State Media Report: Breaking the Ice in the "Marriage Winter" – A Sincere Experiment of "Cui's Catalyst for Love" @DoBer

Amid a crisis of trust in the matchmaking industry, DoBe's Nanjing-based client, "Cui's Catalyst for Love", has become an industry disruptor with its groundbreaking model—charging only after marriage registration, eliminating sales matchmakers, and rejecting unreasonable clients—facing the "Marriage Winter" head-on with an experiment in trust. CCTV's "Dialogue with Brands" program recently featured their story.

This edition of DoBer

"Mentioning matchmaking services, people almost immediately associate them with 'fraud and deception'," admitted founder Cui Zhou, "but it's precisely this industry reality that made us see the opportunity." Although many industries have experienced a cliff-like decline in recent years, he and his partners, deeply rooted in the dating field, understand that market demand has never disappeared. It's just that the rampant operational chaos online has deterred those in need.

An experience accompanying a female friend to visit matchmaking agencies in Nanjing gave Cui Zhou his first glimpse of the industry's tricks—"maximizing emotional value" and "PUA-induced consumption". The agencies only cared about signing contracts and collecting fees, with no one genuinely concerned about helping users find suitable partners.

"Marriage isn't like shopping for groceries in a market—you can't just pay and receive a spouse." Cui Zhou realized the industry's problem lay in the "service model"—the demand was real, but there was a lack of reliable service methods. This was precisely his opportunity.

For several years thereafter, Cui Zhou operated "Cui's Catalyst for Love", becoming a counter-trend figure in the "marriage winter". To ensure long-term success, he gained a profound understanding of the evolving views on marriage across generations. Unlike the older generation's belief that "marriage is mandatory", today's youth have completely changed their mindset: "If marriage won't improve my life, why bother?" This has become the shared sentiment of many marriage-age individuals. However, marriage inherently requires sacrifice. Based on this, the agency decisively focuses on two groups: singles with strong marriage intentions and certain financial stability. Honestly inform the market about the true situation, avoid inducement or PUA, and encourage clients to think independently. In Cui Zhou's view, the fundamental value of matchmaking platforms is to provide channels, while "Cui's Catalyst for Love" must uphold the more challenging principle of "long-termism".

Reinventing the Game Rules—"We abolished our most profitable department"

The most striking aspect of the operational model for "Cui's Catalyst for Love" is the elimination of the sales matchmaker position.

"A sales-centric approach is the root cause of service distortion," Cui Zhou explained. "What if clients make unreasonable demands or no one shows up for meetings? Go ahead and perform. Over time, matchmaking agencies have become like Hengdian World Studios." The "Cui's Catalyst for Love" redefines customer relationships, creating a two-way selection process. The company will refuse unreasonable requests from customers and will not accept irresponsible payments.

Instead, the assessment standard is based on "service effectiveness". The matchmakers' income is entirely determined by customer satisfaction. When selecting employees, Cui Zhou has specific criteria: "Team members must have harmonious family lives and proper values. I don't believe someone with a chaotic family life can provide stable emotional service to clients."

Since opening, "Cui's Catalyst for Love" has rejected many clients with unreasonable demands, yet Cui Zhou shows no regret. These rejected clients share a common trait: "rigid thinking, believing payment alone can achieve class mobility or upward marriage." He believes the agency's strength lies in gathering "people with proper cognition and reasonable expectations". Accepting everyone for short-term gains would backfire in the future.

Another innovation is collaborating with state-owned enterprises to offer the "Love Express" service, which charges only after marriage registration. This seemingly risky model is actually based on precise user profiling. "Companies with better benefits have a higher proportion of single employees who are financially ready for marriage." Despite a one-year deferred payment period, it can bring long-term stable revenue to the company.

Decoding the Love and Marriage Views of Generation Z—What They Want Isn't Just Love, but a "Life Without Compromise"

The topic of love and marriage is a trending subject in the new era. Cui Zhou, within this industry, has witnessed the market and accumulated considerable insights. "More and more people want to significantly improve their quality of life through marriage." This phenomenon cannot be simply labeled as good or bad, but it is undoubtedly closely tied to the comprehensive factors of the current era. Moreover, young people's standards for "finding someone visually appealing and easy to talk to"—what was often called "having chemistry" in the past—are becoming increasingly high. This is also one of the reasons why more people are choosing not to marry these days.

In his view, the first step to finding a partner is "knowing yourself and knowing your opponent": "This is precisely the value of matchmaking agencies — helping everyone see their true position in the marriage market. Only by understanding your own strengths and needs, as well as the situation of your 'competitors', can you make the most suitable choice, and marriage is more likely to be long-lasting and happy."

Cui Zhou also shared his personal views on marriage: "Marriage is essentially an exchange of three major values — physiological value, economic value, and emotional value. If you only think about taking, disappointment is inevitable in the end. An intimate relationship requires mutual nurturing from both parties."

Faced with young people torn between "making money" and "seeking love", Cui Zhou's advice is simple: "Exchange sincerity for sincerity. Unconditionally believing in the beauty of the world is, in itself, a romantic thing." His ultimate goal is quite down-to-earth: "If my daughter ever needs to find a partner, I'd dare to let her join my company anonymously without revealing her identity to anyone—only when this is achieved can the brand truly be considered successful."

At DoBe, Creating a Sunny Space for Romance

In May 2024, "Cui's Catalyst for Love" moved into DoBe WE@CHANGJIANG near Daxinggong in Nanjing. European-style architecture, expansive terraces, and sun-filled private rooms exude warmth throughout, creating a striking contrast to the formulaic "little dark rooms" typical of traditional matchmaking agencies. This is why Cui Zhou was immediately drawn to the DoBe Park. "We aim to break the sense of isolation and excessive commercial formality," he said. Cui Zhou stated that DoBe's style and ambiance are inherently an advantage in attracting target users and are exceptionally well-suited as romantic dating venues. After moving in, some amusing incidents occurred. For instance, clients from the neighboring dental clinic would drop by to inquire about matchmaking, with some even signing up on the spot—solving both their "physical health" and "life health" issues simultaneously.

In this era of scarce trust, "Cui's Catalyst for Love" attempts to restore the essential value of matchmaking services through seemingly "lumsy" methods. Whether their experiment succeeds may serve as a key indicator for observing the direction of China's matchmaking service industry.

If you encounter any issues or have valuable suggestions within the DoBe park, please feel free to contact us via:

Official Complaint and Suggestion Email for the Chairman: jack@dobechina.com