Matrimonial sites fail to evoke good response

Bangalore, Jul 28: Matchmaking business on the internet may be galloping at a rapid pace in the country, raking in huge moolah, but it is yet to catch the fancy of women.

A recent study by the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) to track the demographics of online match seekers, revealed that a mere 31 per cent women preferred to use internet for matrimonial search.

A peek into the online matrimonial activities of new subscribers in March showed that the fairer sex was equally hesitant when it came to posting a profile, with just 38 per cent of them and 67 per cent of men uploading their profile. The trend was similar in responding to a profile too as 47 per cent men came forward, compared to just 22 per cent women.

IAMAI Chairman Anupam Mittal, also Chairman and Managing Director, People Group, which runs popular site Shaadi.com, said ''the online matrimonial services business has been experiencing significant growth over the last few years on the back of a strong Indian diaspora. Over the next two years, we are expected to see over 50 per cent growth in this segment, driven largely by the need for a convenient matchmaking solution, increased internet penetration in India, as well as its demographic profile - almost 65 per cent of our population is under 35 years of age.'' One of the key drivers of this industry was that unlike traditional matchmaking solution, online matrimonial took away geographical and spatial limitations and provided a secure and private platform to meet potential partners, he said.

However, women still did not see matrimonial sites as an exclusive matchmaking medium, if the figures shown in the study were any indication. While 41 per cent men were solely dependent on the sites to search their soulmates, only 28 per cent women relied entirely on it. For 52 per cent men and 57 per cent women, it was only a supplementary medium.

When it came to paid sites, there were not many takers from either sex, with just 11 per cent men and four per cent women logging in.

Topping the list of States from where such sites received maximum hits was Maharashtra, clocking 25 per cent, followed by Delhi 16, Tamil Nadu 12 and Karnataka seven. Among the cities, 17 per cent of the respondents hailed from Mumbai, 16 per cent from Delhi, six per cent from Chennai and Kolkata, and five per cent from Bangalore. As much as 28 per cent came from 'Other Cities', dismissing the notion that the internet was metro-specific, the study said.

With the Web revolutionising matchmaking as a business by bringing about an affordable and convenient process, people of all age groups, ranging from 18 to over 60, turn to internet to seek a suitable match. Of them, over 50 per cent were in the age group of 26-35, followed by 37 per cent in the 18-25 category.

Mr Sanjeev Bikhchandani, Founder and CEO of InfoEdge, which manages Jeevansathi.com, estimated the market size to reach Rs 70-75 crore in 2006-2007, up from Rs 50 crore last year. According to him, the number of unique profiles added each year was in the range of 2-2.5 million.

BharatMatrimony.com Founder and CEO Murugavel Janakiraman said ''a single important reason for this growth in the last one year can be attributed to the growing social acceptance which has been fuelled by pure play internet companies having offline centres spread across more than 50 cities, where not-so-savvy consumers are aided by executives to subscribe to multiple services as well as search the existing database first hand.'' While the average time spent by visitors on matrimonial searches was 23 minutes, it was 36 minutes for subscribers.

Talking about the bouquet of services offered by matrimonial sites, IAMAI President Dr Subho Ray said the services include mobile alerts, horoscopes in several Indian languages and reference checks on a NRI groom/bride. Popular websites also assure authenticity through profile screening and other convenient tools such as a digital horoscope and a messenger and e-mail service so members can get acquainted.

Other services on offer include beauty, style and health tips, trousseau planning, venue options and honeymoon and travel plans.

All these features add up to them becoming an end-to-end solution provider, he added.

The other online activities of users include e-mail (98 per cent), surfing (75), search engines (69), job search (66), chatting (63), news online (59), astrological predictions (41), research (33), religious and spiritual information (24) and news on mobile (19).

UNI