Product Perspective: Tinder
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This week on Product Breakdown, we will be covering the dating app Tinder.
Product Breakdown we talk about our experiences with different products and what are some things we would possibly improve to the product. In addition to hosting these rooms, I share my own personal perspectives on each product that we cover.
1). Company Overview
Tinder was originally founded in 2012 by Sean Rad & Justin Mateen with an original target market of college students.
The company went public in 2015 under the Match.com symbol.
Their mission is the following: “Tinder makes being single more fun and rewarding by connecting people who may not have otherwise met in real life.
We celebrate that being single is a journey. And a great one. Being single isn’t the thing you do, unhappily, before you settle down. We stand up for how a whole generation chooses to live their lives.”
Currently, Tinder is on both IOS/Android and is available in over 140+ countries along with 40+ languages.
As of Q4'20, Tinder has an estimated 66 million users and 6.7 million paid subscribers.
Just like other apps that I’ve covered, Tinder follows the Freemium business model, where customers get to use an app for free with the option to upgrade by paying for premium features. Some apps/products have this structured as a recurring monthly subscription fee or a one-time fee from what I have seen.
Just as the picture below shows there are three premium tiers: Tinder+, Tinder Gold & Tinder Platinum.
2). My Perspective on Tinder
Similar to Bumble, I have used Tinder in the past on a limited basis given the tendency to delete and re-download from time to time depending on my usage.
One of the things that stand out to me is with Tinder and while other competitors may have a similar feature is Tinder boost. It’s interesting to see how Tinder added a short-term incentive to the mix in addition to having the different premium tiers to get more folks to be on the app and engage.
Spring break mode was a cool addition to the mix allowed folks to meet other fellow spring breakers depending on which location they ended up choosing to go to. This example showcases that they are focused on really targeting the young adult/college market.
Swipe Night was another creative effort by Tinder to create a more engaging experience for users especially during quarantine.
Given the current state of the global pandemic, Tinder has found a way to be relevant by adding the option for users to share whether or not they have taken the vaccine yet.
One of the concerns many users may have is safety when it comes to meeting people, and rightfully so given some of the unfortunate events that have transpired. Match recently made an investment into Garbo, a nonprofit that does background checks on individuals based on their first name + phone number or full name.
From an end-user perspective, what Tinder continues to do in terms of looking for ways to optimize the in-app experience is all one can ask for.
3). Conclusion
Overall, while Tinder may have been around for quite some time, if you look at the original launch version of the app until now, you will see quite a few changes.
While I may not be a frequent user of the app, I definitely can respect and appreciate the creative efforts Tinder has taken to create a memorable/engaging user experience.
It will be interesting to see what other changes they make to the core app and ecosystem as they strive to be a competitive player in the online dating space.
Would love to get other people’s thoughts as well on their experience with Tinder so far.
