Shaadi.com

For the general concept in South Asian weddings, see Shaadi.

Shaadi.com
Company typePrivate
IndustryOnline dating service
PredecessorSagaai.com
Founded1997
Headquarters
Mumbai
,
India
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Anupam Mittal
ParentPeople Group
Websiteshaadi.com

Shaadi.com is an Indian online dating service company founded in 1997. Its core market is India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh,[1] but the company operates globally, with offices in Canada, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Overview

Shaadi.com began as Sagaai.com[2] in 1997.[3] Its founder, Anupam Mittal, changed its name to Shaadi.com in 1999, believing it to be a more marketable name.[2] Its initial success was primarily among non-resident Indians,[2][4] as Internet adoption across India was poor at the time, and conservative parents were hesitant to arrange marriages through a new startup.[2][4] Despite some early personnel troubles, Shaadi.com saw success over the next fifteen years as Internet adoption increased and people became more receptive to online matchmaking.[2] By 2008, it had become the world's leading matrimonial website for Asians,[3] and had twenty million users by 2011.[5][6]

In addition to online matchmaking, Shaadi.com runs over one hundred Shaadi Centres, retail outlets that offer matrimony-related services.[7][8] The first was opened in Mumbai in 2004.

In 2009 it collaborated with StarPlus to produce India's first marriage-based reality television show.[9]

In 2012 Shaadi.com launched the Facebook game Angry Brides to bring awareness to dowry abuses in India.[10]

In 2014, Shaadi.com launched Shaadi Cares, a social initiative to educate people regarding marital issues, including dowry and domestic violence.

In 2016, Shaadi.com acquired Thrill Group, a startup that included two dating products, Frivil and Fropper, founded by expat entrepreneurs Josh Israel and Devin Serago.[11]

Caste discrimination claims

In February 2020, Shaadi.com was accused of allowing caste-based discrimination by having an option for Scheduled Castes to be left out of algorithms. In response, Shaadi.com said that the option "works as an important proxy to determine lifestyle fitment" but that it did not "remove any community from user preferences."[12]

Recognition

  • Business Today highlighted Shaadi.com as one of India's ten best marketers in 2007.[13]
  • Shaadi.com was chosen for The Best Hindu Matrimonial Website category in About.com's 2011 Readers' Choice Awards.[14]
  • Shaadi.com placed silver in the "Best Use of Ecommerce - Self (own) brands Product/ Services" category of the 2012 Indian Digital Media Awards.[15]
  • Angry Brides placed silver in the "Social Media - Best Use/Campaign on Social Network - Social Cause" category of the 2013 Indian Digital Media Awards.[16]

See also

References

  1. ^ Charsley, Katharine (2013). Transnational Pakistani Connections: Marrying 'Back Home'. Routledge.
  2. ^ a b c d e Sen, Satrajit. "Arranged marriages over the internet were a laughable idea when Shaadi.com started!". Indian Digital Review. Archived from the original on 11 January 2012. Retrieved 5 Dec 2011.
  3. ^ a b Sethi, Anita (7 June 2008). "Shaadi.com: a match made in cyberspace". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 22 August 2015. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
  4. ^ a b Paul, Jessie (1 December 2009). No Money Marketing. Tata McGraw-Hill Education. p. 40. ISBN 978-0-07-015270-0. Retrieved 15 September 2011.
  5. ^ "Shaadi.com voted the best Matrimonial Website in the 2011 Reader's Choice Awards". Business Standard. Archived from the original on 16 February 2016. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
  6. ^ "Social networking sites are not a threat to conventional websites". The Economic Times. Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. 19 July 2011. Archived from the original on 22 July 2015. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
  7. ^ "About ShaadiCentre". ShaadiCentre.com. Archived from the original on 12 July 2015. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
  8. ^ "Shaadi.com weds new media to celebrate its 15th birthday". Exchange 4 Media. Archived from the original on 5 March 2014. Retrieved 28 July 2012.
  9. ^ "Shaadi.com Ties Up with Star Plus for India's First Reality Matrimonial TV Show". News Wire Today. 27 January 2009. Archived from the original on 8 October 2012. Retrieved 15 September 2011.
  10. ^ "Angry Brides: Indian dating site launches anti-dowry Facebook game based on Angry Birds". UK. Daily Mirror. 17 January 2012. p. 1. Archived from the original on 22 July 2012. Retrieved 18 July 2012.
  11. ^ Prasad, Prisha. "Shaadi.com acquires dating app Frivil". TechCircle. Archived from the original on May 7, 2018. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
  12. ^ "Indian matrimonial site Shaadi.com under fire in UK over caste-based matches".
  13. ^ "India's best marketers". Business Today. Living Media India Limited. 21 October 2007. Archived from the original on 22 July 2015. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
  14. ^ Das, Subhamoy. "The Best in Hinduism - 2011 Readers' Choice Awards". About.com. Archived from the original on July 21, 2015. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
  15. ^ "exchange4media IDMA Awards 2012". Indian Digital Media Awards. exchange4media Group. Archived from the original on 13 September 2015. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
  16. ^ "Complete List of IDMA 2013 Winners". Indian Digital Media Awards 2013. exchange4media Group. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 18 July 2015.