For singles still making resolutions lists or trying to hold on to those made on New Year’s day, get ready for Dating Sunday on January 8th.
The dating industry predicts an even busier Dating Sunday this year than in previous years. New signups and activity will surge like dating apps are on digital steroids.
From editing profiles to swapping out old photos to ring in new ones, you’ll want to attend the world’s largest digital love fest. With off-the-charts activity, this should peak around 7 pm -9 pm local time and remain strong throughout January.
After all, the holidays aren’t over yet. It’s about six weeks until Valentine’s Day, the Super Bowl of online dating, so let’s dive deeply into Dating Sunday.
Dating Sunday by the Numbers
Here’s what you can expect to see on five popular dating apps on Dating Sunday
Tinder
In an email, Tinder’s Global CMO, Melissa Hobley, said last year’s Dating Sunday saw 12 Tinder bios edited per second across the globe and an average of 25 new photos added every second.
If you do the math, that equates to 90,000 photos uploaded in an hour or up to 2 million pictures in 24 hours. Yes, photos do matter.
The world’s largest dating app expects 10% more singles, 35% more swipes than usual, and over 30% more matches than on other days of the year.
Dating Sunday Tip: State Your Relationship Goals
More than 50% of Tinder members added one of six new Relationship Goals to their profiles (Long-term partner; Long-term open to short term; Short-term open to long; Short-term fun; New friends; or Still figuring it out.)
RELATED: Digital Matchmaker Tips to Finding Love Online
OkCupid
Michael Kaye, Head of Global Communications at OkCupid sent over their goal State of Digital Dating report, showing the entire month of January is a great time to be matching on their question-filled app.
In looking at the activity during January of 2022, OkCupid expects this January to hit over 50 million total conversations, over 530 million likes, and over 40 million matches. They expect more than 55 million responses to in-app questions in January 2023.
Dating Sunday Tip: Answer more of their thought-provoking questions to be matched with compatible singles to create instant ice-breakers on like-minded topics and issues. (Answering 500+ questions puts you in the expert status on your profile.)
Match
The Match 12th annual Singles in America study showed that 73% of singles are looking for a lasting relationship, with only 10% saying they want to date casually long-term.
Amy Canaday, Director of Public Relations & Marketing at Match, sent over their statistics predicting that January 8th will be the busiest day for dating in 2023. Match narrowed it down precisely to 9:05 pm/ET as the busiest minute of the year.
Match expects more than a 70% increase in new singles joining on Dating Sunday, with over 1 million messages being exchanged daily through Valentine’s Day. (Over 55 million messages during peak season).
Over 50% of single Match users are open to having a relationship with someone who lives more than three hours away, with 1 in 3 singles having changed their opinion on long-distance dating since the pandemic.
Dating Sunday Tip: Be open to a long-distance relationship. Expand your search, and don’t be married to your zip code.
RELATED: 15 Dating Resolutions for 2023 – A Digital Cheat Sheet for Finding Love
Bumble
A recent Bumble Trend report also shows that singles are willing to connect in multiple cities.
Thirty-three percent of daters revealed they’re more open to relationships with someone who lives in another town or state.
Dating Sunday Tip: Activate Bumble’s premium “Travel Mode” feature to help you match and set up dates before you pack your bags.
Zoosk
Zoosk also predicts a busy Dating Sunday with millions of messages to be sent on their platform on January 8th. Their “Magic Hour” to be logged in for peak use will be 8 pm local time.
Dating Sunday Tip: Be proactive and make the first move. Ask a question, and don’t say “hey.”
In an interview with USA Today, I explained, “You have people recovering from a breakup or who were down during the holidays, you have all those New Year’s resolutions, and you have the clock ticking down to Valentine’s Day.”
You can binge your favorite shows on Monday, but on Sunday night, make sure the battery on your mobile phone is charged and ready to go.
Happy swiping and matching.
xo Julie
Julie Spira is America’s Top Online Dating Expert. She’s an award-winning dating coach who’s been helping singles find love online for 25+ years. Follow @JulieSpira on IG.
