Paid membership and online matrimony portals - an Indian study

Technological innovations and advent of ecommerce have given rise to the internet portals in recent times. One such development can be seen in the field of matrimony. The evident cultural shift in the outlook of marriage in India and adoption to new technology has enabled the growth of matrimonial service portals. Dispersed families adapt to online matrimonial services to seek most of the marriage-related information. Most of the matrimonial portals that hold the major market share work on freemium model. The present study attempts to analyze the influences that motivate online matrimony service users to become a paid member rather than being a free member. We explore the question using a logistic regression model on the data obtained from one of India's premier matrimony portals. Our results show significant gender based differences in terms of factors that influence the proclivity to take a paid membership. By this attempt the study aims to help the matrimonial service providers to target their customers/members efficiently and effectively.