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High-pressure jobs boost business for China's Internet matchmakers
By Yu Tianyu (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-10-06 07:12 Zou Yuwei, a 28-year-old woman working at a foreign bank's Beijing branch, paid 1,999 yuan to look for a husband at Zhenai.com, China's largest matchmaking website. It's also the world's largest matchmaking website by registered members. Two weeks after she registered, she started dating her possible Mr. Right, a Beijing lawyer who earns about 30,000 yuan a month. "During the economic meltdown, I felt very worried about my job since some staff at my office could be fired due to the company's business cutback plans," she said. "But some of my female colleagues were far less anxious than me because they have support from husbands or boyfriends, mentally and also economically," Zou said. While her income and position are now stable due to the country's economic recovery, online spouse hunting has become a priority for the so-called "single elite". Statistics from Zhenai.com (which means "cherished love" in Chinese) showed that in the third quarter of this year, the number of registered members soared by 35 percent compared to the second quarter -- a 62 percent year-on-year rise. However, the number of registered members only increased by 15 percent in the second quarter of the year from the first quarter. Li Song, chairman and co-founder of Zhenai.com, said that based on the figures and his company's research of online members, the economy has a strong effect on people's views about finding a spouse. The website announced that the number of its registered members reached 20 million on July 31 with an average of 40,000 new members each day. With these new numbers, Zhenai.com has for the first time exceeded the members registered at online matchmaking giant Match.com in the United States. Match.com had a membership of 15 million and an average of 60,000 new members each day as of May. Cost-effective "We learned that some of our members would like to spend half of their monthly salaries to look for a partner," Zhenai.com's Li said. "They said that, compared to investments in property or the stock market, it would be highly cost-effective," Li said. About 60 percent of Zhenai.com's newly registered members are female, Li said, adding that he believes that is because women seem to be more vulnerable to the pressures created by the economic recession. Higher numbers of women also were counted among website members at the end of last year as the financial crisis deepened, he said. The website's services primarily target the 25-to-45 age group, Li said. He added that the fastest-growing categories of new members - working in information technology, financial and related industries - are employed in fields especially influenced by the global financial crisis. "Some professionals, including lawyers and accountants, also showed more interest when the economy started recovering," Li said. "These people have very high incomes, but the financial crisis also puts pressure on them," he said. Zou, the bank employee, said long hours at work are a factor, too. "Actually, I don't have enough time to go out and meet new friends. That's one of the major reasons why I was single," Zou said. Arranging dates "The online matchmaking service can save me time, as the matchmakers (hong niang in Chinese) can help me select potential candidates according to my standards and arrange dates for me," she said. Zhou Fangyi, a hong niang at Zhenai.com, said her work has "been getting busier" since July. "I have to make hundreds of telephone calls to clients, asking for their detailed background information, requirements and to arrange dates for them," the matchmaker said. "We check up on clients' information very carefully through phone calls, emails and even their identification cards," Zhou said. "I think that's another reason why so many clients turn to Zhenai.com." In the past five years, Zhenai.com has arranged dates for more than 2 million couples, and the company said that more than 85 percent of members eventually found a husband or wife through the service. About 350 matchmakers currently work for the website, and 150 more will soon join the website following training sessions. "I can only tell you that our sales revenue is about 30 percent higher than the total revenues of our three competitors -- marry5.com, baihe.com and jiayuan.com," Li said. Li said the website this month increased its fee from 1,999 yuan to 2,999 yuan for six months of service. Big business China reportedly has 20,000 matrimonial agencies in operation, as well as online websites, bulletin boards and social network sites such as Facebook.com and Kaixin001.com. The Chinese Internet research center iResearch Consulting predicted that the number of Chinese online daters will reach 140 million by 2010. iResearch Consulting also predicted that Chinese online daters will account for 44.7 percent of all registered online dating site members worldwide by 2010, creating a potential market worth up to 1.2 billion yuan. Forrester Research Inc estimated that the dating industry in the US alone was worth $957 million in 2008. By 2013, that number is projected to reach $1.7 billion, according to Forrester Research. (China Daily 10/06/2009 page4) |
