Lunch Actually Releases Findings from Annual Singles Dating Survey 2020, Revealing How 2020 Has Transformed Dating
1 in 2 Singles in Asia Have Encountered Scammers on Dating Apps During the Pandemic and 54% Believe Video Dating is Here To Stay
Lunch Actually Releases New Dating App As The Answer To The Changing Dating Trends
SINGAPORE, 5 November 2020 — Asia’s first and largest lunch dating company Lunch Actually today released the results from its Annual Singles Dating Survey 2020, with participation from over 3,500 singles in Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Thailand and Indonesia. These findings provide insights into how singles navigated dating during the year of Covid-19, how it has changed their mindset and expectation towards their potential dates and the future of dating.
“This year is a truly unprecedented year. For most of the singles in the countries we surveyed, they have been complying to various movement restriction orders which prevents them from going on a date and meeting new people. However, our survey shows that the pandemic has increased their desire to find love because it made them realize the importance of having a partner in life,” says Violet Lim, CEO and Co-Founder of Lunch Actually. “And as a result, their behavior and expectations are changing.”
Asked whether they see any changes on dating apps this year, 27% of Singaporean singles are seeing more fake profiles. 1 in 2 singles have also encountered scammers. While scammers have always been around even before the pandemic, the usage of dating apps have increased with 29% of the singles surveyed sharing that they have only started using dating apps this year.
Another new trend that emerged during the pandemic is the prevalence of video dating. Singles agree that video dating is a great alternative for dating in the future with 56% of singles saying they have tried it and are willing to give it a go.
Asked about what they like about video dating, the men say that it’s a new and fun experience for them and their dates (56%), while more women like it because it’s time-efficient and saves time on commuting (79%), and it helps them filter out the people that they want to meet in real life (55%). 68% of singles surveyed agree that they would do a video date again.
“While the pandemic has brought on new challenges when it comes to dating, it has brought on new opportunities that are ultimately helping them in their search for love, such as video dating. Even though it won’t replace face-to-face date, video dating solidified its place as a new stage in courtship, enabling singles to save time and get to know each other better before committing more time to meet in person regardless of distance,” Violet shared.
Winny Lu, Senior Counsellor from REACH Community Services said,
“Based on my experience working and counselling clients during this pandemic with so many people working from home, they have to face real problems in their lives such as work stress, family issues and more. Some people may turn to the virtual world to find comfort and relief. They may feel good being accepted and supported by their new friends from these dating app platforms.”
2020 Dating Trends Led Lunch Actually to Create A New Dating App
Dating apps are still one of the most popular and convenient ways for singles to meet potential partners, as echoed by 73% of singles surveyed. At the same time, the result shows that scammers are also on the rise.
“This is why we have recently released a Lunch Actually app — which combines the convenience and access of a dating app, but with manual verifications so singles don’t have to worry about encountering scammers. “All profiles in Lunch Actually dating app are working professionals and verified by dating consultants, making the dating experience safe and efficient,” said Violet.
Lunch Actually requires all potential clients to have a 1–1 consultation, either in person or via video, for the consultant to understand their profiles better and verify the identity of each single. During the pandemic, the company has successfully moved to virtual consultations, virtual dates, virtual speed dating events, and even virtual coaching sessions by leveraging technology. These virtual consultations enable the consultants to still conduct a strict verification process for every potential member in a convenient and effective way.
The upcoming features of the app will soon allow singles to schedule their appointments with the consultants, view their handpicked matches, arrange their dates, submit their date feedback, and chat in real-time with the dating consultants and coaches to ask for advice.
With less time spent on repetitive work such as calling and messaging back and forth with clients on their matches, coordinating dates and collecting feedback, the Lunch Actually dating consultants can focus their time on value-adding services such as handpicking matches, giving dating advice and coaching clients throughout their journey, while leveraging on the app to do the rest.
“Seeing the advantages of virtual dating and how more singles are receptive to the idea, the app will also allow singles to video-call their dating coaches or have a virtual date with their matches seamlessly through the app,” Violet continued.
Violet concluded, “As we’re working towards our Big Hairy Audacious Goal of creating 1 million happy marriages, we believe that through Lunch Actually app, we’ll be able to scale up and reach out to more singles in the region even faster.”
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