NetEase Dating Site Targets High-end Users
China Business News, 11/09/12
Chinese internet company NetEase's (Nasdaq: NTES) new dating site "Huatian" (http://love.163.com) announced today that it is a "serious matchmaking community" aimed at the mid- to high-end market of individuals with monthly incomes of RMB 6,000 or more. "Huatian" described its target customers as including employees of Chinese and global top-500 companies, and said that the site would differentiate itself by offering targeted recommendations and requiring users to use their real identities.
The closed beta site for Huatian requires users to register using their state-issued ID card numbers or mobile phone numbers. During the closed beta, which will last until the end of November, users will have to sign up for invitation codes using their corporate e-mail accounts. Huatian will initially be open to users in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and Hangzhou, and will gradually expand coverage to other areas once the site opens to the public.
When asked whether or not the site would charge membership fees, a spokesperson for NetEase's social networking division said that users would not be charged for contact with one another, and that the site's revenue model would draw on NetEase's gaming division to charge users for access time and virtual items.
Editor's Note: For more information on this topic, please see "NetEase to Launch Online Dating Site" MD 11/08/12 issue.
Keywords: strategy Huatian NetEase Internet NTES online matchmaking
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