By Peter Berton

ZUG, Switzerland – Casual dating, also sometimes called adult dating, treads the line between “looking to get married” and no-holds-barred “looking for sex anytime, anywhere.” When properly managed, casual dating sites can generate revenue for their operators and happiness for their users.

Dating Factory provides white-label solutions to companies that want to launch any kind of dating site, whether the target is traditional daters or the “let’s get it on” type.

Sam Gilbert is Dating Factory’s head of partner account management. YNOT asked her to bare all about casual dating.

YNOT: Define “casual” in a dating context.

Sam Gilbert: The casual dating niche is a very interesting one. It breaks boundaries slightly, allowing the constraints of relationships to be loosened and bordering on risky, but still not being rated as adult. It’s that step between general dating, where people focus on love and relationships, mixed with the adult niche, where almost anything goes. But casual has no XXX content.

Casual dating also houses other niches, such as extramarital affairs and cougar. They all sit comfortably on the fence between general and adult. They are hugely popular in many locations worldwide and are growing strongly and steadily.

Who composes the target market, and what are they looking for?

Casual is what I perceive as a more “real” niche: It’s targeted at people who want to have fun, to flirt and are looking for something with no strings attached.

These days not everything is about serious relationships, especially with the younger generations. Everyone wants connection on some level, but not always long-term commitment.

What kinds of companies are launching these sites?

Many types of companies utilize our platform. For a variety of webmasters, public relations, marketing and production companies who all use Dating Factory to monetize their general niche traffic, it’s a natural progression that some of the general users out there would be happy using casual sites. Targeting anything XXX at them would just be too hardcore for the market.

How large a group composes the casual dating market segment?

A huge number. Not everyone these days is looking for love — not all the time, anyway. A massive amount of people out want this kind of no-strings hookup fun.

What are the keys to marketing casual dating services effectively?

There are many aspects you need to look at to make a site truly work. With so many big players out there, you can have your work cut out for you to stand out from the crowd, but that is exactly what you need to do.

There’s a balancing act involved in getting everything just right, from choosing a domain name that’s catchy and memorable to getting your content right. You also need to make sure you have the right exposure by marketing your site well and having the correct appeal for your target market.

You always have to think about the people you are aiming for, not just what you want, or it can affect your chances of success. The more people see a site out there, the better tuned to people’s needs it is, then the more likely it is people will sign up.

How much risk exists for casual daters who use your sites?

We do not force people to upload photos; people are in charge of their own exposure. It is up to them how much or how little information they provide to help them find matches. We never ask for or accept any information that could put a person at risk.

We have a team of moderators who check every profile to ensure nobody is sharing phone numbers or addresses, and we encourage everyone to act sensibly and be safe. Also, as we stringently adhere to the data protection act, we do not ever share any details we have with anyone.

What have you learned about human nature from running casual dating sites?

I have actually learned quite a bit about people from my time with Dating Factory so far. I confess that I had never stepped foot on a dating site prior to taking my role with the company and had never given much thought to the people who use the sites — or why, for that matter.

Having now seen and learned a huge amount about the industry from the inside has given me a new view on the drive people have to find what they are looking for. There are so many people out there searching every day for their perfect match or looking for someone new to enjoy life with, be it long-term or just something casual.

Essentially, everyone wants some kind of connection, no matter on what terms. At the end of the day, dating is just real life, and there is room for anything.