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Sravanthi Challapalli

Chennai , Dec. 11

A matchmaker needs to be trustworthy, sensitive to people's needs and empathetic, so who better than women, who naturally possess such qualities, to run marriage bureaus? Shaadipoint, the offline sister concern of matrimonial Web site shaadi.com, is increasingly employing women in its franchises for these reasons.

Of the 650 people who own and work in its franchises, 625 are women, says Mr Omprakash Hassanandani, Business Head, Shaadipoint. Of its 118 outlets, 30 franchisees are women as well. The company, which is planning to put in place 500 outlets and employ 4,200 people by March 2009, is keen on recruiting women in the hope that their qualities will boost its business.

Wedding planning biz

Shaadipoint hopes to get into the wedding planning market. It has made a beginning by getting into horoscope matching and grooming, Mr Hassanandani said. The company has also begun conducting workshops for prospective brides and grooms on various aspects of marriage.

Shaadipoint customers mostly comprise parents of prospective brides and grooms while shaadi.com customers are younger, those comfortable with the Internet as well as those who look for spouses themselves without parental intervention.

Shaadi.com has 90 lakh members and 75 lakh success stories, said Mr Hassanandani. Shaadipoint has two lakh registered members. Shaadi.com's database is open to shaadipoint customers but not vice versa as many parents are not comfortable with their wards' details being put on the Internet, he said.

The wedding industry is estimated at Rs 75,000 crore. The online matrimony business is pegged at Rs 100 crore, according to the Internet and Mobile Association of India.

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