{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,30]],"date-time":"2026-01-30T22:15:53Z","timestamp":1769811353654,"version":"3.49.0"},"reference-count":15,"publisher":"Emerald","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2005,2,1]],"date-time":"2005-02-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1107216000000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/www.emerald.com\/insight\/site-policies"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2005,2,1]]},"abstract":"Purpose<\/jats:title>To explore and add insight to the online\u2010dating services phenomena which is the next product and beneficiary of the internet revolution that offers customers a convenient and affordable alternate to traditional methods of dating.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>Design\/methodology\/approach<\/jats:title>Empirically investigated through conceptual models and statistical methods was the value proposition of online matchmaking services, which boils down to the ability to provide appropriate matches through successfully business\u2010to\u2010customer (B2C) customer service enhanced by the web and based on sound customer relations management practices.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>Findings<\/jats:title>The differentiation of the marketplace includes unique ways to collect user\u2010based information and customized, proprietary algorithms that generate what are believed to be the best matches, based on user and matchmaking service criteria. Online dating services use statistics, data mining, and activity monitoring to provide appropriate matches; thus, differentiating their services and understanding the success of their product offering.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>Research limitations\/implications<\/jats:title>The basic strategic business model created by online dating industry that is researched in this paper is built around B2C customer service in a privacy and security conscious environment. Internet dating service providers are gaining increased acceptance though successful use of customized software that helps generate a potential valued\u2010added match for the masses.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>Practical implications<\/jats:title>What most companies do not define as clearly are the many privacy issues and possible protection against the people they may come in contact with through using these services. The industry has to be particular careful about the legal ramifications since much of the information it gathers from its customers must remain private and confidential in order to succeed and gain a larger market share.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>Originality\/value<\/jats:title>It is apparent that online dating services are concerned with privacy and confidentiality issues as high priority by management. To date, no academic\u2010based research has surfaced concerning this emerging online industry and the information exchanges required to ensure a safe environment.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1108\/14684520510583927","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2005,3,14]],"date-time":"2005-03-14T22:44:13Z","timestamp":1110840253000},"page":"18-33","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":22,"title":["Exploring online dating and customer relationship management"],"prefix":"10.1108","volume":"29","author":[{"given":"Alan D.","family":"Smith","sequence":"first","affiliation":[]}],"member":"140","reference":[{"key":"key2022020120403793800_b1","unstructured":"Anton, J. and Petouhoff, N. (2002), Customer Relationship Management, Prentice\u2010Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ."},{"key":"key2022020120403793800_b2","unstructured":"Berenstein, G.L. and Campbell, C.E. (2002), \u201cElectronic contracting: the current state of the law and best practices\u201d, Intellectual Property and Technology Law Journal, No. 14."},{"key":"key2022020120403793800_b3","unstructured":"Mairson, H. (1992), \u201cThe stable marriage problem\u201d, The Brandeis Review, Vol. 12 No. 1, available at: http:\/\/www1.cs.columbia.edu\/ \u223c\u2009evs\/intro\/stable\/writeup.html."},{"key":"key2022020120403793800_b4","unstructured":"Match.com Personal Attraction (2003), \u201cMatch.com personality test\u201d, available at: http:\/\/attraction.match.com."},{"key":"key2022020120403793800_b5","unstructured":"Mehrotra, P. (2003), \u201cThe online dating industry\u201d, Hindustan Times.com, November 30, available at: http:\/\/www.hindustantimes.com\/ukedition."},{"key":"key2022020120403793800_b6","unstructured":"Pandher, J. (2003), Data Mining: Helping You Profit from Your Data, Oxford Innovation Society, Oxford, available at: www.isis\u2010innovation.com\/about\/newsletter\/edition38.pdf."},{"key":"key2022020120403793800_b8","unstructured":"Porter, M. (1996), \u201cWhat is strategy?\u201d, Harvard Business Review, Vol. 74 No. 6, pp. 61\u201078."},{"key":"key2022020120403793800_b9","unstructured":"Porter, M. (1998), \u201cClusters and the new economics of competition\u201d, Harvard Business Review, Vol. 76 No. 6, pp. 77\u201090."},{"key":"key2022020120403793800_b7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Porter, M.E. (1991), \u201cTowards a dynamic theory of strategy\u201d, Strategic Management Journal, Vol. 12, pp. 95\u2010117.","DOI":"10.1002\/smj.4250121008"},{"key":"key2022020120403793800_b10","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Porter, M.E. (1999a), \u201cMichael Porter on competition\u201d, Antitrust Bulletin, Vol. 44 No. 4, pp. 841\u201080.","DOI":"10.1177\/0003603X9904400405"},{"key":"key2022020120403793800_b11","unstructured":"Porter, M.E. (1999b), \u201cCreating advantage\u201d, Executive Excellence, Vol. 16 No. 11, pp. 13\u201014."},{"key":"key2022020120403793800_b12","unstructured":"Porter, M.E. (2001), \u201cStrategy and the Internet\u201d, Harvard Business Review, Vol. 79 No. 3, pp. 62\u201078."},{"key":"key2022020120403793800_b13","unstructured":"Rudich, S. (2003), \u201cThe mathematics of 1950\u2019s dating: who wins the battle of the sexes?\u201d, available at: www.cs.cmu.edu\/afs\/cs.cmu.edu\/academic\/class\/15251\/Site\/Materials\/ Lectures\/Lecture17\/lecture17.ppt."},{"key":"key2022020120403793800_b14","unstructured":"Smith, A.D. (2002), \u201cLoyalty and e\u2010marketing issues: customer retention on the web\u201d, Quarterly Journal of E\u2010commerce, Vol. 33 No. 2, pp. 149\u201061."},{"key":"key2022020120403793800_b15","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Subramanyan, Y. and Sharnprapai, T. (1999), \u201cAn algorithm to match registries with minimal disclosure of individual identities\u201d, Public Health Reports, Vol. 114 No. 1, pp. 91\u20103.","DOI":"10.1093\/phr\/114.1.91"}],"container-title":["Online Information Review"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"http:\/\/www.emeraldinsight.com\/doi\/full-xml\/10.1108\/14684520510583927","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/www.emerald.com\/insight\/content\/doi\/10.1108\/14684520510583927\/full\/xml","content-type":"application\/xml","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/www.emerald.com\/insight\/content\/doi\/10.1108\/14684520510583927\/full\/html","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,25]],"date-time":"2025-07-25T00:40:18Z","timestamp":1753404018000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"http:\/\/www.emerald.com\/oir\/article\/29\/1\/18-33\/314902"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2005,2,1]]},"references-count":15,"journal-issue":{"issue":"1","published-print":{"date-parts":[[2005,2,1]]}},"alternative-id":["10.1108\/14684520510583927"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1108\/14684520510583927","relation":{},"ISSN":["1468-4527"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1468-4527","type":"print"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2005,2,1]]}}}