Plenty of Fish U.S. Dating Survey - PowerPoint Presentation

Plenty of Fish U.S. Dating Survey Final Report August, 2010

Table of Contents Page Background, Objectives, and Methodology 3 Executive Summary 4 Awareness & Usage of Online Dating Sites 5 Image of Plenty of Fish vs. Competitors 20 General Perceptions & Other Sources Used 36 Appendix I: Respondent Profile 43 Appendix II: Image of Plenty of Fish by Gender & Region 50 Appendix III: Top 4 Competitors – Detailed Data 65 Questionnaire 70

Background, Objectives & Methodology Background: Online dating websites are used by a large proportion of singles who are looking to establish serious long-term relationships. Plenty of Fish commissioned comScore as an objective third-party research vendor to provide reliable insights into attitudes and behaviors related to the online dating category. Research Objectives: To establish the percentage of marriages and long-term relationships that were formed as a result of matches from online dating websites. To further establish Plenty of Fish as a leader in the United States online dating landscape. Methodology:U.S. panelists were invited to participate in the survey by email.1,565 surveys were completed between May 27 – June 15, 2010.The Margin of Error for a sample of this size is +/- 2.48% at a 95% confidence interval. .Data were weighted prior to analysis on gender, income, and region of residence to match the online population for visitation to the Personals category.Respondents were screened to meet the following criteria:Aged 25-64Visit online dating website for the purpose of initiating heterosexual relationships. 3

Executive Summary The U.S. dating website landscape is very competitive; Plenty of Fish, eHarmony, and Match are the current market leaders in the category. Plenty of Fish ranks 3rd, behind eHarmony and Match for unaided brand awareness. Plenty of Fish leads all competitors with the highest proportion of active users, but eHarmony and Match have higher overall aided awareness levels. Plenty of Fish leads competitors as a source of the highest number of dates during the past two years (on average). Taken together, there is some evidence to suggest that Plenty of Fish has become more popular during the last six months while eHarmony and Match are “older” sites: although awareness is higher due to length of time in the market, usage may be starting to drop off. Competitive ratings and analysis identified the relative strengths and weaknesses of Plenty of Fish, as experienced by current and recent users.Relative Strengths:Lots of profiles available, with no limits placed on the number of matches.Easy to use and to maintain profiles.Good place to meet people who share the same culture/religion, who are “similar to me”.High user satisfaction and likelihood to recommend the site to others.Relative Weaknesses:Middle of the pack in terms of perception of meeting ‘high quality’ people. Possible design/navigation issues compared with other sites. Although rated well as a place to establish long-term relationships, compares unfavourably to eHarmony in particular for perception of being a place to establish long-term vs. short-term relationships.Plenty of Fish’s ‘free’ offering appears to be a competitive advantage since overall, dating site users do not perceive much benefit in a paid site compared with a free one. Online dating is the primary source for meeting people for those who use it.About one-half also use bars/clubs, and smaller proportions use other sources such as work/school and set-ups through friends/family members. 4

Awareness & Usage of Online Dating Sites

Q2. When thinking of online dating/ personal websites, which ones come to mind? n=1,457 Base: Total Sample 6 Unaided Awareness of Dating Websites – Top 15 Sites Mentioned Dating Survey Plenty of Fish ranks third for unaided awareness among users of online dating sites, with eHarmony and Match tied as the top two sites. Two-in-ten of those who visit dating sites are able to recall Plenty of Fish on an unaided basis.

7 Q2. When thinking of online dating/ personal websites, which ones come to mind? Base: Total Sample 7 Unaided Awareness of Dating Websites – Top 15 Sites Mentioned Dating Survey More females than males are able to recall, unaided, all of the top three brands: eHarmony, Match, and Plenty of Fish.

Q2. When thinking of online dating/ personal websites, which ones come to mind? Base: Total Sample 8 Unaided Awareness of Dating Websites – by Age Dating Survey The highest level of unaided awareness for Plenty of Fish is among users under 55 years of age.

