By Matthew Pitt

YNOT EUROPE – With a population a little less than Florida, Australia is commonly overlooked as a valuable online dating market, traditionally monopolised by long-established players. Yet with an estimated 5.8 million singles in Australia, the dating market is booming, bringing with it a number of opportunities for smaller dating start-ups to break in and unsettle the veterans.

The established ‘big fish’
RSVP, perhaps the territory’s longest-serving dating site, was established in Australia as long ago as 1997. Since then, the industry has continued to gather strength, with 62 percent of Australians having used, or considered using, an online dating site, proving the popularity and longevity of the market.

However, the combined clout, marketing spend and extensive financial resources of the established local players, like RSVP and Red Hot Pie, and large global corporate brands, like eHarmony and Zoosk, means they dominate the market on a massive scale. And yet, bigger still isn’t always better, with these large corporates gearing their targeting towards the generic mainstream. This is to their detriment, as it leaves a gap in the market where more niche and closely targeted sites can thrive and prosper.

Breaking and entering
The niche is where the opportunities lie to successfully enter the Australian dating market. What’s more, the casual market already has made its mark. Of the top eight most popular dating sites in Australia, half are targeted to casual dating. This is also a great opportunity for smaller players to fill a gap in the market with a closely targeted niche site, thus satisfying consumer demand that remains unmet by larger corporate brands.

Traditionally, corporate domination of the market has deterred dating start-ups from breaking into the Australian territory. The costs associated with launching a new dating brand can be crippling to a small start-up, without the resources or budget of a larger player. However, using disruptive technologies such as the white label model provide a viable route into the market. White-label providers take care of the day-to-day administration of dating sites and offer crucial nuggets of advice on successful international entry. This leaves the site owner free to concentrate their efforts purely on driving traffic to the sites and escalating brand awareness.

A casual Christmas
Mobile dating is the fastest emerging trend in the Australian market, with 33 percent of dating search queries now originating on mobile devices, according to Google AU. We can expect the number of smartphone and tablet users to increase even more after the arrival of tech-Christmas gifts. Last year, mobile usage on the WhiteLabelDating.com AU network skyrocketed by more than 500 percent in the week following Christmas.

The opportunities for dating start-ups to enter the Australian market are there, if you target and pitch your niche wisely. 2013 is set to be a bumper year for online dating in Australia, so get in early to make the most of the untapped opportunities within the Australian dating market.

Matthew Pitt is operations director for WhiteLabelDating.com, where, as the person responsible for international strategy, he recently lead the company’s expansion into Australia. Pitt has more than 15 years of digital experience, having worked extensively in the dating industry.

Launched in 2003, award-winning WhiteLabelDating.com provides the software, membership database, customer care and infrastructure for more than 7,500 dating sites worldwide. Webmasters, affiliates and publishers provide the brand, design and marketing.