Single men in Northern Ireland are spending an average of £1,800 on dating apps, according to a matchmaking service.
The survey, carried out by Soirée Society, found that dating men are also forking out at least £150 just to get ready for a date - from new outfits, to haircuts, waxing and beard trims. They also revealed that the average monthly spend on swipe-based dating apps stayed at around £150 a month, even during the pandemic.
Soirée Society founder Claire Hughes said: “Dating is a huge expense, especially now coronavirus restrictions are lifting with many people’s finances effected by the lockdown.
“We found after surveying our membership that before they came to us they were spending fortunes on swipe-based apps, preparation and the dates themselves.
“Spending on date preparation has been on hold during lockdown, but as coronavirus restrictions lift, daters are again starting to open their wallets for new outfits, haircuts and waxes before meeting potential partners.”
On dates themselves, the poll found most men said they were likely to spend more than women - with the majority saying they refused to let the fairer sex pay for dinner or tickets for events such as the cinema and theatre.
For women, the biggest pre-date costs included new make-up and trips to the hairdressers and beauticians.
Claire, who founded Soirée Society after leaving a successful career in banking, says membership of the company’s matchmaking service is a much wiser investment than swipe-based apps such as Tinder.
Claire added: “We now have a leading tailor, male grooming expert, image consultant and life coaches on hand for members. Our new male relationship advisor Paul Clarke is also part of the package – applying his business acumen to helping men become Mr Right.
“We are taking the work out of date preparation with our team of experts on hand to prepare members for dates, and our selection of partners is chosen with the old phrase in mind: ‘Quality over quantity’.
“We are even in the process of teaming up with Northern Ireland’s best bars and restaurants so our members get discounted rates when dating.”
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