Dating Sunday is Coming (and Here’s Why That Matters)

Woman standing in her kitchen and checking her online dating messages

Mark your diary: January 5 2020 is ‘Dating Sunday,’ one of the best days of the year to be online dating. Why? Because, year after year, the first Sunday in January is the busiest day for the online dating world. Here are all the stats about how the day plays out on EliteSingles – and insights on how you can join in.

Dating Sunday: The Best Day to Get Online

First things first: what is Dating Sunday? Falling on the first Sunday in January, Dating Sunday is the day when thousands and thousands of singles flock to dating sites to start working on their romantic resolutions. According to the Today Show, that makes it ”the best day of the year for online dating”.

EliteSingles CMO Luciana Telles can see the logic behind this phenomenon. She explains: “It’s the first weekend after New Year’s Eve, which means that people have not only set themselves New Year’s resolutions, they’ve had a few days to think about how to put them into practice.”

It’s not just the resolutions that are providing motivation for relationship-minded singles. Luciana says “additionally, it’s about 6 weeks out from Valentine’s Day, meaning that singles who spark something on Jan 5 have plenty of time left to lock down a date for Feb 14”.

The EliteSingles Take on Dating Sunday

What does Dating Sunday look like on EliteSingles? One word: busy! For us, Sundays in general are busier than other days. Additionally, January is a particularly busy month. The first Sunday in January, then, is a day of increased action on the desktop platform and dating app. The amount of actions these users perform is also likely to go up: in 2019 there was a 38-40% rise in the numbers of smiles and messages sent, and a 44% lift in the numbers of conversations held.

Our Dating Sunday Statistics for 2019

  • Active users online: +21%
  • Messages sent: +38%
  • Smiles sent: +40%
  • Conversations held: +44%

If Dating Sunday 2020 follows the patterns of Dating Sunday 2019 then our members can expect to see a more than 20% boost to the average number of active members online. Messages and smiles are also expected rise by nearly 45% about the average – contributing to what is predicted to be EliteSingles’ busiest day of the year.

What Do Singles Need to Make the Most of the Day?

With so many active members taking part in Dating Sunday (and staying on the platform right through to Valentine’s Day), it makes sense to get online this January 5. But how can EliteSingles members make the most of the day? We’ve found three top tips to help you get ahead of the crowd and get ready for online dating’s biggest celebration.

1. Be Free Between 9-12pm

If former trends continue, the busiest part of the day is going to be 9-12pm (local time). Try to make sure you’ve got some time set aside on January 5 to make the most of this time slot. Find a comfy spot, pour yourself a drink, and spend some time browsing through your matches to see who catches your eye.

2. Make Sure Your Profile is Up-To-Date

To stand out from the crowd on the big day, you’re going to want a fresh, alluring dating profile. Happily enough, with the holiday break, you’ll have enough downtime to get everything updated before Jan 5. Make sure to include some talking points about your most recent passions, and, if you can, add the cherry on top by taking some new photos.

3. Work on Your Messaging Technique

The biggest tip that can help you meet someone on Dating Sunday is this: be proactive. Sure, with a great profile, there will be singles reaching out to you. But you can boost your chances of finding that special connection if you also make some first moves. Online conversation starters don’t have to be complicated – simply find something interesting in their profile, and let them know you noticed.

With boosted numbers of singles online, and with extra messages and conversations all over the platform, Dating Sunday is a great day to meet someone on EliteSingles. Get profile ready, get messaging, and then get dating! It could lead to a January you’ll remember.

EliteSingles editorial, December 2019.

Interested in learning more about this study? Please drop our PR Team a line at [email protected]

Sources:

Data source: Dating Sunday statistics based on comparing EliteSingles user activity on 01.06.2019 (Dating Sunday 2019) to average EliteSingles user activity from 12.06.2018-01.05.2019. All data used is anonymous and cannot be traced back to the original user.

About the author: Sophie Watson

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