With Valentine's Day right around the corner, the Indian dating and friendship app, QuackQuack, ran a poll among 15,000 users from tier 1 and tier 2 cities, both GenZ and Millennials, on how they prefer to celebrate their Valentine's Day. The study throws light on the V-day trends and how the day of love impacts the online dating industry. The survey participants range between 18 to 32 and comprise primarily students and working professionals.

QuackQuack's Founder and CEO, Ravi Mittal, commented, "Every year, we see a spike in the number of users during this time of the year. And this is also the time when people look beyond romance. Among the 22 million users, almost 33 per cent of the users seek friendship on the app. There's also an 8 per cent increase in virtual dates on the day of love."

Budget dates

A recent study shows that 47 per cent of daters prefer to have a budget-friendly Valentine's Day date over fancy dining and exchanging expensive presents. Daters below 23, essentially the GenZ daters from tier 1 and 2 cities, disclosed having a pact with their date to exchange meaningful yet practical gifts, and most of them have a set budget. It makes sure that no one has to burn a hole in their pockets to enjoy the day of love and makes it easier for the young daters who are just starting their careers.

The busiest times

It says the weekend before Valentine's Day is one of the busiest times of the year for them. They see most traffic the day before, with singles trying to land a quick date for V-day. According to their data, the surge is more from tier 1 cities since people from tier 2 cities flock to the metros for jobs and higher studies. 35 per cent of dates are arranged the night before V-day than any other day.

Where's my soulmate?

22 per cent of women from tier 1 and 2 cities mentioned joining the app to find a date because they felt lonely. The app's data shows there is almost a 13 per cent spike in the number of people joining the app on Valentine's Day compared to other days of the month. Upon surveying the participants, it was understood that singles join dating apps during this time of the year out of the urgency to find a soulmate, especially on the day of love.

Communicating

37 per cent of the survey participants between 25 and 30, primarily working professionals in 9 to 5 jobs, mentioned beating their loneliness by participating in communicating. It's the trend where daters use the app to find new friends and connections beyond romantic relationships. It noticed almost 33 per cent of its users seeking genuine companions during this time of the year.

Rebounds

11 per cent of male daters over 25 and 18 per cent below 23 years from tier 1 and 2 cities disclosed rounding back to their old matches on this day. More than 15 per cent of women over 28 revealed rebounding with their ex on the day of love.

Self-Love

Self-care and me-time are on the top of the GenZ single daters' list of ideal ways to spend V-day without falling off the wagon. 28 per cent of the survey participants between 18 and 23 mentioned having a fun night planned with friends. 12 per cent of women daters from tier 1 and 2 cities are planning Galentine's day instead of wallowing in self-pity.

(SJ/IANS)