Casual dating apps, such as Tinder, have not affected matrimony.com’s business in India, said chief executive, Murugavel Janakiraman, to DataQuest on Monday.
Janakiraman said that, despite the rise in the use of dating apps over the past ten years, the marriage market remained strong in India.
“We believe that India is a strong matrimony market. For Indians, marriage is the ultimate goal of a relationship…Besides, dating is not viewed as serious, it’s seen as casual,” he said.
“It’s been difficult to make money through dating as strong business models are yet to be proven in the Indian market, whereas when it comes to matrimony, the Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) is in thousands.”
The site also has less competition than other dating apps. matrimony.com users are often slightly older people who want to settle down instead of younger daters looking for fun.
Janakiraman is optimistic about the future of the company.
“We have seen good momentum in Q3 matchmaking billings, and we expect to enhance this further. Our initiatives in product and customer engagement have started to yield improved results that will help us to drive better growth,” he said.
At the end of last year, the dating site had 4.38 million active profiles.
In the coming year, the company plans to invest in new technologies, such Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning, in order to improve its services.
It is also is looking to expand its business and marriage services, including MatrimonyBazaar, MatrimonyMandaps and MatrimonyPhotography, across the globe.
MatrimonyMandaps and MatrimonyBazaar were launched in South India in July 2019 to help matrimony.com couples plan their wedding.
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