Chennai: Bumble, the women-first social networking app, revealed how single Indians are planning on dating in 2021 now that India has unlocked and lifted restrictions across states.
According to a press release, 83 per cent single Indians are comfortable to meet up with their connections in-person. The study also revealed that 40 per cent of single Indians will opt for virtual dating in 2021.
Single Indians now go on ‘pre-dates’ where they explore virtual dating for the first time and use video dates to get to know one another before meeting in-person.
Bumble’s internal research found out that 78 per cent single Indians feel the need to build trust before meeting in-person, which has given rise to ‘slow dating’.
For those who are meeting in person, the pandemic has changed the way they approach dating with a majority (47 per cent) preferring more low-key first dates as staying indoors is the top choice for first in-person dates. Once comfortable to step out, going on a long drive remains a favourite among single Indians (43 per cent) along with meeting at a local cafe/ tea shop. Dinner dates at a restaurant (41 per cent) is the next favourite for a great first date choice.
Samarpita Samaddar, Bumble India PR Director, said: “Single Indians are now feeling a strong desire to build trust online before meeting in real life with virtual dating becoming the new norm in India. In fact, over 540 million messages have been sent on Bumble in India between January and November, 2020. We saw a 38 per cent rise in the use of video chats and voice calls with people in India spending roughly 20 mins on average on video and voice calls”.