Personalised Matchmaking Sees Uptick Through Covid

Anuradha Gupta... Feb 10, 2021

The uncertainty that COVID brought affected so many aspects of our lives. Weddings, events or family gatherings which would have been the norm in creating a regular turnover for the Indian market, they were all affected, dampening the spirits of both society and business. But even before the pandemic hit, matchmaking as an industry was seeing seismic changes - be it web-based portals or through independent matchmakers.

Technology has clearly played a role in bringing people together. Various online platforms offering varied services have seen much success when it came to dating. Traditional matchmaking, ofcourse, has been very personalised, and a business like Vows for Eternity has seen both technology and tradition as strong drivers of its business model. While technology removes distance, the personalisation we bring to each search closes the gap between the member and my team. Vows for Eternity has seen a healthy growth in memberships after the initial nervousness of social interactions being limited by COVID wore down. Equally, the loneliness that the lockdown brought across the world encouraged more people to introspect and seek stronger long-term relationships.

Matchmaking is certainly undergoing a change as millennials walk away from the impersonal nature of algorithmic websites and apps. They are willing to put their time, effort and money into personalisation, trusting companies like Vows for Eternity to provide a bespoke service that caters to each need.

Businesses like mine today focus on having a team that understands each nuance a service like ours brings, marrying the intimate nature of the process that finding a partner requires, with the professionalism that is needed to run a successful global venture. Having a presence in various parts of the world has been instrumental in gauging the pulse of what singles today are looking for. Meeting the demands of our discerning members is what sets us apart in a market that is saturated with browsable websites that offer no confidentiality or hand-holding through a very personal process.

As they say in India, when you marry a person, you don't just marry an individual, you marry an entire family. This holds true in matchmaking as well. Well before two families are introduced to each other, my team and I make a concerted effort in evaluating the socio-economic status and the lifestyles that both individuals come from. Having detailed conversations with so many members, we have found that these soft skills are what make our business stronger. Our strength lies in understanding personalities, mindsets and value systems, that are so integral in bringing people together. In a time where patience levels are low and people are still figuring out what they themselves really want, having someone curate the process for you adds a certain comfort as the process unfolds.

For those of us that find ourselves technologically challenged, new lessons have been learned through 2020. Online video platforms, both new and old, have seen new entrants come on to the stock-market and these services have truly done an incredible job for businesses like mine. While this took a while to take off, these video meetings became the norm for not just matchmaking alliances but part of all interactions, business and personal. Our members today are discovering the comforts and advantages in online introductions. The nervousness and pressure of the initial meeting is heavily reduced. The arranged introduction is now more about how you connect and converse beyond how you look and present yourself, leaving out a lot of the unwanted awkwardness and more longer-term prospect building. Even post the pandemic, I feel this will continue to be the norm, at least for the first few interactions.

Matchmaking for me isn’t just a business that is measured by growth, turnover and success rates - Vows for Eternity was born out of a very personal experience for me. Its member base, my team and the value the company brings to enrich lives and facilitate new beginnings are my pride and joy. Here’s to 2021 being pandemic-free, bringing fruit to new relationships that result in happily-ever-after.