What Drives Swipes: A Mediation-Moderation Analysis of Online Dating Apps Adoption Intention and Usage Behavior

With rapid growth in the global online dating market, India represents a high-potential yet underexplored context. This study examines the key determinants of online dating application (ODA) adoption and their influence on usage behavior among Indian adult users, while incorporating the mediating role of flow experience and the moderating role of personality traits. Drawing on Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) and Uses and Gratifications Theory (UGT), a research model was tested using survey data from 384 respondents. Partial Least Squares-Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) was employed to assess direct, mediating, and moderating relationships among constructs. Results show that social interaction, hedonic motivation, and escapism, along with performance expectancy, effort expectancy, and social influence, positively influence behavioral intention. Escapism emerges as the strongest positive predictor of behavioral intention. Escapism emerges as the strongest predictor. Perceived trust exhibits the largest absolute path coefficient, while both perceived trust and relationship-seeking motivation demonstrate significant negative associations with behavioral intention, contrary to the hypothesized positive relationships. Behavioral intention positively influences usage behavior, while flow experience partially mediates the relationship between behavioral intention and usage behavior. Personality traits significantly moderate the intention-behavior link, although the moderation effect is small. This study advances ODA literature by integrating UTAUT, Uses and Gratifications Theory, and Flow Theory with personality perspectives in an emerging market context. By uncovering the mediating role of flow experience and the moderating influence of personality traits, it provides deeper insights into the psychological and technological mechanisms driving dating app adoption and sustained use in India, offering actionable implications for platform design and targeted marketing strategies.