Q3. Please indicate your level of familiarity with each of the following online dating/personal sites. Base: Total Sample n=1,565 9 Dating Sites Ever Visited Dating Survey Plenty of Fish has the largest proportion of currently active users across all online dating sites. However , overall awareness of Plenty of Fish is much lower than for for eHarmony and Match. Overall Awareness 58% 96% 64% 88% 86% 55% 43% 52% 68% 60% 31%

Q3. Please indicate your level of familiarity with each of the following online dating/personal sites. Base: Total Sample n=1,565 10 Currently Active by Site Awareness Dating Survey Plenty of Fish has the highest proportion of active users among those who are aware of each dating website. Proportion 24% 14% 16% 11% 10% 15% 12% 8% 6% 5% 4%

11 Q3. Please indicate your level of familiarity with each of the following online dating/personal sites.Base: Total Sample 11 Dating Sites Ever Visited – Plenty of Fish Dating Survey Gender Income Region B D A/B/C/D/E/F/G/H superscripts = Significantly greater at a 95% confidence level Gender, income, and region of residence have little influence on the degree of familiarity with Plenty of Fish .

12 Base: Recent User 12 When Account was Created Dating Survey Q4. When did you create your account/profil e on each of the following websites? Over one-half of Plenty of Fish users set up their accounts more than 12 months ago, placing Plenty of Fish fifth in a field of 11 dating sites in terms of site user account longevity.

13 13 Q4. When did you create your account/profil e on each of the following websites? Base: Recent User 13 When Account was Created: Plenty of Fish Dating Survey Gender Income Region A/B/C/D/E/F/G/H superscripts = Significantly greater at a 95% confidence level A C C Plenty of Fish account longevity is highest among low income dating site users, with a high proportion of recent activity within the high income bracket. D

Q5. Please indicate how many (a) people you have met in person, (b) dates you have had, and (c) relationships of 3 months or longer you have had on each of these sites during the past 2 years: Dating Survey Number of People you have met in person Dates you have had Relationships of 3+ months Base: Recent User 14 Plenty of Fish outranks all other dating sites in terms of the number of dates users have had in the past 2 years, while tying with MSN Dating & Personals for second place with respect to the number of people met in person. Chemistry leads for the number of relationships of 3+ months.

15 15 15 Base: Recent User 15 Dating Survey Gender Income Region Q5. Please indicate how many (a) people you have met in person, (b) dates you have had, and (c) relationships of 3 months or longer you have had on each of these sites during the past 2 years: Number of People you have met in person: Plenty of Fish Dates you have had: Plenty of Fish Relationships of 3+ months: Plenty of Fish 12.2 Higher income Plenty of Fish users met more people in person, had more dates, and had more relationships of 3+ months than their lower income counterparts. Urban Plenty of Fish users also had a larger number of dates than those in other regions.

Q6. Please indicate how often you have visited each of the following sites just during the past 6 months. Base: Total Sample 16 Frequency of Visiting Dating Survey About one-third of Plenty of Fish users visit at least once per day In comparison, about half of the Match and eHarmony users have not been to the site at all in the past 6 months

Q7. During the past 6 months, what is the average number of messages you receive on each of the following websites? Base: Recent User 17 *Caution: Small base size Average Number of Messages Receive on Each Site Dating Survey Plenty of Fish users received fewer messages on a daily basis than most other competitive sites.

18 Image of Plenty of Fish vs. Competitors

Q8. Please indicate how strongly you agree with the following statements about <website>. Dating Survey Site Ratings: A good place to meet people like me Base: Recent User 19 % Agree (Codes 3-4) n=403 n=422 n=550 n=335 n=206 n=137 n=78 **Note: Certain options not shown as base size too small (n<50) n=98 n=98 Plenty of Fish outranks all other online dating sites as ‘a good place to meet people like me’.

Q8. Please indicate how strongly you agree with the following statements about <website>. Dating Survey Site Ratings: No Limits on how many matches I can contact 20 % Agree (Codes 3-4) Base: Recent User n=403 n=550 n=137 n=422 n=335 n=206 n=78 n=98 n=98 Plenty of Fish is the top-rated site for ‘no limits on how many matches I can contact’.

Q8. Please indicate how strongly you agree with the following statements about <website>. Site Ratings: Can meet people from all professions/occupations Base: Recent User 21 % Agree (Codes 3-4) n=403 n=422 n=550 n=206 n=335 n=78 n=137 Dating Survey n=98 n=98 Plenty of Fish is perceived as the top dating site where users ‘can meet people from all professions/occupations’.

Q8. Please indicate how strongly you agree with the following statements about <website>. Dating Survey Site Ratings: Can meet someone to build a long-term sustainable relationship Base: Recent User 22 % Agree (Codes 3-4) n=422 n=550 n=403 n=137 n=335 n=78 n=206 n=98 n=98 Plenty of Fish just slightly trails eHarmony and Match in terms of its ratings as a site where users ‘can meet someone to build a long-term sustainable relationship’.

