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Reflections on China’s Dating App Market in the Wake of the Merger Between Momo and Tantan
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Reflections on China’s Dating App Market in the Wake of the Merger Between Momo and Tantan

Huang Youcan and Xiao Qiu
Huxiu, 2018
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Editorial Rating

8

Qualities

  • Analytical
  • Applicable
  • Background

Recommendation

The mobile dating app market was once highly competitive with hundreds of products going head-to-head with each other to provide China’s large population of singles with the opportunity to meet strangers online. Now, few are left standing, and the two market leaders Momo and Tantan are about to merge. Momo began as a location-based, instant messaging application, allowing users to connect with people nearby. As one of the first entrants in the market, Momo grew rapidly and secured its leading position by continually adding new features that promoted social interactions and entertainment. Latecomer Tantan, on the other hand, which uses Tinder’s swiping model, gained market share with its easy-to-use design and female-oriented user experience. In this article from Huxiu, a news site focused on tech and business, reporters Huang Youcan and Xiao Qiu compare the companies’ milestones, histories of product development and different growth strategies – and analyze the logic behind the acquisition. getAbstract recommends this article to anyone interested in China’s businesses or its dating scene.

Take-Aways

  • Momo, the leader of China’s dating app market, has announced that it will acquire its biggest competitor Tantan – known as “China’s Tinder” – for more than $600 million.
  • Bet ween 2011 and 2014, dating app Momo completed five funding rounds before it went public on NASDAQ  in December 2014. Launched in 2014, Tantan has completed four funding rounds and raised more than $120 million.
  • Reaching 100 million users took Momo two-and-a-half years and Tantan three years and five months.

About the Authors

Huang Youcan and Xiao Qiu are writers for Sanjieke, an online university for Internet product developers and operators.

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