Withthe second wave of Covid-19, Jeevansathi.com, a matrimony platform, rolled outa survey to understand how this impacts the search for a life partner.
Resultsshow that half of the respondents feel that virtual meetings will become thenorm very soon; completely replacing physical meetings during one's search fora life partner. In contrast, in August 2020, only 40 per cent respondentsconfirmed the same. When digital transformation is the in-thing acrossindustries, finding soulmates has also found its safe haven online.
RohanMathur, Business Head, Jeevansathi.com said, "Pandemic has changed the waypeople search for a life partner. We have witnessed the increasing affinityamong our users towards virtual ways of connecting with prospective matches.While we saw a spike in usage of voice and video-calling on our platform assoon as Covid hit, the trend has continued even after relaxations in governmentrestrictions and a drop in cases. At the onset of the Covid pandemic, we had seenthe volume of calls on the platform go up 1.6X. This year, the number ofvoice/video calls is a whopping 11X of what it was pre-Covid. Total time spenton calls has also gone up 10 times."
Asmany as 38 per cent of the respondents are comfortable taking a decision basedon virtual meetings alone! While digital has its own ease, it has notcompletely banished the importance of in-person meetings. 44 per centrespondents are happy to connect over video calls to know each other butmeeting in-person is still required for the final decision. Only 18 per centsaid that they still prefer meeting matches face-to-face over virtually.
Itis interesting to see the newfound appreciation for small weddings with limitedguest lists. While it was understandably the most popular choice when cases inthe country had peaked, even after the vaccine rollout, 55 per cent ofrespondents have expressed their preference for smaller weddings. The secondwave of Covid-19 could be one of the reasons for the same. However, in thiswave, people are relatively more relaxed and want to go back to a world wherebig fat Indian weddings were common. Twenty seven per cent respondents saidthey would readily have a regular wedding now, albeit with safety precautionsvs only 11 per cent respondents willing in August '20. While searching for apartner has moved online in the wake of the lockdown, virtual weddings arecompletely eliminated. No respondent opted for a virtual wedding in the survey,as compared to 11 per cent who did in August '20.
Thatsaid, safety and sanitisation have become the top priority in Indian weddingssince the pandemic hit. Over 50 per cent respondents chose a Covid-safe weddingover the perfect outfits, pictures, food, etc. Sixty nine per cent respondentssaid they are now comfortable attending a pandemic wedding with the requisiteprecautions.