Q8. Please indicate how strongly you agree with the following statements about <website>. Dating Survey Site Ratings: A place for casual/short-term relationships Base: Recent User 23 % Agree (Codes 3-4) n=403 n=335 n=78 n=137 n=550 n=206 n=422 n=98 n=98 More online dating sites users rate Plenty of Fish as a ‘place for short-term relationships’ versus other dating sites.

Q8. Please indicate how strongly you agree with the following statements about <website>. Dating Survey Site Ratings: Reasonable fees for the services provided Base: Recent User 24 % Agree (Codes 3-4) n=403 n=335 n=78 n=206 n=137 n=550 n=422 n=98 n=98 Plenty of Fish is the top-rated site for its ‘reasonable fees for services provided’, outperforming its closest competitor (Yahoo! Personals) by 20%.

Q8. Please indicate how strongly you agree with the following statements about <website>. Dating Survey Site Ratings: Easy to maintain/update my account/profile Base: Recent User 25 % Agree (Codes 3-4) n=206 n=550 n=403 n=422 n=335 n=78 n=137 n=98 n=98 Plenty of Fish ties with both Singlesnet and Match as a site where accounts/profiles are easily maintained/updated.

Q8. Please indicate how strongly you agree with the following statements about <website>. Dating Survey Site Ratings: Easy to navigate the site Base: Recent User 26 % Agree (Codes 3-4) n=335 n=550 n=206 n=422 n=403 n=137 n=78 n=98 n=98 Plenty of Fish ties with eHarmony for ease of navigation, with ratings of just a few points below those of the lead sites on this attribute.

Q8. Please indicate how strongly you agree with the following statements about <website>. Dating Survey Site Ratings: A place where I can meet “high quality” people Base: Recent User 27 % Agree (Codes 3-4) n=422 n=550 n=403 n=335 n=78 n=206 n=137 n=98 n=98 eHarmony has the highest ratings as a place to meet “high quality” people versus other dating sites, with Plenty of Fish in third place.

Q8. Please indicate how strongly you agree with the following statements about <website>. Dating Survey Site Ratings: Can meet someone who shares my religion/culture Base: Recent User 28 % Agree (Codes 3-4) n=422 n=550 n=403 n=206 n=335 n=78 n=137 n=98 n=98 eHarmony and Match are perceived at the top two sites where users can meet someone who shares their religion/culture.

Q8. Please indicate how strongly you agree with the following statements about <website>. Dating Survey Site Ratings: Provides me with accurate matches Base: Recent User 29 % Agree (Codes 3-4) n=403 n=422 n=550 n=137 n=335 n=78 n=206 n=98 n=98 Plenty of Fish ranks ahead of its competitors for providing accurate matches.

Q8. Please indicate how strongly you agree with the following statements about <website>. Dating Survey Site Ratings: I would be proud to tell people I met someone through this site Base: Recent User 30 % Agree (Codes 3-4) n=403 n=422 n=550 n=335 n=137 n=78 n=206 n=98 n=98 Plenty of Fish outperforms its competitors as a site users would be proud to tell others they met someone through.

Q8. Please indicate how strongly you agree with the following statements about <website>. Dating Survey Site Ratings: I am very happy with my experiences on this site Base: Recent User 31 % Agree (Codes 3-4) n=403 n=550 n=335 n=422 n=206 n=78 n=137 n=98 n=98 Users of dating sites are happiest with their experiences on Plenty of Fish versus the competitive sites. Plenty of Fish has the highest satisfaction level of all competitive sites.

Q8. Please indicate how strongly you agree with the following statements about <website>. Dating Survey Site Ratings: A site I would recommend to others 32 % Agree (Codes 3-4) Base: Recent User n=403 n=422 n=550 n=335 n=206 n=78 n=137 n=98 n=98 Plenty of Fish leads the competitive set in terms of user recommendations.

Dating Survey Messenger Reliable Easy to use/navigate/browse Good results Lots of profiles/people Free Plenty of Fish vs. Other Sites – Likes Poor profile design Quality of people Not enough contacts Inappropriate matches Plenty of Fish vs. Other Sites – Dislikes Q10a/b. Please list up to 3 things that you like/dislike about Plenty of Fish vs. other online site you have visited? Base: Total Sample 33 Plenty of Fish users like the site for a variety of reasons, including its low cost (i.e. free), ease of use, and large selection of people/profiles. Dislikes include the perception that the match results are weak, the site has poor quality people, and that there are too few contacts. Too casual

34 General Perceptions & Other Sources Used

Q9. Please indicate how strongly you agree or disagree with the following statements about paid versus free online dating sites. Dating Survey n=1,565 Base: Recent User 35 Paid vs. Free Websites The majority of dating sites users agree that paying to belong to a dating site does not necessarily result in a better match, that they should not have to pay in order to contact someone on a site, and that they are just as likely to meet professionally oriented people on free sites as they are on paid sites. Slightly fewer believe that paid dating sites have no advantages over free sites.

