Online Matrimony - And They Lived Happily Ever After
Millions of unmarried couples, especially young women, are now depending on the Net to exchange photos, videos, views and opinions before bringing in the parents to convince them they have found the person they want to marry, writes India Today.
Of the 38.5 million Internet users in India, nearly 60% are below the age of 25. Of them, 48% are registered with matrimonial sites, 51% with dating and friendship sites and 37% of Internet users are into both the activities.
The year-on-year growth for matrimonial services is 130%, while that of dating sites is 88%. This is surprising, since I would have expected the younger generation to move towards the social networking platform to find their mate.
Some factoids according to the India Today story:
- Online matrimony is worth Rs 140 crore, up from Rs 58 crore in 2006.
- Visitors moving to the Net for matrimony up from 15% last year to 48%.
- Over 12 million Indians use online matrimonial searches.
- Matrimonial sites are now the 13th most popular mainstream online activity.
- There are nearly 20 million members worldwide for the leading two sites alone.
Filed under: Business, Digital culture