Category: Featured Articles

Global Love Report – April 12, 2023
English summary by Pamela Stephanie

Young French singles are choosing matchmaking agencies to find a partner. And why is that?

According to the Founder of Elite Connexion agency, Guerda de Haan, it’s because they feel that agencies are more private and more secure. Furthermore, agencies provide them with support, making them feel more protected. De Haan also noted that 50% of her clients are young singles around their late 20s and early 30s.

One of her success stories, a 26-year-old woman who is about to marry, said that she opted to use an agency because she felt they were more precise. And she was sure that she would be able to find someone that met her expectations.

But that may not be all. According to author and journalist Flore Cherry—an expert on sexuality—young French singles are craving commitment. And there are two reasons for this: they’ve seen their parents quickly go through divorce and wish to see commitment again.

And then there’s also the post-lockdown aspect. During lockdowns, they found themselves alone in their home, and their mental health suffered.

So young French singles are choosing matchmaking agencies because they want something more natural. Not something digital. An agency brings back that element of reality in dating.

Additionally, dating apps can be frustrating. For women, there are many choices. However, men tend to have difficulty finding a first date.

Originally published by BFMTV

(Image source: Unsplash, Julien L)

Global Love Report – April 5, 2023
English summary by Pamela Stephanie

MECE Produce, which offers support for dental clinics, has started a new venture in the form of MECE Marriage Support. MECE Marriage Support is a matchmaking company that provides matchmaking services for dental clinic workers.

So, why create a matchmaking agency?

It’s to provide dental clinic workers the chance to find a spouse.

There are more than dentists that work in a dental clinic. There are receptionists, dental assistants, dental hygienists, and more. The majority of these workers are women. And so, there’s very little chance for them to meet a potential spouse.

According to comments from some dental clinic workers, most married or dating workers have been together since they were in college.
So the matchmaking agency will help singles in the dental industry meet their potential partner. The agency won’t focus on finding matches for clients within the industry. They will also introduce clients to people from outside of the dental industry.

The marriage counselors working at the agency are familiar with the dental industry. So they can provide better support for the agency’s clients.

MECE Marriage Support is part of IBJ’s network, which includes over 3,700 agencies throughout Japan. So, they can tap into IBJ’s vast database of singles to provide their clients with the best choice in partners, even though the agency itself is new.

Originally published in PR Times.

(Image source: Pexels, Cedric Fauntleroy)

Global Love Report – April 5, 2023
English summary by Pamela Stephanie

The French National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (INSEE) found that almost 41% of people over 15 years old are single. And so, many singles turn to dating coaches and matchmakers to solve their dating woes.

French Dating Coach

Angélique Bozon is a dating coach based in Savoie. She focuses on coaching singles in online dating, specializing in 3 dating platforms: Meetic, Disons demain, and Élite Rencontre.

Many of her clients are executives with no time to look through a list of potential matches. So, she does the sorting for them. Bozon finds the real profiles among the fake ones and prioritizes those seeking a serious relationship.

She starts a conversation with the possible match before she hands over the reins to her client. She also guides her clients on what to say to get a positive response from their match.

A majority of her clients are in their 40’s and 50’s; 60% are women. According to Bozon, 80% of her clients are able to find a match.
Bozon charges €236 per month for her services. This fee includes three weekly meetings with clients and the management of their dating profiles.

French Matchmaker and Owner of 6 Matchmaking Agencies

Valérie Périnel started her matchmaking business by posting classified ads in local newspapers. Now, she owns six matchmaking agencies. And the companies have been doing well, particularly post-Covid. Client registration has increased by 20%.

She explains that singles nowadays aren’t embarrassed to say that they’re using a matchmaking agency. And she also helps singles disappointed by dating websites.

Her clients’ ages range from 28 to 85 years old. However, the majority of her clients are divorced people in their 50’s.

She doesn’t show her clients pictures of their matches, because dating apps are highly visual and focus too much on photos. Instead, she offers her clients matches who are real people. She asks for copies of ID from each client, a death certificate if the client says they’re widowed, or a divorce certificate for those who are divorced.

Périnel offers 6-month and 1-year packages for potential clients at €1,420 and €1,980, respectively.

Originally published in franceinfo.

(Image source: Pexels, Djurdjina Phdjiz)

Global Love Report – March 29, 2023
English summary by Pamela Stephanie

South Korean matchmaking agency, Duo, has reached a new milestone: 46000 married couples, with an average of 6 married couples per day.

Duo’s client base has rapidly expanded through the years, with a sudden surge last year. This has also caused the number of marriages for its clients to grow at a rapid pace.

