Does liking the same product make two people compatible?

It only took one weekend for web developer Jari Zwarts to invent Checkly, a now defunct website that once let you connect with other people solely based on your subreddit interests. In case you need some clarification, a subreddit is any topical thread found on its parent aggregator, social platform Reddit. All entries on the site are organized into areas of interest called “subreddits.” There are multiple default subreddits dealing with mainstream topics such as news, books, television, and music. And it’s by checking against these self-selected user preferences that Checkly once worked its magic.

If someone like Zwarts can make the time to complete a project like Checkly on a weekend, using some open-source technologies and creative inspiration, just think about the resources that legitimate companies can invest when it comes to matching their most loyal fans to one another.

In efforts to bring their compatible customers together around niche topics, many brands and product teams are already creating matched communities. This phenomenon is called Fan Matching, and it’s taking the commercial world by storm.

As researchers from PSFK Labs found in the 2017 Forecast Key Trends Defining The Future, Swedish apparel brand Björn Borg is a fashionable maker of sportswear and other products. In an app that accompanied its new line of performance wear, the company created a platform based on the concept that working out is always better with a buddy. The app makes meetings possible by matching people who have similar workout routines, ensuring their dedication to fitness is complementary.

Or take Nintendo, who is working on a social game app, Miitomo, that will facilitate interaction, and would urge users to be social with one another through question prompts. Users can create customizable avatars, learn more of each other through the questions asked and connect over similar interests in games, genres and skill level.

These social forces are impacting marketing, entertainment and even healthcare networks. Their interactions both drive people to connect online and off. What users in your market segment might want to meet people in this way? Do you personally participate in anything similar?

More industry trends like these can be found in the 2017 Forecast Key Trends Defining The Future.

Reddit | Jari Zwarts | Björn Borg Sprinter | Nintendo

Two people using phones via Shutterstock

Originally published at www.psfk.com on February 2, 2016.