Helsinki-based Audrey has risen to a challenge to put an end to a disturbing faking game and revolutionize online dating experiences. Launched on 1 May in Finland, Audrey calls themselves the first real identity online dating service.
So how does it work?
Registration on Audrey happens through a Facebook account and this is the main way to ensure that members are real people with their real photos, likes and friends. Registered members have their first name and profile picture visible to others, plus likes and photos they choose to share publicly on Facebook. However, with Audrey users expose less information to other members than via their public Facebook profile. On top of that, Audrey uses smart validation to block fake accounts.
This may raise privacy concerns, but they’ve taken that into consideration. “Trust is what builds great relationships and that is what we believe in”, says Tuija Riekkinen, co-founder of Audrey. Therefore, the dating service promises to never post anything on your Facebook wall. Also, Audrey guarantees to never use photos of members in marketing. “You’ll never see profile photos of our members on the home page compared to most of other dating platforms”.
Another key difference with traditional online dating services is clear pricing message. People who have used online dating sites know that it is easy to fall for the “sign up for free” trick just to find that signing up is all you can do for free. Audrey makes certain you know what you get.
“We want to give the best dating experience to our members. With Audrey we believe there is finally a dating service that is actually built for the right reasons”, emphasizes Riekkinen.
It’s an interesting model, but breaking into the market of online dating services with its huge direct competition and big key players will be tough. But perhaps there are enough of daters out there who got totally fed up with current online dating solutions and will be willing to try a completely different approach. Will the real identity dating service increase the chances for daters to meet the one and thus make them want to pay? Summer is just around the corner, so we’ll see!