The company now has the highest number of clients as well as the highest number of marriages for a matchmaking company in South Korea. According to its real-time statistics that it publishes weekly, on March 6th, 2023, it has 35,336 members in its database and 46,690 married couples.

Its extensive database of clients has helped Duo successfully achieve its 46000 married couples milestone. As a company representative said, the likelihood of meeting a potential spouse who meets the user’s preferences is better at a company like Duo, where they have many choices.

Originally published by Shina Ilbo

(Image source: Unsplash, Nathan Dumlao)

Global Love Report – March 8, 2023
English translation by Pamela Stephanie

Dating in Maastricht: besides all the universal obstacles on the journey to the right partner, there’s something else in the way here: the Maastricht Syndrome. What is that? “Women who lower their standards when dating because there is a lack of men in the city.” Observant spoke with 5 students about dates, open relationships, Tinder, and the hook-up culture.

“It seems to really suck being a woman in Maastricht, laughs Bill, who has lived here for two years now. Like the other students who were interviewed for this article, he prefers to remain anonymous, because this is a personal subject.

Bill heard about the Maastricht Syndrome even before he came here. Now that he has seen in with his own eyes, he concludes that “sexual frustration among women” in the city is indeed high. “You can imagine how most young men behave,” he says. Add to that the fact men are in a position of privilege because there’s a surplus of women. “Dating is ridiculously easy in Maastricht for heterosexual men. I’ve never had problems with it myself. At the same time, I see that because of the shortage of men, my female friends have greatly lowered their standards—they are well aware of that.”

Mediocre

“I’m guilty of that too,” agrees sophomore Alexandra, laughing. “Dating is tough. When I came here I thought it would be nice to have a boyfriend, but I soon found out that most Maastricht guys don’t want that. They’re not looking for a long-term relationship. And those who do want one are pretty mediocre. I’ve realized that if I wanted any kind of affection or intimacy, I had to settle for less.”

When asked what “mediocre” means to her, Alexandra replies that it’s a combination of both looks and personality, “I don’t want to be superficial, but there aren’t many (reasonably) attractive men. Besides, they know that we have limited choices and so they can do whateve they want, the relationship progresses the way they want it to.”

She suspects that the lack of women has a negative effect on male students’ personalities. “Average or even ugly guys hook up with pretty girls and think they are gods. That way, you create an arrogant character. They then become angry and petty when you reject them.”

Other reasons

“I think that Maastricht Syndrome didn’t come about just because of a lack of men,” suspects sophomore Samuel. “Of course, we are young adults who still need to discover ourselves and constantly want to experience new things. But some people are afraid to get attached, others find relationships scary because it would limit their freedom. Still, I don’t fully understand it. It makes me a little sad because this mindset can make them lose someone who is important in their life, who wants to be by their side.”

Full article (in Dutch) available at observant

(Image source: Pexels, Ivan Samkov)

Global Love Report – February 8, 2023
English summary by Pamela Stephanie

Singles who are conscious, have a positive outlook, and are doers and go-getters: there’s a matchmaking agency just for them! Sharaifa Taus, out of Rotterdam, the Netherlands, established her matchmaking agency, Datebase with people like these in mind.

Established in September 2022, Taus revealed that the idea actually originated earlier. She had noticed that those around her were searching for a partner who share the same mindset as them. Taus herself had been an entrepreneur for some time and had been looking to do something that really made her happy.

That’s where Datebase came in. As someone who’s good at organizing, and networking, and wanted to make a difference for someone, Datebase is perfect for her. Of course, it hadn’t been easy. Taus revealed that she was used to making rational decisions yet Datebase was something that came from the heart. She was excited at the concept and finds it special that she found her purpose in something she’s passionate about.

Most of Datebase’s client base is located around Rotterdam. Though she did mention that she has singles from The Hague, Utrecht, and Amsterdam as well.

She only works with clients who know what they want in life and have a goal in mind. Essentially, these are people who have a growth mindset. She accepts people with these mindsets from 21 years and older.

She explains that people with a growth mindset tend to have a lot of common ground, even though they may have different interests. And even when they don’t necessarily have romantic chemistry, oftentimes they still think that the dates are fun and inspiring.

“I can’t do magic,” she says, “but I can create meaningful connections.”

Another thing about Datebase: it focuses on heterosexual matches only. That’s because in Datebase men take the lead. If the two clients she matched want to meet, the man must take the initiative with Datebase’s help. And that’s also why in terms of membership, women pay less than men. In fact, members only pay a one-time fee. €95 for the women and €295 for the men.

