'Matrimonial sites were earlier the last resort, but now it's the first choice'

On m4marry.com's 12th anniversary, Smitha Vasudevan, Head of Digital Classifieds at Malayala Manorama talks about Covid impact on the business, brand ambassador Vijay Deverakonda, and the matchmaking platform's journey so far.

What is the major change that you have perceived in the last year?

We have seen a major shift in our customer behaviour.  Family has become central in these troubled times. The pandemic seems to have rekindled the connections between parents and their children.  Many people moved back to their parents with WFH becoming the norm.  Family has become their anchor, unlike the distance affected by the manic pace of life many young people had lived before last year. 

Matchmaking has benefited both from these changed priorities as well as higher involvement from all family stakeholders.  This is a re-affirmation of our brand values, we have always believed that just as we help prospective brides and grooms find their soulmates, we also help families find their perfect each other.  Indian marriages are not complete without families.  

How has Covid impacted your business?

There was concern and confusion in the first few days, but we have a sterling service team who continued to support customers all through the early days of the Lockdown.  But even on those days of uncertainty, we found that usage and registrations on the website were increasing, giving us the much-needed vote of confidence.  

Just as we had during previous crises like the Great Kerala floods in 2018, our first priority was to support the customers in keeping safe, just as in keeping our team safe.  Our technology team quickly introduced a secure space for families to connect, the m4marry virtual family meet platform, and this is now a complimentary service to all premium members on the website.  You can take your matrimonial search forward while remaining safe during these troubled times.

We have grown during the Covid times, our team strength has doubled.  When most companies were laying off people or slashing manpower, we have added quality manpower.  This has helped to increase our traction in the segments that we operate it, helped us to reach out to customers who have required additional support.  With a large diaspora of NRI community, families were scattered across, and travel bans meant that they were not able to return home for taking proposals forward or to committing a timeframe for the wedding.  There is also distress and deep concern over the immediate impact of the second wave.  We appreciate and understand how this impacts our customers, we share them.  So we are deeply empathetic in our response to customer concerns.

Our customers too share the same concerns that the rest of the world do, over their own health and those of their families, loss of jobs and income, the stress of the continuing pandemic.  Any product which is integral to customers’ lives have to factor in these realities into the equation, it is only then that it can stay meaningful and relevant.  

How has the business grown in Q1, 2021?

Registrations on m4marry have increased by 50% over the previous period.  Revenue has also followed suit and jumped up by 50%.  Profitability has been positively impacted even with our expansion in manpower.  We have been extremely judicious in our investments and have leveraged the pandemic to recognise the value of each component to the business. The value assessment of each asset and investment has helped to keep the business healthy.  

Which markets are you in now?

We are now a top matrimonial website in all the Southern markets- for Malayalees, Telugu, Tamil and Kannada communities.  In the matrimonial business, we need to have deep understanding of the cultural ethos and the subtle nuances that govern the matchmaking process. It helps to appreciate the role the website plays in helping families find each other.

m4marry’s brand ambassador is Vijay Devarakonda.  What prompted this association?

Vijay and m4marry is a match made in heaven.  Vijay is a family person, grounded in our culture,  inspirational and ambitious. Strong beliefs about the sanctity of families is central to our conversations.    He is passionate about what he believes in and someone all the youngsters adore.  He was the best person to take the m4marry message forward.  

How has the matrimonial business changed in these twelve years?

The change in the matrimonial landscape has been phenomenal.  The first has been in how the medium is being used.  Today,  the first decision that most parents or the prospective bride or groom does when they consider marriage is to list themselves on m4marry.  In the initial days, there was scepticism.  There was a lot of doubt in their minds on how the platform operates, especially for parents.  Online matrimonial websites were often the last resort.  But now it is the first choice.

Why do you think there is more ready acceptance now?

I believe it is because of the trust that we have built up. Matrimony business is a serious business.  It has to be a responsible platform, we need to uphold the trust that the customers have reposed in us, in safeguarding their profiles and ensuring a secure space for them to meet and match from the community.  Technological innovations and manual verification are part of the effort to ensure that we remain so.

What are the factors which have helped to support this growth?

Some of them are macro factors like the penetration of the Internet and the widespread access of the Internet over mobile phones.  The second is the ease of technology adoption.  Some of them are intrinsic, like how accessible our support team is, and how they demystify the experience.  We have also continually refined the user experience to enhance its utility and value for the users.  Deep engagement is driven by technology which in turn has been shaped by user behaviour.  

What are the features that make m4marry special to users?

M4marry has our special propriety analytical engine called LENS which powers our intelligent matchmaking algorithm.  The system derives its intelligence from user behaviour and is powered by AI tools.  

But we also have our team of front line team who drive product innovation with their constant input on how to improve our features for the customers.  Their collective intelligence, combined with intuitive machine learning helps to drive our business.

What differentiates m4marry.  

Leading with Service. It is the DNA of m4marry.  As part of one of India’s oldest and most trusted media groups, we have always put the customer first.  This goes beyond supporting the customer through intelligent matchmaking, it is the human face in our interactions and the empathy we display that differentiates us.  This brand has been built by word of mouth, every success story leading to more success stories.  

We also understand that Indian marriages are about families, it is about finding the perfect partner, it is also about finding like-minded families.  With every marriage, it is also a marriage of two families.  We understand these deep sentiments, the deep ethos and traditions that govern our weddings.  We are a human company before we are a technology company.