 1% year over year from 2007 to 2008. Most likely one of the primary causes is market saturation: there are so many choices now as to which site to use. And, with the current economic downturn, more expensive sites may be feeling the pinch.

So as you choose your site, just as with the airline industry’s recent price breaks, look for bargains, deals and extras being offered by the dating sites. Some offer easier search capability; others offer alerts informing you whether your email has been opened by a recipient, and background checks on the potential date you have selected. Shop around and if you feel comfortable doing so, ask around. Other colleagues and friends may be able to steer you away from sites which they have found unhelpful.

The actual user experience seems to vary widely. Some are masters of optimizing their interactions on the site, but most are not as adept. Research has stated that only one in 10 users achieves the goal of communicating with other subscribers with a view to getting a date. It is an opportunity for the dating sites, however they appear to not have discovered the concept of CRM – Customer Relationship Management – rather you are in the huge site, wandering around not really getting the best experience and with no place to go for assistance. It’s a big miss and a huge opportunity for the savvy product and marketing folk who are running these sites.