This is because Taus actively looks for matches for her male clients whereas women are only paying to be part of her database.

She makes her matches based on intuition, after her interviews with clients, and also by using match percentage. When there’s a match, she helps the man by revealing the types of dates that his match likes. He then chooses the type of date and Datebase schedules it for them.

She keeps in touch with each couple for the first two months. If it doesn’t go well then, the man gets two more matches. The woman will remain a database member.

Originally published by in de buurt

(Image source: Pexels, Tetyana Kovyrina)

Global Love Report – February 1, 2023
English summary by Pamela Stephanie

IBJ revealed their 2022 matchmaking matches managed to surpass 600,000. This is within the time frame of January 2022 to December 2022. The company also revealed that this is its highest number ever.

What helped boost these numbers?

One reason was the increase in the total number of members. The second: the number of singles in their 20s that joined matchmaking agencies increased by 497% compared to before Covid.

According to a survey by Japan’s National Institute of Population and Social Security Research, 13.6% of couples met and then ended up marrying after they matches through dating apps and other means. And people who meet through blind dates increased by 1.4 times compared to 2015.

How did IBJ’s membership increase?

One of the reasons why is its corporate affiliation programs. In 2022, IBJ cooperated with several companies that had strong connections to the marriage/wedding industry. These companies include Hotel New Otani, Kobe Portopia Hotel, and the Nagasaki Shimbun Group.

Originally published by PR Times

(Image source: Pexels, Rodnae Productions)

Global Love Report – January 25, 2023
English summary by Pamela Stephanie

Fernando Cuevas is a Catholic priest based in Valencia, Spain, who has helped many young singles find love. So much so that he has been dubbed the “Tinder Priest”.

Father Cuevas has, so far, managed to marry 270 couples and have seen zero divorces from these marriages.

So how does he do it?

Father Cuevas plays the role of a facilitator in order to help singles get to know each other. He provides them with a form that they need to fill in. The form consists of questions regarding age, height, occupation, their level of commitment to the church, interests, and more.

Father Cuevas will then arrange a meeting between the singles according to their preferences. After that they will decide if they want to marry if there’s chemistry.

The priest has been so successful that those who seek him out aren’t solely from Spain. In fact, he revealed that he has had people contact him from many parts of South America, Europe, and other places.

Originally published by LA FM.

(Image source: Pexels, Mart Production)

Global Love Report – January 18, 2023
English summary by Pamela Stephanie

Bridal.net, a matchmaking app operated by IBJ, recently conducted a survey of people currently searching for a spouse. The survey asked what respondents’ 2023 aspirations are as well as their opinion regarding when to get married.

According to the survey, 85% of respondents stated that they want to marry within one year. When segmented by gender, 87.3% of men and 85.0% of women stated that they want to marry within a year.

When asked the type of dating/matchmaking activity that they will be doing during the end of year holiday season, the most popular answer for men is to increase their use of bridal.net app (48.7%) whereas the popular answer for women is to “improve myself” (60%).

Along with the announcement of the survey’s results, the app also gave away free memberships during a drawing—1 free membership from every 10 people selected in the drawing. The IBJ-operated app is ready to support those who are serious in their marriage-seeking activities.

Originally published by PR Times

(Image source: Unsplash, Kristin Wilson)

Global Love Report – January 18, 2023
English summary by Pamela Stephanie

IKEA in the Netherlands will have a speed-dating event for a thousand singles. On February 4th, the Utrecht branch of IKEA will have a large-scale dating event that will be open for a thousand singles.

The event will take place after closing time and will give interested singles the chance to meet others over a candlelight dinner at the store’s restaurant or on one of the showroom beds.

The event is open to singles 18 years and older and those interested can sign up on IKEA’s website. Participants can indicate whether they identify as male, female or non-binary, where they live, whether they’re a morning or night person, and whether they prefer Swedish meatballs or a veggie hot dog.

The IKEA speed dating event will start at 8PM and will last one hour and thirty minutes, including breaks. Participants will get 5 minutes to get to know their date. When the buzzer sounds, it will be time to speak with the next candidate.

After the speed dating is done, participants are able to stay at the restaurant to chat with other singles.

There are two reasons why the company decided to organize the IKEA speed dating event. One reason is that the company is happy to play cupid. The other reason is that it’s hoping to help the planet: if singles can meet their future partner during the event, that will lead to energy savings at home. Two separate households will merge into one—so you’ll only be using less electricity and less heat.

Originally published by Marie Claire

(Image source: Pexels, Alexander Isreb)