SWF seeking SWM – LOL Chance - Online Dating Industry Struggles at the 5 year Mark

March 02, 2006 (PRLEAP.COM) Lifestyle News
In five short years online dating has gone from LOL (laugh out loud) fun to "STAT life support to ER needed".

Online dating once had singles racing home to check their email, surf their online dating site and fantasize about their dream introduction. Now they are scheming for new ways to meet someone.

Internet posting to online dating sites fell marginally last year, according to Jupiter Research. And that trend is expected to continue at the pace of another loss of 6% this year.

What happened to this dream date?

"Online misrepresentation is both a turn off and a danger," notes Paul A. Falzone, CEO of The Right One and Together Dating, the largest office-based, traditional matchmaking service with over 60 locations throughout the U.S. "Singles are getting really tired of online princes that are really frogs, frauds or frauline."

The other factor is convenience. Falzone continues, "Singles flocked to the Internet for a quick click and caress. What they found was a heap of data and a massive ordeal to weed through it. They found more thorns than roses."

The U.S. online dating market is worth $521 million, according to Jupiter. A distant cousin to the leading online industries – gambling which rings up $10 billion worldwide last year and pornography that grossed $2 billion in the U.S. alone.

When you consider that Americans spent $13-billion on Valentine’s Gifts, perhaps online dating has hit its peak and is heading south.

"Singles, especially single parents, are extremely busy," notes Falzone. "They left the bar scene because they didn’t want to hang around and hope for the best and often experience the worst." He continues, "Online dating has been a similar time consumer and disappointment."

Falzone concludes, "Our office based service continues to grow. After 32 years of concierge level, personal introductions, revenues are spiraling to $45-million and membership is up to approximately 300,000 strong."

High Tech and High Touch Cupid

At The Right One and Together Dating, romance is facilitated by twenty-first century technology. A team of relationship experts works one-on-one with members using a proprietary computer hardware and software system. Developed over several years at a cost of millions of dollars, this system targets compatibility profiles and generates a specialized list of compatible referrals for members. With a successful history of many thousands of relationships and numerous marriages to its credit, The Right One and Together Dating have refined the art of matchmaking.

Celebrating 30 Years

The merger of national offices of The Right One with North American branches of Together resulted in a partnership that has created the largest personal introduction service in the United States.

Now celebrating their 32th anniversary, The Right One and Together Dating have an ambitious plan to open between 12/24 new offices a year. The Right One and Together have more than 300,000 members – many of whom have their memberships on hold while they take the time to explore a successful relationship. With more than 500 employees, The Right One and Together gross more than $45 million a year in revenue.

Romantic Locations

The Right One’s offices and affiliates located throughout the United States include: California (San Diego); Colorado (Glendale); Florida (, Miami); Georgia (Atlanta); Kansas (Wichita and Overland Park); Kentucky (Lexington, Louisville); Illinois (Downers Grove, Rockford and Bloomington); New Jersey (Cherry Hill, Hackensack); Massachusetts (Norwell, Newton, Shrewsbury and Woburn); Nebraska (Omaha and Lincoln); Pennsylvania (King of Prussia, Pittsburgh and Monroeville); Rhode Island (Warwick); Texas (Dallas, Austin); and Wisconsin (Madison, Appleton, Brookfield).

North American locations and affiliates of Together are: California (Encino, Irvine, Los Angeles, Upland); Florida (Palm Beach, Vero Beach); Georgia (Savannah) Indiana (Ft. Wayne, Indianapolis, South Bend); Louisiana (New Orleans); Maryland (Columbia, Frederick); Minnesota (Minneapolis); Nevada (Reno); New Hampshire (Hooksett, Nashua, Portsmouth and Salem); New Jersey (Bridgewater, Clark, Colts Neck and Lawrenceville); Ohio (Cincinnati); Pennsylvania (Mechanicsburg); South Carolina (Greenville); South Dakota (Sioux Falls); Texas (San Antonio, Beaumont and Houston) and Virginia (Falls Church).

For more information about Together Dating and The Right One, please visit their websites at www.therightone.com and www.togetherdating.com, or call
(800) 818-DATE (3283).