This is the archived SXSW 2012 schedule. Please see the current schedule here.

Consumer Patterns Revealed by Dating Site Insiders

#sxsw #lovebattle

Why is it that out of 40M online daters in the U.S., only 1.3M are on the largest paid site? Even dating sites that don’t brand themselves as catering to a niche tend to attract certain types of daters. And there are no universal rules. Take NY for example: 20something social go-getters favor HowAboutWe while professionals are on Match.com. 30something entrepreneurs crave Okcupid while the traditional-valued join eHarmony. Yet the same group of people in Austin will yield different results. How do users choose the site they’re on, what inspires brand loyalty, and how do companies uncover useful data on consumer decisions? The dating industry is a great case for this phenomenon, but the issue touches nearly every consumer-facing industry. The result? Companies are battling it out for users. What makes one person choose Foursquare over Gowalla, or Groupon over LivingSocial? In a never-before-seen meeting of the dating giants, we’ll delve into the enigmatic consumer mind.

Presenters

Brian Schechter Co-Founder How About We

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Julie Fields VP, Brand & Creative Strategy eHarmony





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Laurie Davis Founder/CEO eFlirt Expert

In 2009, with just $50 and a twitter account, Laurie founded eFlirt Expert, which has now grown into the ultimate dating lifeline for singles. An early adopter of online dating, Davis has been facilitating matches and makeovers since she uploaded her first online profile in 2000. In the meantime, Laurie was running creative strategy sessions for Fortune 500 clients. Now, she fuses her personal experience with her professional background in marketing to help singles date online and transition their digital selves offline for meaningful in-person experiences. In 2010, Laurie launched eFlirt Expert VIP, the Web’s most comprehensive dating management and concierge services.

Laurie has been featured in over 200 international media outlets including Good Morning America, Entrepreneur Magazine, The New York Times, Forbes, The Washington Post, Glamour, Men’s Health, The Huffington Post and The Boston Globe. Currently, she is developing eFlirt Engine, a tool that matches singles with dating sites to make sure they are in the right place to meet their perfect partner. Her book of online dating advice will be published by Simon & Schuster in early 2013.

Sam Yagan CEO OkCupid

Shayan Zadeh Co-Founder & Co-CEO Zoosk

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