Dating apps like Tinder and Bumble are ramping up their efforts to win back the interest of Generation Z women, many of whom are feeling “burned out” by these platforms.
Match Group, the parent company of Tinder and Hinge, along with Bumble, which also owns Badoo and Fruitz, are focusing on enhancing content moderation and adding new features to create a better experience for women.
Studies repeatedly show a gender imbalance on dating apps, with women often facing issues like unsolicited explicit content and threats. This imbalance is a significant challenge for the industry, especially as major companies struggle to regain investor confidence after their stock values have dropped more than 80% since their highs in 2021.
Bernard Kim, CEO of Match Group, stressed the importance of prioritizing the experiences of Gen Z and women. Since its launch in 2012, Tinder has popularized the swipe function, while Bumble has marketed itself as a female-friendly app where women make the first move.
Hinge, another Match Group brand, promotes itself as the app “designed to be deleted” for those seeking serious relationships.
A survey by Mintel found that 47% of UK men aged 18-34 had used a dating app in the past year, compared to only 25% of women in the same age group. This gender gap makes the user experience challenging, leading to frustration for both men and women.
Bumble recently faced criticism for an advertising campaign that seemed to mock women who had stopped using dating apps. The company has since apologized, acknowledging the campaign’s negative impact.
In response to these challenges, both Match Group and Bumble are working hard to engage female users more effectively. Bumble introduced a new feature called “opening moves,” allowing women to add prompts to their profiles to help start conversations. This feature has been well-received by women.
Match Group is also testing an AI photo selection tool for Tinder, which automatically picks the best photos from a user’s album to showcase their personality, making it easier to create a profile.
Content moderation remains a key focus. A 2023 Pew Research Centre survey found that over half of women under 50 who used dating apps had received unsolicited explicit messages or images. Both Tinder and Bumble have improved their identity verification processes to tackle this issue.
Tinder’s rebrand in 2023 and ongoing product innovations aim to enhance the user experience, especially for women and Gen Z. Tinder’s CEO, Faye Iosotaluno, expressed her goal to ensure that women always find matches they are interested in every time they use the app.
By addressing these issues and introducing new features, dating apps hope to regain the trust and engagement of young women.