The past year wasn't all bad. Some of the pandemic's better consequences are here to stay, like grocery delivery services, telehealth appointments and flexible work-from-home policies. And in many cases, the pandemic simply accelerated already occurring trends, like online dating. COVID-19 best practices and social distancing were isolating for most people, but even more so for those who were single or living alone. This caused a surge in online dating activity and has been a boon for mobile dating apps. Tinder is far and away the industry leader here. It's owned by Match Group (Nasdaq: MTCH), which also operates Match.com, OkCupid, Hinge, Plenty of Fish and more. Now, in the early months of the pandemic, Tinder hit a record 3 billion "swipes" in one day (how users indicate romantic interest). But Tinder's competition has recently gotten tougher. The No. 2 dating app is gaining market share... and recently went public. Bumble (Nasdaq: BMBL) started trading on the Nasdaq at $76 per share on February 11. And there's a lot to love here. Bumble is part of the increasingly popular subscription economy. It allows users to join and match for free, but it has in-app offerings and premium features for a weekly fee. As of last September, the company had more than 12 million users. And the long-term growth potential here is huge. |
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