Q11. Do you know of anyone else (friends, family, etc.) who has done any of the following? Select all that apply. (Dating Survey) n=1,565 Base: Total Sample 36 Knowledge of Other People on Online Dating Sties About one-half of dating site users know someone who has at least one dating site profile and has had a date with a person they met on a dating site. Fewer indicate that they know someone who met their long-term partner or spouse through a dating site.

Q1a. In addition to dating websites, which of the following sources have you used to meet people for the purpose of dating during the past 2 years ? Select all that apply. (CHECKBOX) Base: Total Sample Other Sources Used n=1,565 37 Bars/clubs/social events was the top source used for meeting prospective dates outside of dating sites over the past 2 years, followed by work/school and set-ups via a friend or family member.

38 Q1a. In addition to dating websites, which of the following sources have you used to meet people for the purpose of dating during the past 2 years? Select all that apply. (CHECKBOX) Base: Total Sample Other Sources Used – By Gender A/B superscripts = Significantly greater at a 95% confidence level Bars/clubs/social events were used by more males than females as an alternative source for meeting prospective dates.

Q1b. Please rank each of the following sources from “1” to “6” in order of your preference for each. The number “1” should be assigned to your favorite source proceeding down to “6” for your least favorite. (RANKING) – Dating Survey n=1,565 Base: Total Sample Mean Ranking Score: 2.72 3.32 3.43 3.34 4.10 4.09 39 Preferred Source for Meeting People (Top Mention) Dating Survey Online dating sites were respondents’ preferred source for meeting people, followed by some distance by set-ups by friends/family and bars/clubs/social events.

Preferred Source for Meeting People by Gender Base: Total Sample Mean Ranking Score: 2.60 3.42 4.17 3.43 3.37 4.02 40 4.19 3.25 3.23 3.99 3.45 2.88 A/B superscripts = Significantly greater at a 95% confidence level Q1b. Please rank each of the following sources from “1” to “6” in order of your preference for each. The number “1” should be assigned to your favorite source proceeding down to “6” for your least favorite. (RANKING) – Dating Survey Males are more likely to prefer online dating sites for meeting people, while females prefer to be set-up by friends/family members.

Appendix I: Respondent Profile 41

n=1,565 Base: Total Sample 42 Age Dating Survey Gender

Household Size n=1,565 Base: Total Sample 43 Ethnic Background

State of Residence n=1,565 Base: Total Sample 44 Community Type

Occupation/Profession n=1,565 Base: Total Sample 45 Education

Household Income n=1,565 Base: Total Sample 46 Hours Per Week Spent Online

n=1,565 Base: Total Sample 47 Dating Survey Relationship Status

Appendix III: Top 4 Competitors –Detailed Data

49 49 49 Base: Recent User 49 Dating Survey Gender Income Region Q5. Please indicate how many (a) people you have met in person, (b) dates you have had, and (c) relationships of 3 months or longer you have had on each of these sites during the past 2 years: Number of People you have met in person: eHarmony Dates you have had: eHarmony Relationships of 3+ months: eHarmony

50 50 50 Base: Recent User 50 Dating Survey Gender Income Region Q5. Please indicate how many (a) people you have met in person, (b) dates you have had, and (c) relationships of 3 months or longer you have had on each of these sites during the past 2 years: Number of People you have met in person: Match Dates you have had: Match Relationships of 3+ months: Match

51 51 51 Base: Recent User 51 Dating Survey Gender Income Region Q5. Please indicate how many (a) people you have met in person, (b) dates you have had, and (c) relationships of 3 months or longer you have had on each of these sites during the past 2 years: Number of People you have met in person: Yahoo! Personals Dates you have had: Yahoo! Personals Relationships of 3+ months: Yahoo! Personals

52 52 52 Base: Recent User 52 Dating Survey Gender Income Region Q5. Please indicate how many (a) people you have met in person, (b) dates you have had, and (c) relationships of 3 months or longer you have had on each of these sites during the past 2 years: Number of People you have met in person: Singlesnet.com Dates you have had: Singlesnet.com Relationships of 3+ months: Singlesnet.com