{"id":576,"date":"2015-09-09T21:53:34","date_gmt":"2015-09-09T21:53:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.candelalearning.com\/waymakerintromarketing1xmaster\/?post_type=chapter&p=576"},"modified":"2016-02-25T17:53:01","modified_gmt":"2016-02-25T17:53:01","slug":"case-study-eharmony-targets-women","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/clinton-marketing\/chapter\/case-study-eharmony-targets-women\/","title":{"raw":"Case Study: eHarmony Targets Women","rendered":"Case Study: eHarmony Targets Women"},"content":{"raw":"

Segmentation Success: A Dating Web Site for Women<\/h2>\r\n\"Photo<\/a>\r\n\r\nWhen it was launched in 2000, eHarmony quickly made its mark as a new brand and new category in the online dating landscape:\u00a0a dating site for the serious relationship seeker, particularly women. By focusing on women as its target segment, eHarmony made wise, profitable choices about its product and user experience to address this group's unique needs.\r\n\r\neHarmony entered an online market dominated by two\u00a0well-established brands, Match.com and Yahoo, and it seemed to violate all\u00a0the standard practices and conventional wisdom of\u00a0the industry at the time. Unlike other\u00a0dating sites, eHarmony decided not to\u00a0allow users to search and browse their Web site\u00a0for potential mates. Instead, it\u00a0requires participants\u00a0to\u00a0complete an exhaustive questionnaire before they can receive any information about prospective suitors.\r\n\r\nThis process creates a much better user experience for eHarmony's target demographic\u00a0in a couple\u00a0ways. First, women don't\u00a0feel like they are\u00a0being judged solely on\u00a0their looks. They perceive that they\u00a0are\u00a0being matched according to a complex array of compatibility criteria\u2014not just superficial markers\u00a0like age or income. Second, the entire eHarmony process is very time-consuming. It takes at least forty\u00a0minutes to fill out the initial questionnaire, and users must court their potential mates\u00a0through a series of essay questions and then write\u00a0reviews of any contenders. By making the process so time-consuming, eHarmony has the natural effect of weeding out non-serious users and helping women to feel less vulnerable. This makes the product much better for the serious female relationship seeker who doesn't want to waste time on or take a chance with casual dating.\r\n\r\nIn the following eHarmony ad, notice how the company differentiates itself from competitors:\r\n\r\nhttps:\/\/youtu.be\/YbkFzwkog7I?list=PLB7FC4A6E53A96C88\r\n\r\nThe result of creating a product suited to women seeking marriage or long-term\u00a0relationships has had two huge financial benefits\u00a0for eHarmony. First, they can\u00a0charge much more and enjoy much better margins than competitors. Because the customer perceives more value in being matched with a \"soul mate\" than in just being helped to \"find a date,\" eHarmony is\u00a0able to charge more than other dating sites ($50 per month versus $20 per month). Second, eHarmony is\u00a0able to generate revenue from women users much more effectively than other dating sites (many of which make most of their money on men): almost 60% of eHarmony's\u00a0paying users are women.\r\n

Check Your Understanding<\/strong><\/h2>\r\nAnswer the question(s) below to see how well you understand the topics covered in this outcome. This short quiz does\u00a0not<\/strong>\u00a0count toward your grade in the class, and you can retake it an unlimited number of times.\r\n\r\nUse this quiz to check your understanding and decide whether to (1) study the previous section further or (2) move on to the next section.\r\n\r\nhttps:\/\/assessments.lumenlearning.com\/assessments\/740","rendered":"

Segmentation Success: A Dating Web Site for Women<\/h2>\n

\"Photo<\/a><\/p>\n

When it was launched in 2000, eHarmony quickly made its mark as a new brand and new category in the online dating landscape:\u00a0a dating site for the serious relationship seeker, particularly women. By focusing on women as its target segment, eHarmony made wise, profitable choices about its product and user experience to address this group’s unique needs.<\/p>\n

eHarmony entered an online market dominated by two\u00a0well-established brands, Match.com and Yahoo, and it seemed to violate all\u00a0the standard practices and conventional wisdom of\u00a0the industry at the time. Unlike other\u00a0dating sites, eHarmony decided not to\u00a0allow users to search and browse their Web site\u00a0for potential mates. Instead, it\u00a0requires participants\u00a0to\u00a0complete an exhaustive questionnaire before they can receive any information about prospective suitors.<\/p>\n

This process creates a much better user experience for eHarmony’s target demographic\u00a0in a couple\u00a0ways. First, women don’t\u00a0feel like they are\u00a0being judged solely on\u00a0their looks. They perceive that they\u00a0are\u00a0being matched according to a complex array of compatibility criteria\u2014not just superficial markers\u00a0like age or income. Second, the entire eHarmony process is very time-consuming. It takes at least forty\u00a0minutes to fill out the initial questionnaire, and users must court their potential mates\u00a0through a series of essay questions and then write\u00a0reviews of any contenders. By making the process so time-consuming, eHarmony has the natural effect of weeding out non-serious users and helping women to feel less vulnerable. This makes the product much better for the serious female relationship seeker who doesn’t want to waste time on or take a chance with casual dating.<\/p>\n

In the following eHarmony ad, notice how the company differentiates itself from competitors:<\/p>\n

https:\/\/youtu.be\/YbkFzwkog7I?list=PLB7FC4A6E53A96C88<\/p>\n

The result of creating a product suited to women seeking marriage or long-term\u00a0relationships has had two huge financial benefits\u00a0for eHarmony. First, they can\u00a0charge much more and enjoy much better margins than competitors. Because the customer perceives more value in being matched with a “soul mate” than in just being helped to “find a date,” eHarmony is\u00a0able to charge more than other dating sites ($50 per month versus $20 per month). Second, eHarmony is\u00a0able to generate revenue from women users much more effectively than other dating sites (many of which make most of their money on men): almost 60% of eHarmony’s\u00a0paying users are women.<\/p>\n

Check Your Understanding<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Answer the question(s) below to see how well you understand the topics covered in this outcome. This short quiz does\u00a0not<\/strong>\u00a0count toward your grade in the class, and you can retake it an unlimited number of times.<\/p>\n

Use this quiz to check your understanding and decide whether to (1) study the previous section further or (2) move on to the next section.<\/p>\n

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