Challenges of Dating Subscription Site HowAboutWe

Gift boxes and food subscription businesses like Birch, Healthy Surprise, Tasterie and other may have made the news in 2012. However, they are not the only new wave of subscription models. One of the unique subscription businesses that was launched in 2012 is HowAboutWe for Couples, a curated local dating experiences business for couples. Let’s look at this unique subscription business.

HowAboutWe started in 2010 as a dating site. In 2012, the site started a subscription dating curation offering for couples. Every month, users get a DateBook with curated date ideas customized for every user. The date ideas are based on the area that a user indicates they live when signing up and their preferences.

HowAboutWe Works

For example, a person can get suggestion on the best restaurants to go on a date in their area, where to visit and of course, where they can save money and still have fun during the date. The whole idea of HowAbout We is getting people who are dating offline. Most dating sites try to keep users on their sites, offering various features like messaging, virtual gifts and so on. HowAbout We wants users to get to know each other away from the Internet. This is through planning physical dates around the users’ home areas.

Members pay a monthly subscription fee of $18 to get unique dating places in their areas. The list is usually a mix of outdoor and indoor dating areas like museums, parks, theatres, movies and so on. HowAboutWe offers concierge dating services, suggesting a list of custom dates to members, helping them in planning and booking for them at the best possible price. Users do not simply get a subscription booking service. More than that, they can go for add-ons like door-to-door car service, flowers and others to make their dating experience unique.

HowAboutWe Challenges

Like traditional dating sites, HowAboutWe faces one challenge: managing churn. Granted the finite dating places in different areas, customers eventually leave the site after going through most of the offerings. At the same time, users who eventually find partners stop using the site. For the company’s business to be sustainable over the long run, there is need to add more value added services apart from the primary date planning that is the main service at the moment.

For example, offering a cross-breed of date planning and gift box subscription can help to keep customers in the business. Apart from this, the company can also decide to extend its services to people who are already dating and are looking to cement their relationship. Offering gifts or other products can help to reduce churn.

HowAboutWe for Couples is active in New York with San Francisco, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Washington DC, and other cities expected to be covered this year. The company has already raised series A and series B from investors such as RRE, Kholsa Ventures, FF Venture Capital, MHS Capital, NYC Seed, and others.

Want to experience how HowAboutWe works? Escape the public better and sign up here.