The Date Mix used data from the popular dating site and app Zoosk‘s 40 million members, to get a good idea of what dating is like and how it has changed from previous years. Here are some dating trends to swipe for.

1. Nice guys finish first.
"Men who have words like thoughtful, listener, polite, giving, community, give back, or friendly in their profile get up to 66% more messages than the average. And if a man calls himself a knight in shining armor, he could get up to 67% more messages," Megan Murray writes for Zoosk.

2. It’s time to cool it with the filters.
"You may have thought narrowing down your pool of people to non-​smoking, college-​educated athletes would help you find what you’re looking for faster, but a study found that people who used filters while online dating sent out more messages but got 11% fewer replies than those who turned them off."

Online dating service providers can highlight these useful tips in their marketing messaging. The new AudienceSCAN survey reported 8% of Americans used online dating sites during the past six months.

3. More people are dating outside their age range.
"While online dating, people were 9% more likely to like, message, or have a conversation with someone ten years older or younger than them than they were in 2016."

4. A higher education makes you more attractive.
"People who have a bachelor’s or advanced degree are seen as more attractive while online dating. And they also get up to 17% more replies to their messages."

5. Food, especially guacamole, could land you a date.
"Mentioning guacamole in your dating profile could get you up to 144% more inbound messages. And a lot of other foods helped you out too. Potatoes increased inbound messages by 101% and chocolate increased them by 100%."

Online dating companies could consider partnering with Mexican restaurants to highlight the lure of guacamole! They can promote date packages through social media. The latest AudienceSCAN study found 47% of Online Dating Service Members took action after seeing ads on social networks in the past month.

6. There’s no longer a stigma against vegans or vegetarians.
"Back in 2015, messages that mentioned being a vegetarian got 100% fewer replies than the average. But in 2017, saying you’re a vegetarian got you 3% more replies. Being a vegan is a plus as well. People who mention vegan in their profiles get 62% more incoming messages than the average."

7. Lunch dates are in.
"Messages that mention lunch get 25% more responses than the average, while coffee, dinner, and drinks get up to 13% fewer messages."

Coffee-​shop first dates are out. Lunch is in! Dating services can encourage members to ask for lunch dates and even offer coupons for local hot spots. Online Dating Service Members are 105% more likely than average Americans to attend local restaurant weeks, according to AudienceSCAN research.

8. The most talkative women on dating apps live in Pittsburgh, while the most talkative men are in Owensboro, Kentucky.
"In 2017, Pittsburgh women messaged more often than the women anywhere else in the U.S."

The Top 5 Most Talkative Women By Location

1. Pittsburgh, PA
2. Cincinnati, OH
3. Huntington, WV
4. Wheeling, WV
5. Yuba City, CA

The Top 5 Most Talkative Men By Location

1. Owensboro, KY
2. New York, NY
3. Los Angeles, CA
4. Morristown, TN
5. Evansville, IN

9. If you wait too long to respond to someone, you could end up dateless.
"While online dating, it’s best to reply to someone’s message within the day or chances are the person will  move on. Messaging within the same day results in a 62% response rate, but after waiting two days the rate drops to 45%."

10. The most active day for dating apps was November 15. But the most active month was January.
"There were 11% more singles actively online dating on November 15 than any other day of the year. And although November 15 was the most popular day, on the whole, January was the most active month, with 9% more people than the average."

AudienceSCAN data is available as part of a subscription to AdMall for Agencies, or with the SalesFuel API. Media companies can access AudienceSCAN data through the AudienceSCAN Reports in AdMall.