Match.com's Target Audience

Match.com's main target audience for decision making is young, single, web savvy computer user. Other parties it provides information to include advertisers and the decision support system itself. Match.com has an enormous database of over 2,500,000 users, each with the same decision objective, but very different criteria. Match.com supports the single's decision on a potential mate. It simplifies the choices and process of actually locating and meeting a potential date and by displays only those individuals in areas that you specify with the qualities you specify.

Match.com is a true decision support system in that it allows the user to view several options for potential matches, but it is the individual's responsibility to actually contact the other party if interested. There is not an "Expert System" in place at Match.com. The final call remains the user's responsibility.

Problems that Match.com solves during decision making are easily identifiable. First of all, it takes the guess work out of dating in that you can immediately tell if a potential mate possesses a trait or habit that you do not particularly care for. For example, if you looking for a man that is a non-smoker, never married and has a full-time job, Match.com can use these criteria to filter out any possible mismatches and only return those that meet the criteria. Contrary to that, walking into a bar filled with single men, you would be hard-pressed to figure out which ones meet your specifications on looks alone!