MUMBAI: Yahoo! India, the leading Internet communications and media company, has tied up with online matrimonial facilitator Shaadi.com to launch a host of wedding and allied services on a channel called India Matrimony hosted on www.yahoo.co.in.
The exclusive channel will provide services such as online search for life partner, matching horoscopes, planning wedding and honeymoon.
Announcing this alliance, Yahoo! India sales and business development director Neville Taraporewalla says: "This 'marriage' is a big occasion for the two partners who have been associated with each other since quite some time. Yahoo! India has been a successful online platform for matrimonial advertisers in the last two years. The completely integrated channel Yahoo! India Matrimony will give our 29 million registered users a one-stop opportunity to find one's life partner."
Shaadi.com's holding company Mittal Media chairman and CEO Anupam Mittal adds: "The tie-up has great potential for us since we would now be directly accessible to 29 million registered Yahoo! India users - up from one million users registered on Shaadi.com.Shaadi.com's tie-ups for wedding merchandise and ancillary services like bridal attire, marriage halls, wedding halls, jewellery, travel amongst others will add extended value to the online partnership."
Speaking about the fate of online properties in the face of the a general meltdown and recession, Yahoo! India's Taraporewalla says: "This year 2003 - the fourth year of existence - has been a good year for us and we have seen a remarkable turnaround. We also underwent a restructuring process. However, I am not at liberty to reveal revenue figures as it is part of the parent company's consolidated financials."
Yahoo! India has recently launched its marketing solutions centre to provide advertisers with a wide range of marketing solutions and tools on the Yahoo! network. The centre is divided into three sections: Campaign tools, Advertising tools and Yahoo! tools. The Yahoo! India Mobile short-code 8243 can be accessed across the nation and has a reach of seven million mobile subscribers. Brands like Cadbury's, Pepsi, Kinetic and BBC have taken advantage of the integrated marketing programmes.
Mittal also refused to divulge details of the agreement between Shaadi.com and Yahoo! India. Speaking about the premium membership details, Mittal elaborates: "Most of our services are free and we have facilitated 25,000 marriage alliances till date. However, when registered members seek premium membership we charge them Rs 1,000 for three months, Rs 1,650 for six months, Rs 2,750 for a year."
Such alliances indicate that the Internet has emerged as a truly potent matchmaker in the Indian context.
